A drop-in at the Lost Books Cebu
Stories about coffees & books
In a 2022 column story of PhilStar, Emmeline Aglipay-Villar expressed her strong take on investing in our libraries. By this, she meant that books should not only be accessible to book lovers, but that our love for books must spread and be cultivated if we want to overcome the problems of the learning poverty rate. She posed:
While there were scattered early attempts to use libraries as a way to spread learning and culture, for much of early history they remained private and exclusive – even when they were opened to the public, books were often chained to desks or lecterns to avoid theft, a far cry from the modern association of libraries where books can be borrowed.
But as times change, as their communities changed, libraries evolved. Public library movements sprung up across the world and public libraries became sites of the public good, where people could access books and a safe space to read them, to commune with the thoughts and ideas of other human beings from across time and space, whether on their own or with the help of seasoned readers assigned there as librarians.
-Villar, E. — Invest in our libraries
INTRODUCING—
The Lost Books Cebu is an independent bookstore, bookbindery, cafe, and curio shop that houses a wide collection of Binisaya literature, self-published authors in the Visayas, and a curated book selection of new and secondhand books from all around the world.
Last week, I had ample time to check on a few of the brilliant Cebuano books and poetries. Particularly, I was looking for Adonis Durado’s poetries and was eventually led to various other writings. These include Hubad by Ester Tapia and Ikigai by Manu Avenido—whom I’m a personal fan of.
Since Lost Books isn’t just your typical bookstore, it’s also a café! Book lovers can definitely savor both iced and hot coffees of their choice while reading and immersing themselves in the magic of literature and books. Yet, did you know that it is the smallest bookstore in Cebu? Not only that! Truth be told, its location now used to be an abandoned ATM area of a permanently closed bank near the Cebu Provincial Capitol. You can only be amazed at how its owners turned the tight space into an extraordinary space for book lovers!
Threading back from the beautiful column of Villar from Philstar—while the internet allows ready access to information through phones and devices, we all know by now that not all of this information constitutes knowledge or facts. A true online library would be more than a mere search engine, with trained librarians that are able to reprise their roles as navigators and curators on the digital stage. As stated in one of the “5 Laws of Library Science” by S. R. Ranganathan: “The Library is a growing organism.”
But for libraries to grow, they need care. As a public good it is only right that they are supported by the government, by public funds devoted to public use and that they are accessible to everyone (open access) and protected from undue interference. The support should not only go to the building of the physical infrastructure but to the training and human needs of its librarians and other staff members, for it is this human element that sets libraries apart from mere databases of words and documents. There must be transparency and streamlining of the processes involved in acquiring new books and the transfer to storage of old or outdated material. There should also be clear guidelines for how private citizens can help their local libraries, whether through donations of cash or of their own books.
Libraries are magical places, spaces for imagination and growth, sometimes possessed of a breath of their own, inhaling and exhaling books in the cycle of borrowing and returning. They have the potential to be, in this era of confusion and alienation, a way to bring people together and to open minds and hearts. Invest in our libraries. To paraphrase journalist Walter Cronkite, whatever the cost of improving our libraries, that price is cheap compared to the cost of ignorance.
If you are a book lover, do yourself a favor and visit such an enthralling place. If you are only starting to invest in reading and books, it’s especially the perfect place for you. Lastly, if you support the magnetic beauty of literature, mainly Cebuano, waste no time! Here’s how you can get there: Lost Books Cebu (location).
Exact Location:
CAO Mercado Building, Osmeña Boulevard, Cebu City
Operating Hours:
10:00 AM – 7:00 PM
Closed on Mondays
Ride any jeepney en route to Capitol or Fuente Osmeña Circle and get off at the Cebu Doctors’ University (CDU) or the Bo’s Coffee branch along Osmeña Boulevard.
If you get off at CDU, you will have to cross the street to Bo’s Coffee. From there you can walk to the library cafe. You’ll know you’ve found it because of the green awning of its entrance.
Stay tuned for my next writing and review on author Adonis Durado’s poems. Until then, happy reading!
References/citations:
-https://cebuinsights.com/explore-cebu/shopping/lost-books-cebu/
-https://www.philstar.com/opinion/2022/09/27/2212451/invest-our-libraries