The Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) inaugurated yesterday, December 5, 2012, the 21st PIDS Corner at the Central Luzon State University (CLSU) Library in the City Science of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija.
The PIDS Corner is one of the Institute’s foremost research dissemination strategies aimed at providing reading and research materials on development-oriented topics to students, researchers, faculty, and policymakers in locations where there is a lack of such resources. The “Corner” consists of shelves containing various studies and publications produced by the Institute and its research partners. These include books, research papers, discussion papers, journals, and newsletters, among others.
The PIDS Corner at CLSU Library is the first of its kind in the Central Luzon region. Since inception in 2006, there have been 21 (10 in Luzon, 6 in Visayas, 5 in Mindanao) Corners, strategically located in provincial libraries, and public and private academic institutions all over the country.
The inauguration, attended by students, university officials and local government officials, was led by PIDS President Josef T. Yap and CLSU President Ruben C. Sevilleja through a ceremonial ribbon cutting and signing of the Memorandum of Agreement between both institutions. The signing which was witnessed by CLSU’s Chief Librarian Zoraida E. Bartolome and PIDS’ Director for Research Information Sheila V. Siar formalizes the partnership between PIDS and CLSU.
Speaking in Filipino, Yap underscored in his remarks the importance of the PIDS Corners as well as the Institute’s partnership with universities and research institutions. He said, “Hangad din namin na mas maintindihan ng mas nakararami ang mga bagay-bagay na nangyayari sa ating ekonomiya; kaya bukod sa mga opisyal ng ating pamahalaan, ang mga pag-aaaral naming ay amin ding ibinabahagi sa mga eskuwelahan at mga pamantasan sa pamamagitan ng kanilang mga aklatan at gayun din sa ibang research institutions.” (We also aim to increase the public’s literacy and understanding of issues that affect our economy; hence, aside from government officials, we also share our studies with academic and research institutions through their libraries.)
Meanwhile, Sevilleja thanked the Institute for bringing its studies closer to CLSU’s students and faculty members. He said that, as an institution of higher learning, it is imperative for the university to continuously enrich its knowledge materials not only for its students but also for the general public. The Corner provides a new platform for understanding how socioeconomic policies are crafted and how socioeconomic problems can be better addressed, he added.
To spur development discussions in the local area, PIDS Corner inaugurations are followed by a discussion forum on development-related topics by a PIDS senior researcher. For this occasion, Yap presented on the topic “Regional Economic Integration and Inclusive Growth: The Role of the Manufacturing Sector.” In addition, Siar also took the audience composed primarily of Economics students of the university on a “tour” to the Socio-Economic Research Portal for the Philippines (SERP-P), a Web-based knowledge resource of socioeconomic studies which is being maintained by the Institute. SERP-P currently contains more than 5,000 publications conducted not only by PIDS but also by other academic and research institutions.
For more information about PIDS Corners, you may visit http://www.pids.gov.ph/ris/pidscorner.html.
