Reading and learning are now within reach of marketgoers after the city government opened its first library inside a public market on Friday.

The “Library sa Merkado” is located in the dry goods section on the second floor of the Iloilo Central Market. It initially will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, with the city government considering weekend operations.

Mayor Raisa Treñas, who led the opening, said the library is intended particularly for children who accompany their parents to the market.

“We want to start them young and help them discover that reading can be fun. If they start at an early age, they would enjoy learning and would not have problems with reading comprehension,” she said.

Treñas said the collection of books and stories could help spark children’s imagination and encourage learning.

She also expressed hope that similar reading spaces could be established in other public markets across the city.

Assistant Department Head II Maria Mathilde Treñas said the library is intended to serve not only as a place to read but also as a community learning space for vendors, shoppers and children.

“By bringing books and learning spaces right here in the market, you are saying that education should be accessible wherever our people are,” she said.

The reading space was donated by the Zonta Club of Iloilo City Inc. and built with assistance from the Technical Institute of Iloilo City.

With its opening, Iloilo City now has two operational district libraries, eight barangay reading centers, four outdoor libraries in city plazas and one market-based library.

The opening featured a storytelling activity led by Mayor Treñas, who was joined by her daughter, Thea, and selected daycare children. (PNA)