Philippine Embassy in Washington D.C. Adds to Philippine Collection in the U.S. Library of Congress

The Asian Division of the Library of Congress presents their Philippine collection to Embassy officials at the Asian Reading Room, including the only known extant copy of Doctrina Christiana. I Photo Courtesy of the Washington Philippine Embassy

The Sentro Rizal of the Philippine Embassy in Washington D.C. donated Philippine history books to the Library of Congress in conjunction with the celebration of the 88^th National Book Week on November 24-30, 2022 in the Philippines.

Charge d’Affaires Jaime Ramon Ascalon, Jr., on behalf of Ambassador Jose Manuel Romualdez and the Philippine Embassy, donated the following books to the Library of Congress:

1. Quincentennial Catalog: Quincentennial Art Competition and Lapulapu National Monument Design Competition;

2. Victory and Humanity: The 2021 Quincentennial Commemorations in the Philippines;

3. 1521 Revisited: The Quincentennial Commemorations in the Philippines, Volume

4. Remembering World War II in the Philippines, Volume 1;

5. Remembering World War II in the Philippines, Volume 2;

6. The Voyage of Ferdinand Magellan by Fernando Oliveira;

7. The Philippines: History, Geography, Customs, Agriculture, Industry, and

Commerce of the Spanish Colonies in Oceania by Jean Mallat/ Translated by Pura Santillan Castrence; and

8. The First Filipino: A Biography of Jose Rizal by Leon Ma. Guerrero.

Chargé d’Affaires, a.i. of the Philippine Embassy in Washington Jaime Ramon Ascalon, Jr. donates Philippine history books to Dr. Dongfang Shao, Chief of the Asian Division of the Library of Congress. I Photo Courtesy of the Washington Philippine Embassy

“We are honored to have more literature and references about the Philippines in the collection of the Library of Congress. The Philippine Embassy and its Sentro Rizal hope that these books will cultivate a better understanding of Philippine history and heritage, as well as develop our people-to-people ties where the American public can find more information related to the Philippines. I also thank the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) for making this donation possible,” Ambassador Jose Manuel Romualdez said.

The Asian Division of the Library of Congress likewise gifted the Embassy with a copy of “Asian Collections: An Illustrated Guide.” Aside from donating books to the Library of Congress, Embassy officers and staff led by Chargé d’Affaires a.i. Jaime Ramon T. Ascalon, Jr. was provided with a special tour inside the Thomas Jefferson Building and the Asian Reading Room of the Library.

Chargé d’Affaires, a.i. Jaime Ramon T. Ascalon, Jr. receives a copy of “Asian Collections: An Illustrated Guide” from Dr. Dongfang Shao, Chief of the Asian Division of the Library of Congress. I Photo Courtesy of the Washington Philippine Embassy

The Library of Congress is the largest library in the world and is the main research arm of the U.S. Congress and the home of the U.S. Copyright Office. Its collection includes more than 173 million items, which consists of more than 51 million cataloged books and other print materials in 470 languages; more than 75 million manuscripts; the largest rare book collection in North America; and the world’s largest collection of legal materials, films, maps, sheet music and sound recordings. Further information on the Library may be accessed through: https://www.loc.gov/.

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