HISTORY

The establishment of the Cebu Normal University - Balamban Campus Library is intertwined with the birth of the campus itself. When the CNU Balamban Campus was founded in 2002 under the leadership of Dr. Ester B. Velasquez, the second University President, alongside Governor Gwendolyn F. Garcia, Mayor Alex S. Binghay, and Tsuneishi Company, the need for a library to support academic learning was recognized.

From its inception, the library aimed to provide students and faculty with essential learning resources despite the challenging conditions of the original site in Barangay Lamesa.The first library, like the campus, was housed in one of the 10 classrooms donated by Tsuneishi Company, adjacent to deep ravines that posed natural hazards.

When safety concerns forced the campus to relocate — first to Brgy. Poblacion and later to Quail Hollow Resort — the library moved alongside, ensuring that learning resources remained accessible to students despite the lack of a permanent facility.

In 2015, when the Mendoza family donated a 2-hectare site in Brgy. Nangka, the dream of a permanent home for both the campus and the library began to take shape. Construction of the new three-storey building started on August 22, 2020, with support from Deputy Speaker and Congressman Pablo John Garcia, who allocated P25 million for the building’s construction — a portion of which was dedicated to the library’s development.

The library now stands as a modern learning hub, embodying the university’s commitment to providing world-class, future-proof education. It offers a diverse collection of printed and digital resources, supported by technology and a learner-centered environment. Over the years, the library has evolved alongside the campus, embracing innovation and fostering academic excellence.

Today, the CNU Balamban Campus Library remains a vital cornerstone of the university, supporting its mission to develop globally competent graduates and contributing to the campus’s recent achievements, including its recognition in the 2024 WURI Rankings under the Student Support and Engagement category for the AGAK: A Student Support System initiative.

The library’s journey — from a small, makeshift space on a mountain slope to a SMART learning hub — reflects the resilience and dedication of the CNU Balamban community. As the campus continues to grow and push for regular campus status, the library stands ready to expand its resources, services, and impact to serve future generations of Normalites.

Vision

The CNU Balamban Campus Library envisions itself as a Globally Recognized, Agile, and Technologically-Proofed SMART Learning Hub, empowering students and faculty with seamless access to diverse, high-quality information resources, fostering innovation, and supporting lifelong learning in a dynamic academic environment.

Mission

The CNU Balamban Campus Library is dedicated to:

1. Providing Future-Proof Access to Knowledge — ensuring a resilient, technology-enabled, and inclusive library environment that supports students and faculty in adapting to volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous, and divergent (DVUCAD) conditions.

• Equipping Users with World-Class Information Literacy Skills — empowering the academic community with research, digital literacy, and critical thinking competencies essential for lifelong learning and global competitiveness.
• Fostering Innovation and Collaboration — creating an agile, collaborative, and resource-rich space where learners, educators, and researchers thrive, contributing to the university’s vision of producing great leaders, professionals, and stewards of society.

• Sustaining a SMART Library Ecosystem — integrating cutting-edge technology and sustainable practices to build a responsive, student-centered library that evolves with the changing needs of education and society.

1. GENERAL POLICIES
   1. ADMISSION

CNU Stakeholders

1. Only bona fide students, faculty members, officers of the administration and staff of CNU are allowed to use the library.
2. Students are required to present their validated School I.D. upon entering the library.
3. Students must be in complete uniform during class days and in proper school attire during free days.

1. LIBRARY DECORUM
2. Library users are required to observe and obey library policies including the wearing of the prescribed school uniform (undergraduate students) and School I.D. at all times.
3. Food and drinks are not allowed inside the library. Food and drinks are a hazard to library materials and equipment and the spilling of such can create a fall and/or a pest problem. Smoking is absolutely prohibited in all areas of the university.
4. To accommodate students needing a break, the CNU Balamban Campus Library provides an open space area outside the library entrance. Users may return to the library through the entrance after their break.
5. Handle library materials with care. Avoid marking, underlining, inserting bulky objects, or folding pages ("dog ears"), as these actions can shorten the lifespan of library materials.
6. Books and journals must be properly checked out before they can be taken out of the library for home reading or photocopying.
7. Cleanliness and orderliness in the library are essential. Chairs must be pushed back under the table after use and should not be moved from one place to another.
8. The use of headphones for personal stereos and mobile phones is allowed, provided that users do not disturb others who wish to study or conduct research in silence.
9. Receiving and making phone calls must be done outside the library.
10. A designated laptop charging station is available for library users. All other electrical outlets inside the library are for official library use only. Users are not allowed to use these outlets for charging laptops or mobile phones to prevent electrical malfunctions.

• Library users are responsible for their personal belongings. The library is not liable for any lost items.

1. FINES AND PENALTIESOverdue books

Books not returned on the due date shall have a fine of five pesos (Php5.00) per day excluding Sundays and Holidays.

1. Lost books

The borrower should report immediately to the Circulation Librarian when a book is lost, otherwise, he will pay the overdue fines incurred until the day the loss is reported. The borrower will be given one (1) month extension to find the book.

Lost book(s) shall be paid for based on the current value of the book or replace them with the following conditions:

• Same title and author, preferably with the latest copyright
  • Processing fee which is 10% of the price of the book
  • Reprinted copy is not accepted as replacement of an original edition

1. Damaged/Destroyed library materials

A library user found responsible for the destruction or damage of any library materials will be fined accordingly and shall be charged based on the current value of the book. Failure to observe these regulations will be reported and may lead to:

1^st Offense: Warning/ Reprimand

2^nd Offense: Suspension of Borrowing Privileges 3^rd Offense: Suspension from Library Privileges

Replacement of such material with the following condition also apply:

• Same title and author with the latest copyright is preferred.
• Reprint copy is not accepted as replacement for an original edition.

In case of fire, floods and other disasters, a certification is required either from the Bureau of Fire, Barangay Captain, etc. to support the claim.

1. LIBRARY CLEARANCES, REQUESTS, ETC.

One week before the final exams, book circulation is temporarily suspended to allow library staff time to consolidate records of students and faculty with outstanding library obligations or accountabilities. Library users are encouraged to settle any outstanding dues before the scheduled clearance signing.

Clearances for undergraduate students are processed in groups, organized by program or section. The Campus Librarian signs all student clearances. Faculty and staff clearances are countersigned by the Campus Librarian before final approval by the OIC

- Head Librarian. In the event the OIC - Head Librarian is unavailable, the Campus Librarian may sign on their behalf.

1. CONTROL AND SECURITY MEASURES

To ensure the safety and security of library resources and users, the CNU Balamban Campus Library has an electronic surveillance system (CCTV) installed in key areas. Additionally, the library is equipped with spacious aisles, designated emergency exits, fire extinguishers, and a smoke alarm system to uphold safety protocols.

• CIRCULATION

• BORROWING POLICIES FOR HOME USE BOOKS

The library is open from Monday to Friday, 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM.

• Students
• All bona fide students of CNU may borrow a maximum of ten (10) books at a time. The Validated School I.D. is required in borrowing books and other library materials.
• Reference and Fiction books can be borrowed for seven (7) days, and can be renewed once, provided there has been no prior request for them. Filipiniana books can be borrowed for seven (7) days, non-renewable.
  • Faculty
• Permanent faculty members and Staff are allowed to borrow books for home use to a maximum of twenty (20) books per semester;
• Contractual faculty and employees cannot borrow books for take-home use unless a permanent faculty member / permanent administrative staff will borrow the books for them.

• A faculty /administrative staff needing a material should personally visit the library and sign the book card of the book borrowed. In case another person will

get the material, a written authorization and Employee I.D. must be presented to the circulation librarian;

• Faculty /administrative staff members are discouraged from borrowing library books for other members of the family or friends;
• Reserve books with only one copy maybe borrowed by a faculty for seven (7) days after which the book will be recalled by the circulation librarian.

• Regular faculty members are required to return the books every semester or to renew if they still need them. To renew, borrowed books should be brought to the circulation in charge to update the record;

• All faculty members are discouraged from requesting another person (student, fellow faculty member, etc.) to return borrowed books in their behalf;

• Borrowing privileges will be suspended when materials have not been returned after each semester/summer term;

1. All faculty members and administrative staff who are enrolled in the Graduate School follow the same policy like undergraduate students;

• LOAN PERIOD BY CIRCULATION TYPE

1. Library materials are circulated as follows:

• Book loans for home use and photocopying are from 7:00AM to 5:45PM. This is to ensure that the library staff will have time to do housekeeping jobs like filing of book cards, and shelving of books.

• PHOTOCOPY

Students, faculty, and staff are given a period of one (1) hour to photocopy library materials. All library materials should be properly charged out. Theses and dissertations are not to be taken out for photocopy. A fine of five pesos (Php5.00) per hour is charged for books not returned on time.

• NON-CIRCULATING LIBRARY MATERIALS
• Non-circulating materials are reference materials, rare or delicate books and other material designated for use in the library. Books with location symbols listed below are for “Library Use Only”

Non-circulating materials are the following: GREF General Reference

FILGREF Filipiniana General Reference T Theses/Dissertations

P Bound Periodicals RES Reserve Books AS American Studies BC British Council

CB Children’s Books CP Clinical Papers TP Technical Papers

• A School I.D. is needed in borrowing these materials.

• RESERVE
• Reserve books are for “Library Use Only” and may be charged out for “photocopy for a period of one (1) hour only.
• A Validated School I.D. is needed in borrowing these materials.
• Students can borrow a maximum of one (1) book at a time.
• Regular faculty members and staff are allowed to borrow books for home use to a maximum of five (5) books per semester;
• All faculty members and non-teaching staff who are enrolled in the Graduate School follow the same policy like undergraduate students.

• PERIODICALS

Policies on the Use of Periodicals:

1. Journals, magazines, newspapers, information files, and bound periodicals are for “library use only”, however users can also borrow these materials for photocopy outside for one (1) hour. Students may borrow three (3) titles at a time.
2. Validated School I.D. is needed in borrowing these materials.

•  ​COMPUTER AREA

a. The library's computer area is intended for academic and research purposes

only.

b. A valid school ID must be presented to the library staff upon entry.

• Usage is limited to one (1) hour per day on a first-come, first-served basis.

•  ACCESSIBLE LEARNING RESOURCE CENTER

The CNU-Balamban Campus Library is committed to providing an inclusive and accessible environment for all users, including persons with disabilities (PWDs). The library features wheelchair-accessible entrances and a ramp for easy access. Shelving is arranged at a convenient height for better reach, and subject areas are labeled with large, clear signage.

Library staff are readily available to assist with retrieving materials or navigating the space when needed. Accessible restrooms are also available for user convenience. Additionally, users may bring personal assistants or guide dogs to support their visit.

Service Hours and Locations

The Cebu Normal University - Balamban Campus Library is located on the 2nd floor of the Old Building. It houses a diverse collection of library materials, including references, fiction, Filipiniana, periodicals, and more — supporting the academic and research needs of students and faculty.

Location: 2nd Floor, Old Building, CNU-Balamban Campus

Service Hours: Monday to Friday, 7:00 AM - 6:00 PM

Facilities and Services

Library Guide

Ask a Librarian

You are welcome to Contact a Librarian, a place on the Web wherein you can contact from our Reference Librarians through email: balambanlibrary@cnu.edu.ph; or

Chat live and ask your question

We are online from Monday to Friday

8:00 AM – 5:00 PM during regular semesters