Section 5Sec./Art. 5

National Book Development Plan. - The National Book Development Plan shall include the specific measures needed to realize the purposes and objectives of the National Book Policy. The formulation of the plan shall involve:

a. the collection and tabulation of data on book production covering such areas as paper production, supply and consumption, publishing equipment and machinery and existing distribution networks;

b. a survey on the availability of adequate and proper manpower and supporting skills needed by the publishing industry such as authors, editors, designers and illustrators, marketing personnel and printers;

c. a survey of existing legislation affecting the book industry both at the national and international levels;

d. a survey of professional training capability as well as of reading habits and attitudes; and

e. consultations with all segments of the book industry concerned in planning for and preparing the National Book Development Plan on the basis of the results of the aforementioned surveys.

The National Book Development Plan shall have the following components and/or requisites:

i. a human resource development program for book personnel;

ii. guidelines for ethical practices in the book trade;

iii. measures for attaining balanced attention and bridging the communication gap among people living in different parts of the country;

iv. provisions for a strong and effective mechanisms for book development in the country;

v. provisions for producing books or other periodicals such as appropriate or selected comics as instructional or teaching material for such various categories of readers in the country as pre-school children and schoolchildren, school drop-outs, neo-literates, the handicapped, professionals, general readers and ethnic groups; and

vi. measures for addressing the needs and problems of the book development industry as indicated in the surveys conducted.