Building a shared home for Philippine library collections
Union Catalog Philippines exists to make the country's library holdings — academic, public, special, and national — searchable as one, so that no learner is limited by which library they happen to walk into.
Our Mission
To curate, connect, and preserve the bibliographic wealth of Philippine libraries through a unified, standards-based catalog — improving discoverability and access for students, educators, and researchers across the archipelago.
Our Vision
A Philippines where every learner, regardless of location or institution, can discover and access the full breadth of the nation's library resources through a single, trusted point of search.
How the union catalog came together
Identifying the Gap
Librarians and educators across the Philippines recognized that fragmented, library-by-library catalogs made cross-institutional research needlessly difficult — especially for students outside major cities.
Building the Network
Academic, public, special, and national libraries were invited to contribute their catalog metadata, forming the foundation of a shared, curated record set.
Launching the Unified OPAC
A single search interface was built on top of the combined catalog, letting users search once and see holdings across every participating library.
Growing Nationwide
Union Catalog Philippines continues to onboard new libraries region by region, working toward truly nationwide coverage for Philippine education.
Principles that guide the catalog
Access for All
Every learner deserves equal ability to discover library resources, regardless of geography or institution.
Collaboration
The catalog is built with, not for, Philippine libraries — through shared standards and open participation.
Cultural Stewardship
We prioritize the preservation and visibility of Filipino scholarship, literature, and local history.
Open Standards
Metadata follows recognized library standards so records stay interoperable and future-proof.
Education First
Every feature is built with students, teachers, and researchers as the primary users.
Continuous Growth
The network is never "finished" — we keep onboarding libraries and refining the catalog.
Want to help grow the network?
Whether you're a librarian, educator, or institution, there's a place for you in Union Catalog Philippines.