JP\/5\/Aceh<\/p>\n
Books for Aceh campaign began in Canberra<\/p>\n
Dewi Anggraeni
\nContributor\/Melbourne<\/p>\n
When a disaster strikes, especially one as devastating as the
\nDec. 26 tsunami in Aceh, people's lives are destroyed. Many
\npeople literally disappear, and those who survive have to pick up
\ntheir lives from the pieces.<\/p>\n
That is indeed what the survivors of the tsunami in Aceh are
\ndoing. Assistance for redevelopment has been and still is coming
\nin from around the world. Apart from basic necessities, donations
\nalso include funding for rebuilding schools, because the young
\nare very high on everyone's agenda.<\/p>\n
A group in Australia is showing its concern for the young in
\nits own way. A coterie of six booksellers in Canberra have joined
\nforces with the National Library of Australia to raise funds to
\nbuy books for libraries in Aceh.<\/p>\n
What drove Asia Bookroom, Alexander Fax Booksellers, Book
\nLore, Dalton Books, Gaslight Books and Paperchain Bookstore to
\njoin forces was seeing the efforts of the National Library of
\nAustralia, which was working to donate A$13,000 worth of
\nIndonesian-language books to Aceh.<\/p>\n
The Australian National Library's regional office in Jakarta
\nhas indeed begun to purchase the books, donating them directly to
\ncamps for displaced persons in Aceh, where over 250 000 people
\nare now living temporarily, without knowing when they can leave
\nfor more permanent homes. Since the books are purchased in
\nIndonesia, the library does not have to pay a lot for
\ntransportation, so it can maximize spending on the books
\nthemselves.<\/p>\n
\"I realize that getting books into a disaster region isn't the
\nfirst thing that is thought of or needed, when people are in
\nthese situations,\" said Sally Burdon, the manager of Asia
\nBookroom, \"However, on top of all the terrible things that have
\nhappened, they have nothing to do. What must that feel like?
\nBooks are at least a way of learning new skills and having time-
\nout, getting one's mind off the current situation.\"<\/p>\n
Spoken like a real book lover, and how true!<\/p>\n
The booksellers in Canberra describe themselves as \"just
\nordinary small businesspeople who really want to help\". It
\nstarted off with a dinner chat between Sally Burdon and Meredith
\nWright of Dalton Bookshop after the tsunami. The chat turned
\nincreasingly serious and ended with a determination to extend
\nhelp in their own way.<\/p>\n
Burdon then contacted Amelia McKenzie, director of Asian
\nCollections at the National Library Australia, and learned that
\nthe library was already organizing a book-buying program. Burdon
\ndiscovered then that the State Library in Aceh had lost over
\n200,000 books from their devastated library, and had also lost
\nseveral mobile library units.<\/p>\n
McKenzie told The Jakarta Post that the manager of the
\nNational Library of Australia's Jakarta office, Ralph Sanderson,
\ngot in touch with Dadi Rahmananta of the National Library of
\nIndonesia. Dadi had visited Aceh in February on a fact-finding
\nmission and produced a sobering report of the situation of the
\nstate library there.<\/p>\n
The ensuing project is being supervised by Sanderson. The
\nfirst delivery of books was a huge success, with the arrival of
\nthe mobile library unit greeted by a crowd of eager and welcoming
\npeople who were thirsting for reading materials.<\/p>\n
The Canberra bookshops have devised different ways of raising
\nfunds, depending on the focus of their shops and their way of
\ndoing business. Some will be donating a percentage of their
\nprofits for a month. Most will have a \"sale\" table for people who
\ncome to visit their shops. Asia Bookroom, for instance, which
\nalso sells by mail order, has also appealed to its mail order
\ncustomers. It is donating 20 percent of its monthly takings from
\nits monthly bargain lists, and is also accepting donations. In
\nfact, within several minutes of sending the lists out, one of its
\ncustomers called to donate A$100.<\/p>\n
People are particularly encouraged to hear that their money
\ngoes a long way in buying books in Indonesia. For instance, the
\nNational Library of Australia recently bought 15 children's books
\nfor A$20, which in Australia would only buy one or two books.<\/p>\n
Amelia McKenzie said there were plans afoot to help with the
\nlibrary furniture such as shelves, but at the moment the focus
\nwas on reading materials.<\/p>\n
The endeavor will superbly complement the current project of
\nrebuilding and refurnishing schools in the devastated areas, and
\nwill strengthen the existing ties between the community of
\nlibraries in Australia and Indonesia.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/jp5aceh-1447899208",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}