A suggestion for a national library

A suggestion for a national library

From Media Indonesia

In developed countries, libraries are open 24 hours a day so that those needing them can make use of library services at any time convenient to them.

Although libraries are open 24 hours in developed countries, they are always full of visitors. In Indonesia, however, library hours may be the shortest in the world because some libraries in a number of universities, for example, are open only between 9 a.m. and 12 noon.

To prevent Indonesia from being included in the Guinness Book of World Records in terms of the shortest library hours, the government must be proactive to put things right in this matter. The national library of the Republic of Indonesia, which is the central library owned by the government, for example, must be open Monday through Saturday, or even on Sunday, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., or perhaps to 9 p.m. At present, it opens at 9 a.m. from Monday to Saturday, and on Saturday it closes at 1 p.m.

The length of library hours is very important, especially now when youngsters have a lot of spare time. Many will spend their spare time joining student brawls, frequenting plazas or malls, going to discotheques, involving themselves in whoring or even taking narcotics.

In fact, these youngsters may be persuaded to spend their spare time reading in a library.

If possible, libraries should also be open on Sundays so that library trips may be held for young people. These activities are useful to them and free of charge.

In this way, the government program to promote the community's reading habits may run more smoothly because the facilities are available. People, whose purchasing power is generally very weak now because of the protracting economic crisis, need no longer to buy books, magazines or newspapers. They can simply read them in a library.

Besides, the efforts made by Mrs. Mastini Hardjoprakoso, the former chief of the national library, to make reading one of the ten basic necessities listed as one of her wishes, God willing, will bear fruit more easily.

One more thing the central government must do, particularly in respect to the national library, is to set aside a portion of all the financial aid it receives in order to finance library activities, such as, among other things, enlarging the library's collection and paying salary to the staff.

MHD DAHLAN SURBAKTI

Jakarta