Ambassador Indroyono Discusses Strengthening US-Indonesia Library Cooperation

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesian Ambassador to the United States Indroyono Soesilo paid a visit to the Library of Congress in Washington DC to discuss strengthening cooperation between the libraries of both countries. During his visit to the Library of Congress on Wednesday (10/6), Ambassador Indroyono was received by Sarah Rhodes from the Congressional and Intergovernmental Office and Naomi from the Copyright Office, where they discussed the exchange of books, enrichment of collections, and broadening access to knowledge. “The Indonesian collections housed at the Library of Congress are proof that our nation has an important contribution to the world’s treasury of knowledge,” Indroyono said in a statement from the Indonesian Embassy in Washington DC on Thursday. “Every Indonesian book, manuscript, archive, and intellectual work present here serves as an ambassador for the nation, introducing Indonesia’s history, culture, thought, and achievements to the international community,” he added. The Library of Congress is known as the largest library in the world, with over 170 million collections covering around 39 million books and printed materials in 470 languages, 73 million manuscripts, and millions of photographs, maps, music recordings, and sound archives. Among these collections, around 190,000 originate from Indonesia, reflecting the wealth of the nation’s intellectual and cultural heritage that has become part of the global knowledge landscape. Indonesia’s legacy is also reflected through collections documenting the journeys of national leaders. The Library of Congress holds over 1,100 books about President Soekarno, 918 books about President Soeharto, and various works about President BJ Habibie. Furthermore, the American Folklife Center also stores recordings and documentation of Indonesian culture dating from 1893 to 2009. One of the most treasured Indonesian collections is an illuminated Javanese manuscript from 1862 titled Pangkat-Pangkat Caritanipun Serat Babad ing Tanah Jawi Sedhaya, which recounts the history of Java and the spread of Islam with artistically historic and valuable illustrations. On this occasion, Ambassador Indroyono presented his book entitled ‘Teknologi Maritim & Teknologi Pertahanan Indonesia’ (3rd Edition, 2018) to the Library of Congress. This donation increases the number of his works stored in the library to 20 titles. “Libraries, museums, galleries, and archives are the four pillars of civilisation that safeguard the collective memory of a nation. Through inter-institutional knowledge cooperation, we are not only preserving the legacy of the past but also building bridges for future generations to understand and learn from each other,” he said. He further announced a planned visit by alumni of the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) 1973 cohort on 1 July 2026, who will donate around 100 book titles and atlases to the Library of Congress. This initiative is part of an effort to strengthen Indonesia’s intellectual and cultural presence on the global stage. “We hope that more Indonesian academics, writers, researchers, universities, and communities will participate in enriching the collections about Indonesia in libraries around the world,” he explained. “The presence of Indonesian works in global knowledge centres will strengthen Indonesia’s position as a nation contributing to the advancement of science and world civilisation,” Indroyono said, concluding his statement.