Ambassador Indroyono Discusses Strengthening US-Indonesia Library Cooperation
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia to the United States, Indroyability Soesilo, conducted a visit to the Library of Congress in Washington DC to discuss the strengthening of cooperation between the libraries of both nations.
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. They discussed book exchanges, the enrichment of collections, and the expansion of access to knowledge.
“The Indonesian collection stored at the Library of Congress is proof that our nation has an important contribution to the world’s treasury of knowledge,” said Indroyono in a statement from the Indonesian Embassy in Washington DC on Thursday.
“Every Indonesian book, manuscript, archive, and intellectual work present here serves as a national ambassador, introducing Indonesia’s history, culture, thought, and achievements to the international community,” he added.
The Library of Congress is renowned as the largest library in the world, with over 170 million items including approximately 39 million books and printed materials in 470 languages, 73 million manuscripts, millions of photographs, maps, music recordings, and sound archives.
Among these collections, approximately 190,000 originate from Indonesia, reflecting the nation’s rich intellectual and cultural heritage which has become part of the global knowledge landscape.
Indonesia’s footprint is also reflected through collections documenting the journeys of national leaders. The Library of Congress holds more than 1,100 books about President Soekarno, 918 books regarding President Soeharto, and various works concerning President BJ Habibie.
Furthermore, the American Folklife Center holds Indonesian cultural recordings and documentation dating from the period of 1893 to 2009.
One of the most valuable 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 artistic illustrations of high historical and aesthetic value.
On this occasion, Ambassador Indroyono presented his book titled “Maritime Technology & Indonesian Defence Technology” (3rd Edition, 2018) to the Library of Congress. This presentation 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 preserve a nation’s collective memory. Through cooperation between knowledge institutions, we not only preserve the heritage of the past but also build bridges for future generations to understand and learn from one another,” he said.
Furthermore, he also conveyed plans for a visit by alumni of the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), class of 1973, on 1 July 2026, who will donate approximately 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, authors, researchers, universities, and communities will participate in enriching the collections regarding Indonesia in the world’s libraries,” he explained.
“The presence of Indonesian works in global knowledge centres will strengthen Indonesia’s position as a nation that contributes to the advancement of science and world civilisation,” Indroyono concluded.