High book prices make people turn to libraries

Fitri Wulandari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Neneng Huliyah is not the only person in the capital who has to deal with skyrocketing book prices. Books are still considered luxury items here, despite popular awareness that they are a rich source of knowledge.

Neneng, a 26-year-old junior high school teacher, has to carefully budget every penny earned from her meager salary to buy books for her work, as well as her studies at a school of teaching in a private university.

"As a teacher, I have to pass new information on to my students. If I don't read a lot, I won't be able to do that," Neneng said.

Her need for reading material has grown as her studies have progressed.

"Now I'm in the final year and I'll need more books to write my thesis and also for other projects.

"My budget is only sufficient to buy two books every month. But it's more difficult now. Especially with my studies, I often have to put off plans to buy new books as I have to spend my money on school expenses," Neneng said, adding that she mostly buys books on education, mathematics or other reference books.

As books become more and more expensive, Neneng can often only check out the latest publications in bookstores. Then, she will try to find them at the library.

Libraries are a big help for people like Neneng. She will relentlessly jump on and off buses on the way to every library across the city.

Besides being a regular visitor at the state-run National Library on Jl. Salemba, Neneng will also slip into libraries owned by companies or offices.

"Libraries at offices are usually smaller, but I can still find the books I want there," Neneng said, smiling.

Visiting libraries has become her favorite hobby. Even when she's in another city, she will head to the library and see what it has to offer.

"I like comparing libraries. Then I know which one has the best collection one library has on a specific subject and another has on other subjects," she said.

Another "library fanatic" is 19-year-old Ima Rismawati.

Studying computer science at the Gunadarma University on Jl. Salemba, Ima has the same problem as Neneng when buying books -- financial limitations.

"I can easily find books on my subject but, boy, they are so expensive. I need at least six books when writing a paper. As a student, I don't have much money," she complained.

Ima often hunts for used books in Pasar Senen, Central Jakarta, but most of the time she can't find the titles she is looking for.

"That's why I prefer to go to the library. It has a more complete collection and I don't have to spend much money," she said.

Another reason for visiting libraries is that, in bookstores, people often can't find special books due to their distinctive subjects or because they are written in a foreign language, such as Dutch. People will usually turn to foreign embassies or cultural service libraries.

Dela Petronella, 20, a university student majoring in English, said her study required books which are seldom found on the shelves of bookstores. Even if she could find them, the price would be too expensive for most students.

"My study requires English reference materials and these books are very rare in the market. Even if they are sold, the prices are expensive because they are imported," she said.

Dela usually visits the Australian Embassy's library or the British Council.

"Most of these libraries get their collections directly from their home country. That's why they have books that are not published here," she said.

Similar to Dela, Eddy Tamaela, 60, visits the library to satisfy his appetite for Dutch-language books, which are scarce in the market. Again, price is the factor that lies between him and his favorite books.

"Even the local books are expensive. Can you imagine the price of these books? It must be unbelievable," he said.