Libraries asked to draw public by advertising

Libraries asked to draw public by advertising

JAKARTA (JP): Libraries must try to sell themselves more to
the public, by placing advertisements in newspapers, radio and
televisions, an expert said.

Agus Rusmana, the head of the library department of the
Bandung-based University of Padjadjaran, said in a seminar on
Tuesday that libraries are not attracting enough readers because
the public is unaware of their existence, and the services they
offer.

The reason for this, he added, was that most administrators
of libraries take it for granted that the public already know
about their facilities.

"With this assumption, we rarely see libraries and their
services being promoted or advertised to the public. Libraries
are often treated like working offices by their administrators,"
he said.

Neglected

More than 500 members of the Indonesian Librarians Association
are taking part in the two-day seminar which was opened by
President Soeharto. The event preceded the National Librarian
Congress, which was opened yesterday.

There are more than 15,000 government-run libraries throughout
Indonesia, hardly sufficient to cater to the needs of the
country's population of 195 million. Some of these libraries,
however, have been left neglected, partly because of their
failures to attract the public, and partly because of financial
problems.

Agus proposed that libraries place advertisements in the
country's electronic and print media to promote their services.

"Through the mass media, librarians can familiarize the public
with the function of library services, and the benefits of using
them" he said.

He pointed out that the public has become accustomed to
getting their information from newspapers and television, but
they do not realize that libraries can offer them access to more
information than is available in the mass media.

"People don't know that they can learn more from the
information that the libraries provide," he said, adding that
given the huge cost of running libraries, such investment would
be wasted if the public does not take full advantage of the
services.

Agus also proposed that in order to make libraries attractive
to the public, their administrators should pay attention to
interior design, location and a host of other factors.

He admitted however that another major drawback to the
development of libraries in Indonesia is the generally poor
reading habits of the people in this country.

"Instead of reading, most people here prefer to get their
information from other people, rather than trying to find it
themselves. This is known as a 'listening society'," Agus said.

Another speaker, Ratna U. Widodo, head of the library of the
National Atomic Energy Agency Research Center, said it is no
secret that the authorities do not provide enough funds to
improve the quality of libraries.

"The librarian association should take on the role of a
'liaison' agent between potential investors and the libraries,"
Ratna said.

The librarian congress which got underway yesterday is to
elect the new executive board and discuss ways of forging closer
cooperation between the various libraries in the country. (31)