Libraries called on to go digital

Libraries called on to go digital

JAKARTA (JP): The State Ministry of Research and Technology on Tuesday called on all information departments in the government, local administrations and private sector to establish a digital library to improve their services to the public.

The ministry suggested that digital libraries should be established in universities, national parks, zoos, museums, language centers and even at the botanical garden in Bogor, South Jakarta, to allow information to be stored in a database.

The ministry will provide between Rp 20 million and Rp 50 million as an incentive to these organizations to digitalize their data, on condition their proposal is approved by the ministry's committee.

Proposals should be submitted to the ministry by Aug. 31.

Further information on how to establish digital libraries can be found at http://www.ristek.go.id.

Assistant to the deputy of the development of information network Utari Budihardjo said the funds for the program would be taken from the ministry's 2002 budget.

"Hopefully we will also receive financial aid from private companies, which can take advantage of digital libraries for rapid search and retrieval of information," she said.

She said digital libraries were needed to store intellectual properties such as students' dissertations, research reports, and the government or local administrations' policies, which have yet to be published.

If such information is digitalized, institutions can exchange information between them and the public can easily access them, she said. (bby)