Ministry of Culture Inaugurates Ranggawarsita Library to Broaden Access to Knowledge

The Ministry of Culture (Kemenbud) has inaugurated the Ranggawarsita Library on the first floor of Building E at the Ministry of Culture complex in Senayan, Jakarta. This specialised library serves as a centre for the documentation and dissemination of Indonesian cultural knowledge. The inauguration represents a strategic move by the Ministry to manage the nation’s intellectual heritage. Its goal is to collect various publications, research findings, manuscript transliterations, catalogues, and cultural works so they can be managed in an integrated manner and utilised widely by the public. Minister of Culture Fadli Zon stated that the library’s establishment originated from an initiative to recollect various government publications. Previously, these publications were scattered across many locations, preventing optimal use. ‘All this time, many books, research findings, manuscript transliterations, and various cultural publications published by the state have been scattered in different places. Therefore, we are gathering them in the Ranggawarsita Library so they do not merely become stored archives, but living knowledge that is easily accessible to the public and continues to benefit current and future generations,’ Fadli said in a written statement on Monday (20/7/2026). Fadli explained that the Ranggawarsita Library will become a reference centre for cultural publications across the ages. The Ministry is also continuing to develop the digitisation of collections and integrate publications from Technical Implementation Units in the regions. This is done to ensure that all cultural knowledge products are fully documented within a single, interconnected ecosystem. ‘We want to ensure that all knowledge products generated by the Ministry of Culture, whether books, catalogues, research findings, or other publications, can be accessed by the public sustainably. This library is expected to become a space for learning, research, and a continuously evolving centre for Indonesian cultural reference, so that the nation’s intellectual heritage is not only preserved but also gives birth to new knowledge and ideas,’ he stressed. Head of the National Library, E. Aminudin Aziz, also expressed appreciation for the inauguration. He assessed that this step reflects the Ministry’s strong commitment to broadening access to knowledge and strengthening the preservation of the nation’s intellectual heritage. ‘A library is a space that stores a wealth of knowledge which must be accessible to the public to understand the past and build the future. The inauguration of the Ranggawarsita Library demonstrates a strong commitment from the Ministry of Culture to building a knowledge ecosystem. We believe this library will not only be a storage place for collections but will also develop as a learning space, a collaboration space, and a cultural knowledge service centre,’ said Aminudin Aziz. Aminudin also conveyed the National Library’s commitment to providing assistance, including institutional guidance, strengthening librarian competencies, and developing services so the library is managed professionally. In a similar vein, the Head of the National Archives of the Republic of Indonesia (ANRI), Mego Pinandito, called the presence of the Ranggawarsita Library an important step, particularly in strengthening the preservation of the nation’s collective memory through the use of books, manuscripts, and archives. ‘Libraries and archives are two complementary elements in safeguarding the nation’s intellectual heritage. Archives must not only be stored but must also be continuously utilised as a source of learning, research, and scientific development. Therefore, we welcome the presence of the Ranggawarsita Library and are ready to support its development by tracing and providing relevant archival sources to enrich the treasures of Indonesian cultural knowledge,’ said Mego Pinandito. The library’s presence also serves as a tribute to the great Nusantara poet, Raden Ngabehi Ranggawarsita. On this occasion, the Ministry of Culture also received a Library Identification Number (NPP) certificate from the National Library of Indonesia as a basis for strengthening governance.