Research library preserves country's great literature

Research library preserves country's great literature

As part of World Literacy Day which fell on Sept. 8, The Jakarta
Post's Leony Aurora has been investigating library facilities in
the city. Today, we take a look at a literary-research library.

Time and bookworms have eaten away the edges of the translation
of Alexandre Dumas' masterpiece The Count of Monte Cristo kept in
the dim library of the HB Jassin Literary Documentation Center
(PDS HB Jassin).

Visitors can still browse and even photocopy the brittle pages
of the book, published in 1900, at the center, which is located
on the second floor of a blue building behind the planetarium in
the Taman Ismail Marzuki arts center in Cikini, Central Jakarta.

"The thing is, we are not computerized yet," Agung Trianggono,
who is in charge of managing the books in storage, said on
Thursday.

"We have only begun scanning the books, so that people can
read them from compact discs," he said.

The documentation center offers more than 25,000 books, with
many of them at more than 80 years old. The publications include
literature works in Indonesian, Dutch, English, Russian, Japanese
and Chinese.

But what separates PDS HB Jassin from other libraries is the
15,552 folders on the works of the country's prominent writers,
including Chairil Anwar, Pramoedya Ananta Toer and Armijn Pane. A
folder may contain a copy of a book or a poem along with articles
discussing it or simply the articles.

"Many of our visitors are students or researchers finding
material for their work," said Isnain of the service division.

The late Hans Bague Jassin was the editor of several
literature and cultural magazines published by Balai Pustaka. The
"Pope" of Indonesian literature, as he was labeled to honor his
work, had started documenting his writings and reviews since the
1930s.

In 1976, the collection became formally under the HB Jassin
Literary Documentation Foundation, which was established in
cooperation with the city administration and Jakarta Arts
Council. Until now, a limited subsidy from the administration
remains the center's main income to cover operational costs.

Now, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. from Monday to Friday, people can
browse the catalog and ask the librarian to find books for them
to read or photocopy.

"This is a 'closed' library. We don't let people find the
books themselves and take them out," said Inain.

Even with such precautions, Agung said many of the books had
re-shelved in the wrong places, especially during the building
renovations last year.

"We have also run out of space to keep the books," he said.

Stacks of books and old newspapers were seen left dusty and
disorganized in the building's corners. "We haven't managed to
categorize them," said Agung, pointing to hundreds of books,
which were donated four years ago by a collector, DS Moeljanto.

Aside from about 15 visitors coming daily, the library also
caters to readers from out of town and other countries. They can
request a book by mail and the librarians will send photocopied
pages, charging them for photocopying and delivery costs.