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.