The school library was an integral part of learning, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology official Hendro Wicaksono said during an event on Wednesday.
At the Library Sector National Coordination Meeting (Rakornas) held by the National Library of Indonesia (Perpusnas), he noted that the school library is inseparable from school learning activities.
The existence of a school library is very strategic since it becomes an alternative public space that offers a different atmosphere, he opined.
Students can chat, read, and find entertainment in the school library. In fact, students who do not interact much with other people can also use the school library.
The collection of books within school libraries is still conventional because it is easy and inexpensive to access. However, the challenges school libraries face are quite numerous, he added.
“The main problem is that the competency of school library manager is still low. Perhaps the national digital ecosystem can help in resolving school libraries’ problems,” Wicaksono remarked.
To this end, the national digital ecosystem must be able to resolve several issues.
The ecosystem can improve the effectiveness and efficiency of school libraries, help develop their collections, bolster collection management quality, assist in local works’ preservation, and aid decision-making.
Head of the Library Forum of Indonesian Universities Mariyah said that Education, Culture, Research, and Technology Minister Nadiem Anwar Makarim has urged university students to master varied knowledge to enter the working world.
They can achieve this through the Merdeka Belajar Kampus Merdeka (Freedom in Learning, Freedom in Campus), which provides university students the freedom to choose the courses that they wish to take.
“Through the Kampus Merdeka program, works from lecturers and academicians can be enjoyed by the entire Indonesian citizens and even the world,” she noted.
To this end, universities should have adequate libraries to support this educational activity, which, in turn, can help the Kampus Merdeka program.
Source: Antara News