Ppl are looking for book donations for kid's libraries in Jakarta.
I remember going to the libraries with my dad when I was a kid. The idea of getting an Asterix comic for *free* or a book about ancient Egypt or Rome was amazing...
Actually when I first went to Jakarta I asked about whether there were any public libraries, and ppl looked at me as if I had two heads... :/ Man I was so sick of going around malls after that trip... Aksara was the only relief I got, and that's damn expensive!!
7 comments:
well, there's public library in Jakarta, in salemba. But, it's not really public as you need to be at least in high school to enter.
that's a bumber, primary school kids need books too!
I think people who want to open up libraries in Indonesia are reluctant to do so - in worrying that the meaning of books being 'free' is taken too literally that people who borrow actually 'forget' to return.
Hey, thanks for the link.
What triesti meant is the Perpustakaan Nasional at Salemba, it's a government owned library. One of the most recommended libraries in Indonesia would be the British Council library, managed by the local government since year 2004 and changed name to Perpustakaan Pendidikan Nasional. And in Bandung, you'd find smaller ones where you could read a book while sipping a hot cup of coffee or munching a vanilla frosted cupcake.
However those libraries are somewhat intended for adults, not for children living in slums or Jakarta's anak jalanan. Unlike adults, children haven't yet recognized their own educational and lifestyle purposes, thus they'd need a library that could make them feel happy, curious, and safe in their own world, just by reading books.
well i am sure there are ways and means of making libraries work. ppl rob books in libraries here too, but hey a library isn't supposed to be a bank afterall, right?
it's a great idea marisa, next time i'm in jkt, i def wanna donate!!
i used to go to jakarta timur library, the place is as hidden as it could be, behind SMPN 62 and SMA 54, next to kuburan kober (graveyard). it's the nicest in Jakarta that i have ever experienced; the right size, the right collections, the comfy friendliness of the people. books for children in 1st floor and for adults plus teenagers in the second floor. third floor is only for special books and documents.
many anak jalanan (who use to hang around matraman) also come to read there, although i doubt if they can lend. but it really was people's library. perhaps because it was located in 'nowhere'. it belongs to the government, though.
it has been 3 years since the last time i was there. i hope it's still there.
ah, so public libraries do exist in jkt afterall...
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