• Index of this issue

No. 59, July 2007

The National Library of Indonesia conducted the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Directors of National Libraries - Asia Oceania (CDNL-AO), on Monday 7 May 2007 at Hotel Sahid Raya, Kuta, Bali. This meeting was attended by 15 directors of national libraries (or their representatives) out of 30 CDNL-AO member countries, i.e. Ralph Sanderson (Australia), Penny Carnaby (New Zealand), Chhoun Mony (Cambodia), Haji Sahari bin Haji Nassar (Brunei Darussalam), Zhan Furui and Yan Xiangdong (China), Dr. Lee Chi-ju and Joo Yung Sun (Korea), Ruslin Abu Bakar and Ashafizy Abu Seman (Malaysia), Ch. Muhammad Nazir and Syed Ghyour Hussain (Pakistan), Keiya Utsumi and Hiroshi Sakamoto (Japan), Prudencia Cruz (Philippines), Ngian Lek Choh (Singapore), M.S. Upali Amarasiri (Sri Lanka), Orapin Limsakul (Thailand), Pham The Khang (Vietnam), and Dady Rachmananta (Indonesia).

Also present at the meeting were observers William Tuchrello (field director, Library of Congress Jakarta office), Tieke Atikah (Southeast Asian specialist at the National Library of Australia), and Akio Yasue (conservation expert from Japan). According to the director of the National Library of Indonesia, Dady Rachmananta, who chaired the meeting, this event would report and discuss problems raised at national libraries within CDNL-AO. Each member representing their country reported of library progress and issues. The focus was on anything related with technology development where digital library is included. This is to anticipate the World Digital Library (WDL) project which was launched in December 2006 at Unesco Headquarter, Paris. Dady also said that digitizing activities at the National Library of Indonesia have been discussed since 2002, and the collection digitized are not limited only to books, magazines, or newspapers, but also manuscripts and rare materials. This is in line with WDL which was initiated by the Librarian of Congress James H. Billington, focusing on the digitizing of unique and rare materials, and internet uploading.

As part of the program, CDNL-AO participants visited two documentation centers which keep rare materials in and around Kuta. They also had the opportunity to sightsee several objects of interest in Bali.

Delegates from the 14 countries also attended the Seminar on the Preservation of Manuscript at the same venue on the following day. Chairperson of the organizing committe Woro Titi Haryanti said that the purpose of the seminar was to develop professionalism for directors of libraries, museums, archives and universities by broadening the horizon and skill in preserving library materials. The main objective was to provide knowledge and understanding in implementing preservation technology in a micro and digital form, providing knowledge in setting up a plan, responding to steps in rescuing manuscripts and library materials, giving information and ability in environmental safety and in actions post-disaster phase.

The speakers of the seminar were Mohammad Salim (Singapore) with the topic High Tech Preservation, Akio Yasue (Japan) with Microfilming Preservation, Syed Ghyour Hussein (Pakistan) with Preservation in Digital environment, and Ralph Anderson (Australia) with Preservation of Library Materials at NLA. About 110 individuals attended the event from all types of libraries, museums, and universities in Indonesia. On the evening of Tuesday 8 May all delegates, speakers and participants were invited to a cultural evening, hosted by the Governor of Bali at his official residence.