Transformation of public library websites in Indonesia

Pages10-14
DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1108/LHTN-02-2018-0011
Published date01 October 2018
Date01 October 2018
AuthorNove E. Variant Anna
Subject MatterLibrary & information science,Librarianship/library management,Library technology,Library & information services
Transformation of public library
websites in Indonesia
Nove E. Variant Anna
Introduction
Priorities for the purpose of global
development that are carried out by the
United Nations through United Nations
Development Programme (UNDP)
(2015,2018) are eliminating poverty
and bridging the gaps in society by
2030. A place that can accommodate
all heterogeneous societies is a public
library. The change of the library from
a place to share information into a
place to create knowledge requires
the library to not only provide
collections for readers but also manage
how these collections can be used
to produce new knowledge for
community empowerment. Critical to
this are digital collections, changes in
ownership and access rights and
change the library website into a one-
stop shopping portal, where users can
get the information but also can share
their knowledges to other users.
Besides, for changing the library in
physical ways, there are financial
challenges (Michnik, 2015).
How is the condition of the public
library nowadays? A public library still
has to focus more on the provision of
space for its printed collection such as
books, magazines and newspapers. The
library also provides space for the
community, reading service and some
digital collections. Unfortunately, most
public library websites are static and
only give one-way information to
users. In many cases, the website only
includes the library catalog without
any reference to any kind of digital
service.
According to an International
Federation of Library Associations
IFLA (2018) manifesto:
A digital library is an online collection of
digital objects, of assured quality, that
are created or collected and managed
according to internationally accepted
principles for collection development
and made accessible in a coherent and
sustainable manner, supported by
services necessary to allow users to
retrieve and exploit the resources.
Instead, a more dynamic portal is a
specially designed website that provides
information from various sources such
as search engines, e-mail and forums;
each source usually has its own page,
and the users can choose which
information they want to be showed
(Wikipedia, 2018).
Nowadays, many public libraries,
particularly in developing countries, are
still focusing on the physical location,
but some libraries have begun to
transform into useful libraries for their
users; however, they still have limited
physical access,whereas libraries should
have broader vision and give the real
impact for the society (Agosto, 2016).
An important role of the public library is
to build human capital so they can have
the competitive and literate knowledge
and meet the global demands where
creativity and innovation are the main
keys of success. Today, a public library
should transform from providing
information on the static website to a
knowledge porta l.
Data and information were gathered
from 34 public library websites in
Indonesia in early August 2017. The
survey focused on:
the availability of online digital
collections;
the availability of digital services
such as the chat reference;
the availability of trusted external
information sources; and
the availability of user forums for
discussion.
Findings
Based on the survey of library
websites in Indonesia, following results
are obtained. In total, 55 per cent or 19
public libraries do not have any website.
Of the libraries that have a website, 26
per cent already have an OPAC
although that only contain the collection
description, and only 6 per cent or 1
library has a digital collection. None of
these libraries have services such as
chat reference, external information
services and user forums. Most public
library websites do include a profile
about the library, types of services
offered, collections owned, operational
hours, organizational structure and
events and news that are related to the
library.
As in many other developing
countries, public library services in
Indonesia have not yet closed to the
realm of digital library where people
can access the collections and services
online. Refer the following library
websites for examples (Figures 1-4).
Portals of knowledge
A knowledge portal is a place where
knowledge and innovation are created
and one in which, there is a need
for more than a static website as the
ones that are run by most libraries
now. The features that should exist
in the portal are ability to facilitate
knowledge acquisition/creation process,
information storage, distribution of
knowledge, knowledge application.
Through this portal, the users are able
to obtain information/knowledge from
many sources such as e-books, internet,
online learning and input and
interactions from other users. The users
are also able to access knowledge and
information selectively and based on
what they need. The library also has to
facilitate the creation of knowledge
and access to local knowledge
(Chowdhury et al., 2006). The library
should ask for and review users’
feedback.
10 LIBRARY HITECH NEWS Number 8 2018, pp. 10-14, V
CEmerald Publishing Limited, 0741-9058, DOI 10.1108/LHTN-02-2018-0011

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