Автор: Захра Фадхила Хусна / HUSNA ZAHRA
Zahra Fadhilah Husna*
*) Library Science, Faculty of Humanities, Universitas Diponegoro, Indonesia
I was born and raised in Indonesia. a country where, you could say, people don't really like to read. Not reading doesn't mean not studying, of course. My lecturer explained how the history of this nation missed the reading phase because of the occurrence of various events that were suspected of marking the popularity of the media for receiving information among the public. However, in fact, reading habits have a significant influence on improving one's cognitive abilities. Countries with a high level of intelligence also have a high literacy index. Meanwhile, my country is an example of the opposite condition. This is what makes me personally not too surprised when I witness the progress and sophistication of libraries abroad. The habit of reading and the dependence of society on information and education encourage libraries to mobilize their best resources and capabilities in providing services to the community. I didn't flinch at the height of the towering bookshelves, for they were loved by everyone. I am not amazed at the sophistication of artificial intelligence or the Internet of Things technology, which is a superior feature for users, because these tools are really needed and their utilization will be optimized. I was fascinated, but in the end I came back to understand the beauty of the interior and exterior design of a library, which is indeed a center of information and culture for its people. Libraries can and will reach a point of progress in terms of satisfying the informational, educational, and recreational needs of their users only if all external parties also support this achievement. At first, I thought so. I have never paid attention to the existence of libraries, precisely because I really like libraries, and I have always thought about how to make progress so that it can also be realized for all libraries in Indonesia.
Some time passed, and now I am a student of library science. I am learning by listening to lectures, reading literature, watching publications, and pondering and contemplating. Until now, my thinking has turned to the question: what if, actually, the center of power for advancing libraries is the library itself? Regardless of the situation or the views of the community, the library should build strength and design strategic plans so that it can become part of society and play a vital role in life. After all, the library is a growing organism. The librarians who are in it have many tasks to face the challenges of conditions and bureaucracy to realize the progress of the library.
As stated by Chelaru (2021), libraries represent different things for different people, and even though library usage has decreased over the years, they are still a popular and important place. The library has a vital role, and despite receiving a negative view, the library has been able to survive so far. It's just that no one knows what the conditions will be in the future when people "feel" they are able to independently meet their informational, educational, and recreational needs without having to involve the role of the library. The library will still exist because, even without realizing it, its existence is always important. If that's the case, why not maximize existing capabilities and resources to become part, even the center, of community life? With this, I project the future concept of the library as a center of society.
From time to time, the library is always transformed. Down to earth, listening, witnessing, and implementing various innovations so that they remain relevant to the needs of the users. Since 2006, Thomas Frey has expressed the idea that the library, which is an information center, will experience a transition, namely becoming a center of culture. A library in the future could play a wide range of roles, one of which is serving as a cultural hub. With its precise mission and goals to expand and change over time, it will be much more than just an information resource. A culture-based library engages with the spirit of society, identifying priorities and offering resources to help those deemed most crucial (Frey, 2006). This means that the library will continue to adapt to all forms of lifestyle transformation accompanied by the community's need for information. Regardless of the ongoing trend, the library will continue to be an institution that is relevant to society.
Although this concept has been in place since 2006, not many libraries have finally optimized their role as cultural agents. Culture in this case does not only focus on material and intangible heritage, traditions, and local wisdom; but also acts as an initiator, facilitator, and collaborator of the latest societal culture based on trends in positive informational, educational, and recreational needs.
In the future, I hope to see the library as a center of society. The library is not just a place for book-related activities such as reading, writing, or looking for information and references. More than that, the library provides facilities in the form of space and human resources needed for community development within the society. This may have been a program that has existed for a long time in overseas libraries. However, optimization also needs to continue to be carried out so that community activities become sustainable. In fact, this concept is far from being realized by libraries in Indonesia. Here, bureaucratic challenges and innovation will make the library quite limp in realizing the library as a center of society. However, it does not mean that libraries in all other countries have implemented this concept. Of course, there are various countries that are also struggling and need a long time to process. If you review the current conditions where the library still stands above the status quo and is viewed as a place for storing books, then of course it requires a long process to get to the stage where the library is a center of society.
The concept of a library as a center of society is inspired by Society 5.0, where community-based industrial activities and all technological sophistication are made to support the quality and standard of living of the community. Likewise, the library as a center of society. Woodward (2009) has also outlined the idea of the customer-driven library within the scope of the academic library. Some of the points that drive the creation of the customer-driven library are: (1) establishing relationships; (2) engaging patrons; (3) keeping the personal touch; and (4) customizing the library's service based on the needs of each user.
In establishing relationships with external parties such as the community, the library is initiating and collaborating. This shows the seriousness of the library in building a center of society, the library is initiating and collaborating. This shows the seriousness of the library's role in building a center of society. Partnered communities are not limited to reading communities or activities directly related to the library. Because here the library seeks to be the center of community "activities", the community in any case can be included in the list of collaborators as long as the activities carried out are positive. For example, the traditional arts community could hold art performances in the library, the business community could hold entrepreneurship workshops or exhibitions, the digital-enthusiast community could conduct regular training in the library's co-working space, and so on.
Libraries switch roles as promoters for community activities with the goal of engaging patrons. In addition to dispelling stereotypes that the library is just a place to store books and write papers, engaging patrons is also important for maintaining a sustainable relationship with them. Patrons who are used to it will enjoy being in the library more and recommend their colleagues to visit and take advantage of the services in the library. This is also related to the point of keeping the personal touch, meaning that the library still pays attention to details about the needs of users and relates them to the implementation of programs that collaborate with the external community.
The library, as a facilitator that facilitates community activities, must certainly be prepared to provide customized spaces according to the needs of the community. The community services room may be open for 24 hours or at least late into the night, regardless of what the circulation and reference services working hours policy is like. In addition to providing performance or training spaces, libraries can open small corners in the reading room that specifically store collections that are relevant to the community's information needs. This small corner will provide a sense of belonging to the community and create an atmosphere of belonging in the library.
By creating such a library environment, libraries can continue to exist, be popular, be needed, and become part of society in an inclusive and complete manner. In the end, the library as a center of society is expected to create a future of society centered on the library. By focusing on positive education and recreation, it is expected to increase productivity and community connections in the real world. As it is known that the virtual world is increasingly dominating social interaction activities in various life schemes, it is therefore necessary to have a place for society to stay connected to the real world, where the body lives and breathes. Physical and mental health and social bonds are two things that should not be undermined by the existence of a virtual world in the future of society.
REFERENCES
Chelaru, M. (2021, March 18). Will Libraries Be Relevant In The Future. Princh Library Blog. https://princh.com/blog-will-libraries-be-relevant-in-the-future/#.Y4cejctBzDc
Frey, T. (2006, November 2). The Future of Libraries. Futurist Speaker. https://futuristspeaker.com/future-scenarios/the-future-of-libraries/
Woodward, J. A. (2009). Creating the customer-driven academic library. American Library Association.