RELAXING WITH MILLIONS OF BOOKS AT THE JAKARTA NATIONAL LIBRARY

 

by Dewi Kurniawati

    The National Library of Indonesia is a 24-story building located on Jl. Medan Merdeka Selatan No. 11, Central Jakarta, right in front of the National Monument (Monas). Dubbed the tallest national library in the world, it was officially launched by President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo on Sept. 14 and is open to the public. The library was previously located on Jl. Salemba No. 28A in Senen, Central Jakarta, and some of its working units still operate there.

    Jl. Medan Merdeka Selatan can be accessed by both motorcycle and car. The building itself has sufficient parking space in the basement area. However, keep in mind that the odd-even license plate traffic policy is in place on main roads near the area, such as Jl. M.H. Thamrin and Jl. Sudirman. Rallies are frequently held in front of City Hall, which is located not too far from the library, making the traffic conditions in the area unpredictable. Those who ride Transjakarta buses can get off at the Balai Kota or City Hall bus station. Visitors can also use the free Jakarta City Tour buses that stop at the same station.  

    Upon entering the front area of the library, visitors will find an old building called the Heritage Building. It is the place where items related to Indonesians’ interest in reading, starting from the history of the alphabet and description of different types of alphabets across the archipelago, to the history of mobile libraries. Some of them are explained using a giant screen with touch-screen control panels.

    There are also displays of media that were used by our ancestors to write. Among them are Chinese paper (kertas Cina), palm leaf, bamboo and Alim wood bark (Aquilaria). Some of the collections that should not be missed are the ancient texts Negarakertagama, Pararaton and Al-Quran Al-Karim (Quran Al-Karim). Additionally, it also exhibits photos of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo meeting world leaders.

    Upon entering the main lobby of the library building, visitors will be greeted by a giant bookshelf adorned with an Indonesian map in the upper area. Some of the books available here include encyclopedias, novels, biographies and books on traditional fabrics.The room hosts a seating area on its left and an information center on its right. But don't miss out on the lobby’s entrance gate because it has books on six Indonesian presidents, from Sukarno to Jokowi. There are also books on Indonesia’s youth, the 1965 incident and books that are mostly in Dutch.

    Visitors should go to the second level as it is the place to get a membership card and information access. The library has about 70 computers and all you need to do is submit the book title or author’s name that you are looking for and the computer will give you a queue number and which floor you should visit. The third and fourth floors are often used as exhibition areas, while the fifth floor is to the library’s office. The seventh floor is dedicated to children, the elderly and disabled people. Upon stepping out of the elevator, the colorful Children Service room is located on the left side, while the service room for the elderly and disabled people is on the right. Open from Monday to Sunday, the former is filled with books, toys, a playground, outdoor balcony and nursery room, while the latter boasts a collection of books on health as well as books in Braille. Chairs, sofas and desks are provided for visitors.

    The eighth floor contains audiovisual collections. It is the place where people can watch films from different genres or read old newspapers from the 1800s and more in microfilm form. It also has a private discussion room and a mini theater that can accommodate over 35 people.  The ninth floor is home to a collection of ancient texts from across the archipelago.