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Yayasan Pustaka Kelana

Background

In this competitive era, it is very important that Indonesian children learn to obtain information-and enjoyment-from books. Unfortunately, only a very small percentage has the opportunity to do so. Books in Indonesian are very limited, while books in English are scarce and practically unaffordable for the Indonesian public. Few schools have a library and whenever they do, most only contain textbooks and a few reference books.

For this reason, a few educators and professionals decided to set up a nonprofit educational foundation of which the main activity is a mobile library that provides reading materials in Indonesian and English for children and teenagers.

Our thinking is, if children cannot come to the books, let’s take the books to the children.

Our programme

Our ultimate aim is to make it possible for children and young adults of all levels in  society to have access to good literature and to increase their reading habits. In order to achieve this, we take books to the children in community centers and schools as well as in housing areas. Yayasan Pustaka Kelana also regularly holds seminars and workshops for support staff and volunteers of libraries. The workshops and seminars are open to the public.

Our reading collection

At the moment, the collection includes books in Indonesian and English, which we received through donations from institutions and individuals, and books specially bought for the library. There are storybooks and collections of poems, books about life and environment and other general knowledge.

Our volunteers  

Our Volunteers are mostly young people, although there are also parents and grandparents who donate their time, knowledge and skills to help promote the reading habits of children by reading to the children and providing interesting activities that directly whet their intellectual interest.

The stopovers

Our mobile library vans regularly visit schools, communities, and other gathering place in the communities of Jakarta and the surrounding area.

The Book Box Lending programme

In addition to the stopovers, we also lend out boxes of books to responsible  institutions,  schools or adults. These are made available to children and young adults in the neighborhood for a few months, after which the boxes can be exchanged with new ones.

This is a very popular programme as it allows people to open the library at anytime convenient for them. Areas outside Jakarta, as far as Central Java, lave benefited from this programme.

What we have done

Apart from running a mobile library, Yayasan Pustaka Kelana has taken the initiative or taken part in events that support the promotion of reading habits.

Some of these are:

• 1996 : a half-day seminar entitled ” Melalui Perpustakaan, Kita Tingkatkan Minat Baca” ( Use the library to encourage reading ) in conjuction with the launching of the first unit of the mobile library.
• 1997 and 1998 : workshops in story telling for teachers and interested adults held in cooperation with the British Council.
• 1998 and 1999 : participation in the National Book Fair. The Indonesian Book Publishers’ Association ( IKAPI ) provided space for Yayasan Pustaka Kelana free of charge.
• 1999 : Organised a story writing competition for elementary school children.
• 2000 : in cooperation with the British Council and several Universities in the country, Yayasan Pustaka Kelana helped organize seminars in Jakarta, Bandung, Yogyakarta and Palembang entitled “ Reading for Life “ and held several events to celebrate World Book Day.
• 2000 : in cooperation with the British Council and the CocaCola Foundation Indonesia, Yayasan Pustaka Kelana organised a three-day workshop in effective communication for librarians, volunteers and other interested adults.
• 2001 and 2002 : in cooperation with the CocaCola Foundation Indonesia and the British Council Jakarta conducted a workshop in writing stories for children.
• 2002 : Book Reviews of Children’s Books, commemorating International Children’s day, in cooperation with the British Council Jakarta.
• 2002 and 2003: participation in library Expo.
• 2003 : fundraising for the Wandering Books Foundation.
• 2004 : Yayasan Pustaka Kelana received a book donation from Bank Niaga through the bank’s Program “ Sejuta Buku “. The donation was included children’s books, creativity books, and comic books. Part of the donation became an addition to the Yayasan Pustaka Kelana library collection, part was donated to Lembaga Pendidikan Non Formal YPAL ( Naturlike ), taman Bacaan Cerdas, and Remaja Masjid, whilst the comic books were offered to the public at a low cost book bazaar the proceeds from which were used for Yayasan Pustaka Kelana’s book maintenance.
• 2004 : inhouse training was provided by the CocaCola Foundation Indonesia to gain a better understanding of project management.
• 2004 : Yayasan Pustaka Kelana staff attended a training session provided by CitiBank Peka to improve on proposal writing and in particular the capacity building programme.
• 2004 : in September Yayasan Pustaka Kelana celebrated its 8th anniversary. A writing competition for elementary and junior high school students was held on this occation.
• 2005 : Yayasan Tirto Utomo (Aqua) made a large donation of books to the library, adding to Yayasan Pustaka Kelana’s collection.  
• 2005 : a contract was signed with PT. Freeport to fund a book box lending programme for 4 elementary schools in East Jakarta.
• 2005 :  a contract was signed with Shell Oil Company-Indonesia to fund a book box lending programme for 5 elementary schools and 1 junior high school in East Jakarta.
• 2005 : a contract was signed with Yayasan KEHATI to promote book box lending and operate the programme in 10 elementary schools and 5 junior high schools in Jakarta.
• 2006 : Mrs. Mimi Nurjadin sponsored a book box lending programme in 18 elementary schools , 6 junior high schools in Jakarta and a house in Serpong.
• 2006 and 2007: participation in “ Hari Anak Jakarta Membaca “. PERPUMDA DKI provided space for Yayasan Pustaka Kelana free of charge.
• 2006 : in September Yayasan Pustaka Kelana celebrated its 10 th anniversary.
• 2007 : English Conversation Course for elementary English teachers . Facilitator Mrs. Marsue Ferguson.
• 2007 : Yayasan Pustaka Kelana began a new programme, ELVIS ( English Language Volunteers in Schools ) for elementary schools in cooperation with AWA ( the American Women’s Association ).
• 26 Mei 2008 : Yayasan Pustaka Kelana received the  “ Nugra Jasatama Pustaloka” award  from the Indonesian National Library.

Donors

The first vehicle was donated by the German Alumni Association, the second one donated by Citibank Peka. The third vehicle which we received in 2002, was a donation from Rotary International District 3400. Rotary also donated books and equipment to go with the vehicle.

The first collection of Indonesian books was received from several publishers, while the first English collection, consisting of more than two thousand books, was donated by the British Council. Other collections of books were donated by the Women’s International Club, the University of Canberra , and various embasies and individuals.

Up to now we have also received many books, used and new books, from individual donors. From 1998 till December 2003 Citibank Peka was our main sponsor. In addition to the vehicle donation and funding, they also supplied volunteers who helped us increase the reading interest of children in schools that do not have libraries.

The British Council, British Embassy, PT. ABACUS  and the American Women’s Association have also donated furniture and office equipment such as computers, a facsimile,OHP, etc.

The CocaCola Foundation Indonesia has supported us in conducting various projects and developing the community library.

Mr. Shosaku Yasui, governor of Japan Finance Corporation for Small and Medium Enterprise ( JASME )  has also substantially provided for operational costs.

Future Plans  

• Produce English resource materials and conduct teacher workshops for Indonesian teachers of English.
• Work with other institutions that have the same vision as the Wandering Books Foundation to open branches in the greater area of Jakarta, and support existing small libraries in housing areas.

Who we are

Yayasan Pustaka Kelana was founded by :

• Nasti M. Reksodiputro, M.A., retired lecturer of the University of Indonesia and former Head of the Language Centre of the University.
• Prof. Riris K. Toha-Sarumpaet, Ph.D., lecturer at the Faculty of Humanities of the University of Indonesia who specializes in children’s literature.
• Olvia Beauthauville-Reksodipoetro, Indonesian citizen of French origin with vast experience in administration for international projects.
• Grace Wiradisastra, SS,M.Ed, senior lecturer in English literature at the Faculty of Humanities of the University of Indonesia.

Also on the present Board are :

• Prof. Mardjono Reksodiputro SH, M.A , professor of law and counsellor at law in Jakarta, specializing in criminal law and corporate matters.
• Arvinia Soedjarwo, M.A., a business woman with many years of experience in management consulting, market research and other fields.
• Sri Boediarti Soedarsono, former senior lecturer at the University of Indonesia, counsellor at law and business woman.

How does the foundation survive?

The mobile library has received support from a number of organizations and professionals including the National Library of Indonesia, the University of Indonesia, Citibank, the British Embassy and the Rotary Club, as well as individuals such as educators, librarians and teachers. Professional educators, librarians and psychologists act as consultants and advisors for the project.

What can YOU do ?

The mobile library is staffed by volunteers and is financed and supported entirely through donations. The foundation needs your help to operate professionally and to give better service to its customers. If you think this is a worthwhile project, you can contribute by donating your time, or by donating funds for operational expenses.

Please contact us for more information on how you can assist these efforts:

Yayasan Pustaka Kelana
(The Wandering Books Foundation)
Jl. Kelapa Puan Timur III NB-4/18
Kelapa Gading Permai
North Jakarta, Indonesia
Tel. (62-21) 450-1848, 453-0572
Fax. ( 62-21) 4788-2156
Email mardjono@cbn.net.id, pustaka_kelana@yahoo.com
Blog www.pustakakelana.co.cc

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