# Article about Indonesian reading gardens in IFLA newsletter


![](http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0zhFe8pB7to/R7OsXsX8-DI/AAAAAAAABUk/qOtG07gc5tg/s288/P2120072.JPG)The
article below was written for the [IFLA Section of Libraries for
Children and Young Adults
Newsletter](http://www.ifla.org/VII/s10/index.htm), [December
2008](http://www.ifla.org/VII/s10/pubs/s10-newsletter-December08.pdf)
(just published), edited by Singaporean librarian [Ivan
Chew](http://ramblinglibrarian.blogspot.com/), whose blog I have been
reading for a long time, and whom I was lucky enough to meet in
Singapore in 2007, while getting a new visa for my stay in Indonesia.
You can download [the
newsletter](http://www.ifla.org/VII/s10/pubs/s10-newsletter-December08.pdf)
(pdf) which also has nice photos (see page 11-13), or read below. You
can also download [the thesis](http://eprints.rclis.org/14659/)which
this article was based on in
[English](http://eprints.rclis.org/14659/1/Mencerdaskan_Bangsa_-_Stian_Haklev.pdf)
or
[Indonesian](http://eprints.rclis.org/14659/2/Mencerdaskan_Bangsa_-_bahasa_Indonesia.pdf)
from [E-LIS](http://eprints.rclis.org/).

* * * * *

**The literacy movement in Indonesia - access to books, creativity and
love of learning** *Introduction*

After several hours in the back of tiny buses, and about half an hour on
the back of a motorcycle, my friend and I arrived at the small village
of Arjasari. We followed our host Agus Munawar among the houses, and to
our goal: the reading garden. Around fifty small boys and girls were
sitting scattered on the floor of a pendopo (kind of open balcony),
reading in deep concentration. Some sat by themselves, engrossed in a
text, others were in pairs or small groups, with one child reading aloud
for the others. When they had finished their books, they went into the
small adjacent covered room, and chose another book from the racks.

This was Sunday - reading day - and they had started the day by doing
physical exercise together. After we arrived, different children took
the microphone and read confidently aloud from their chosen material.
Hours away from the nearest public library, or even the nearest book
store, this local citizen's initiative was helping children acquire a
love of reading and learning, which would probably help them not only do
much better in school, but also grow up as better informed and more
active citizens.

As unlikely as the scene in the little remote village might seem, it is
far from an isolated example. After the fall of Suharto in 1998, and the
end of the Orde Baru (new order) regime, which strictly limited freedom
of speech and associations, a growing movement of taman bacaan (an
Indonesian term which means reading garden, pronounced taman batsha'an)
has appeared, which tries to provide access to information, and above
all foster a love of reading and knowledge among the younger
generations.

*Background* Dauzan Farook was one of the pioneers of the modern
literacy movements in Indonesia. When he retired, he decided to dedicate
the rest of his life to spreading knowledge and reading to the citizens
of Yogyakarta.

He spent his pension of roughly 50\$ per month, and all the savings he
had left, on building up a library of books and magazines. He then
walked around for hours each day, approaching people and asking if they
wanted to borrow his material. He would lend children's books to
children, and books on economics to business men. When he passed away in
2007, he was 83 years old and had amassed more than 10,000 books and
4,000 magazines in his apartment. He helped inspire a movement, and many
activists today still talk about the legacy that he left behind.

*The fall of Suharto* But the big change began in 1998, when Suharto's
regime fell. This unleashed the pent-up energy of all kinds of
organizations that had been repressed and had their activities limited
during the Orde Baru; youth, social and even religious organizations. In
addition to their newfound freedom, they were met by a society still
slowly recovering from the devastating financial crisis that had begun
in 1996, and had caused many children to drop out of school for failure
to pay the school fees, and some even became street children. There was
thus a strong drive from many different kinds of communities to come
together and provide social services, and it is also not strange that
one important focus of these social services would be to provide
education and access to information.

The new grassroots literacy movement that centered on reading gardens
probably began in Bandung, an educational hub a few hours west of
Jakarta. Early known for its many sub-cultures, an ecosystem of
"do-it-yourself" (DIY) philosophy had developed around the punk-rock
scene, with small shops selling fan products that were home-produced,
posters and t-shirts, and the gradual development of hundreds of
independent clothing retailers that sold fashion through local
independent shops. It was in this fertile environment of initiative and
spirit of nyeleneh - kumaha aing (uniqueness and DIY) that students and
artists came together with activists to form the first komunitas literer
(literary communities), based around alternative bookstores as activity
hubs.

*Networks* Different kinds of networks played a key role in spreading
the idea, and helping people start reading gardens all over Indonesia.
In Bandung and Yogyakarta there were forums where owners of community
libraries could meet and share experiences. Rumah Dunia, a reading
garden started by the well-known author Gola Gong from the proceeds of
his book royalties became known as a "best-case" reading garden, with
many visitors who came to learn about its intensive programming of
literacy activities, amateur theatre, and training in writing and
critical journalism. Perhaps most important was the 1001 Books network
which provided both a forum for sharing experience, but more
importantly, access to sharing of resources.

The 1001 Books network collects and distributes children's books to more
than a hundred different reading gardens. Internet is an important
enabler, as it makes possible the coordination and recruitment of
hundreds of volunteers. Through their mailing list, reading garden
operators are also connected and can exchange experiences. They pick up
donations at people's homes, collect books in residential areas and
public places like malls, and have a network of book-drop boxes in
strategic places, like supermarkets, to make it easy and convenient to
contribute.

*Current status* There are roughly three “reading garden” models
operating in Indonesia today. The government founded thousands of
village reading gardens in the 1990’s, which mostly fell into disarray,
and has recently again began to provide one-time seed money for around
2000 reading gardens. Most of this seems to go to book depositories
connected with schools and government institutions. There are a number
of Indonesian companies that have sponsored reading gardens, as part of
Corporate Social Responsability, for examples Ria Pulp which sponsored
over hundred readings gardens in the island of Riau. However, what is
perhaps most interesting is the reading gardens set up by individuals
and local community organizations, which number several hundred in
Jakarta alone. A common theme for these is their strong focus on
becoming more than a gudang buku (place to store books), and there are
often activities scheduled the entire week, emphasizing reading,
writing, drawing, acting, and journalism.

Stian