The public library does not seem to stop innovating to bring services closer to the community. But in reality, public libraries are sometimes difficult to reach by the community because of the location that is quite far away. To minimize the problem of distance and to introduce public libraries to the public, many libraries made innovations such as building mobile library programs, libraries in malls, hospitals, public reading parks, and city parks. The latest innovation is the mini library service in the Wali City, Gresik, which is named the Wali City Mini Library (Pusmintali).
Pusmintali is an innovation from the Library, and Archive Agency of Gresik Regency started in January 2017. This mini-library was developed in eight bus stops in Gresik City, for general public waiting for public transportation. Furthermore, it is also a media for community reading campaign and brings books closer to the people in Gresik City. The Gresik City Library placed a bookshelf at eight bus stops. So people who are at the stop can read the collection while waiting for the bus. Pusmintali collection covers from magazines, books on general knowledge, religion, and collections related to the city of Gresik.
Pusmintali and Character Education
The emergence of the Pusmintali is one of the creative ideas carried out by the Gresik Regency Library Agency. The establishment of a mini-library in the middle of the community without any supervision and any security safeguards was the first time in Indonesia. Pusmintali’s spirit is to bring library services closer and to familiarize them with the reading culture. There are also values of character education that want to be realized in Pusmintali, by inviting the public to maintain public facilities, behave honestly, and be responsible.
The survey results stated that the Pusmintali collection was very dirty, damaged, and even many collections were lost. It is a risk that was taken when setting up the service. The government was optimistic that it could educate its citizens to take care of public facilities. The community is not familiar with this, so they think the books are allowed to be taken, damaged, and removed because no one knows.
Meanwhile, Library Agency of Gresik Regency remains consistent with its program, where every two months officers will go to the Pusmintali, check the condition of the collection, and add new collections. Pusmintali, which has been established for more than a year, is still being used by people at the bus stops. Pusmintali users are bus users, people aged 20-50 years. School children aged 7-16 years are rarely found. So it is considered less effective to instill early reading culture. It can be seen with the average reading duration at Pusmintali is no more than 3 minutes. The users also usually read magazines or periodicals. Users also think the place provided by Pusmintali is not comfortable for reading.
Overall, Pusmintali users considered that Pusmintali was positive for initiating user information fulfillment. Pusmintali services can be continued by improving proper facilities, providing collections that are diverse and physically good. The Pusmintali program has not shown good results considering the program is still running for one year. Based on the evaluation results, many collections of pusmintali were missing, the books were damaged, posters and supporting facilities for many pusmintali were vandalized, and the number of visitors to pusmintali was low. Seeing these results, the library continued the pilot program in the hope that people are aware of the importance of information and knowledge for them.
Expectations for Pusmintali
In the future, pusmintali can be used as a movement to build public awareness of public libraries. Pusmintali can be a promotional media for public libraries, where posters and announcements related to libraries can be published in the pusmintali, so people who come to the bus stop can read the information.
Pusmintali can also add their collections, not only old magazines and knowledge books, but also skill books, lifestyle books, technology books, and children’s storybooks. For collections, it should provide the information needed by users, workers, and students who arrive early in the morning and return in the afternoon. The users of this bus can stop by Pusmintali to ‘borrow’ the available collection and bring it home and return it later. To facilitate these services, Pusmintali needs to provide a service order so that visitors know their rights and obligations.
Pusmintali can also provide educative information through posters that invite users to maintain library collections, look after them because they are important to others. It educates the public to be responsible start from the smallest thing.
Author: Nove E. Variant Anna
Details of the research available at:
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/libphilprac/2402/
Yoga Setya Perdana, Nove E, Variant Anna, (2019), Public library innovation to engage users: a case study of Pusmintali. Library Philosophy and Practice, May 2019.
