Digitization in Indonesian Libraries and Archives: Mapping Cultural Heritage Across the Archipelago
摘要
Despite the country’s cultural wealth, Indonesia is still struggling to identify and map its cultural heritage collections across the dispersed islands as well as to digitize and make them accessible online. This study aims to identify and examine the provision and digitization of cultural collections by state libraries and archives in 38 provinces across the archipelago. Out of the 32 institutions, 65.6% of responses obtained showed that state libraries and archives in Indonesia hold a diverse range of cultural heritage collections. These are being digitized and provide valuable resources that may not be found elsewhere. However, multiple layers of constraints ranging from policy and copyright issues, traditional beliefs and distrust of the local communities, and the lack and unequal development of digital infrastructure and skilled staff challenge many digitization projects and further possibilities in making them more open and available online. Overcoming this complex situation requires a collaborative approach from different stakeholders to ensure that these cultural resources are more widely accessible and beneficial to the public.