Public Involvement in Manuscript Preservation Vital

KOMPAS/RIZA FATHONI

Officers take care of ancient manuscripts and books at the National Library, Jakarta, pada Friday (9/3/2018).

The preservation of old manuscripts constitutes one of the efforts to protect the nation’s cultural values, history and collective memories. Thousands of manuscripts in several regions are susceptible to damage.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — Indonesia is estimated to possess tens of thousands of old manuscripts in various conditions, scattered over different regions. The involvement of the public is important to optimize the preservation of old texts.

The old manuscripts of the Nusantara (Indonesian Archipelago) have so far been kept in a number of institutions such as libraries, museums and religious places, including monasteries and mosques. Some are also kept by the public.

Some of the manuscripts are owned by members of the public who inherited them from their previous generations. These old texts held by society are in different conditions, some properly maintained while others are not.

Also read:

> The History Behind Pegon Letters

> Guardian of Old Manuscripts of Palembang

The chief librarian of the National Library (Perpusnas), Ahmad Masykuri, said old manuscripts were prone to damage because of the natural conditions of Indonesia. The tropical climate, humidity and hydrometeorological disasters could harm the texts. For this reason, old manuscripts should be saved without delay.

“The preservation of old manuscripts amounts to the rescue of the nation’s civilization and culture. If they are lost, civilization will also be lost,” said Ahmad in a discussion entitled “An Exposé of the Nusantara Manuscript Preservation” on the Youtube channel of the National Library on Monday (19/9/2022).

Perpusnas has collected only around one third of all old manuscripts in existence.

He added that Perpusnas had mapped out the presence of scattered old manuscripts, but not all of the data had yet been recorded. Perpusnas has collected only around one third of all old manuscripts in existence.

According to a professor of philology at Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University Jakarta, Oman Faturrahman, the public should be involved as an important element in manuscript preservation. The public understanding of the importance of preservation should also be fostered.

This understanding is essential for the public’s willingness to cooperate. Some people fear that their manuscripts will be taken away so field officers are not allowed to borrow them. Furthermore, some texts are considered sacred by the public so the approach to their preservation should be done in the correct way.

KOMPAS/YUNIADHI AGUNG (MYE)

The atmosphere at the National Library (Perpusnas) Jakarta, on Tuesday (16/2/2021).

Social dynamism is important for public involvement. Oman said the public could be involved in manuscript inventorying, storage and maintenance, digitizing and cataloging to revitalize the manuscripts.

“There should be an SOP [standard operating procedure] and contact numbers for people in the case of manuscript discovery. In this way, they know what to do or who they should contact,” said Oman.

Digitization

At present, thousands of old manuscripts have been digitized. Digital Repository of Endangered and Affected Manuscript in Southeast Asia (Dreamsea) has digitized 6,527 manuscripts and 415,418 pictures in September 2021. Dreamsea is the data center that stores old manuscripts from Indonesia and Southeast Asia in digital form.

Oman, who is involved in Dreamsea, said the manuscript digitization program would be carried out until 2024. Since its launch in 2018, Dreamsea has assisted 102 manuscript owners in 29 locations in Southeast Asia (Kompas.id, 2/10/2021).

Manuscripts are also digitized on the Khastara website and the Nusantara Manuscript Portal on the Perpusnas website.

Ahmad added that Perpusnas had assisted in the preservation of manuscripts in different regions since 2007. To date, the library has helped to preserve 5,261 texts. Manuscripts are also digitized on the Khastara website and the Nusantara Manuscript Portal on the Perpusnas website. “The result of the manuscript preservation in Perpusnas has reached 8,634 texts,” he said.

The director of religion, education and culture of the National Development Planning Ministry / National Development Planning Agency, Amich Alhumami, said that the preservation of old manuscripts was in conformity with the stipulations of Law No.43/2007 and Law No.5/2017. Preservation is vital because old texts are sources of knowledge that explain customary law, religion, traditional drugs, earthquake forecasts and the spirit of mutual assistance.

VINA OKTAVIA

A collection of ancient Lampung manuscripts is displayed in the Lampung Museum showroom, Bandar Lampung City, on Thursday (4/2/2021).

“The preservation of old manuscripts is an effort to protect the treasure of cultural values, history and collective memories of the nation,” he pointed out.

Several circles hope for funding to aid in the preservation of old manuscripts, which needs support in human resources, facilities and an adequate infrastructure. (SKA)

(This article was translated by Aris Prawira)