Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) once again has the opportunity to be one of the destinations for international cooperation.
This time, the UGM Library and Archives Office received a visit on Friday (October 20) from participants of the “Training on Records and Archives Digitalization For South-South Countries.”
The participants were 20 selected individuals from seven South-South countries: the Philippines, Fiji, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Papua New Guinea, and Timor-Leste, who aimed to strengthen the archival sector in their respective countries.
“We welcome our friends from these seven South-South countries to learn about archiving. We have our archiving system to preserve important documents internal to UGM and contributions from others,” said Nawang Purwanti.
“Hopefully, we can share experiences. So, it’s not just us teaching; they can also share about their countries. Each country has different conditions and requires different maintenance.”
The visit to the UGM Archives Office was part of a series of training sessions from October 15 to 28, 2023.
UGM was selected as one of the training references for archiving conducted by the Ministry of State Secretariat, the National Archives of the Republic of Indonesia (ANRI), and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA).
In this training, participants were taken on a tour to see collections of archives that were decades old. They were also taught how to preserve photographic documentation and printed archives to ensure their longevity for decades or even hundreds of years.
“This event is one of several training programs organized by the ministry to share experiences and knowledge. The archival field in their countries has received limited attention and budget,” said Mohammad Husnul Fuadi from the National Archives of the Republic of Indonesia.
“It’s different from our situation. That’s why we want the participants to learn here to improve the archiving system in their countries.”
Fuadi added that this training also fostered a positive image of Indonesia in other countries through mutual assistance.
Participants from the seven countries underwent a rigorous selection process in their respective nations.
Each participant was required to produce a report on the archiving conditions in their country, which was then presented to the training organizers, namely ANRI, KOICA, and the Ministry of State Secretariat of the Republic of Indonesia.
Subsequently, all participants should become agents of change when they return to their home countries. These changes also have success indicators that each participant must meet. Thus, the training’s objectives can be maximally achieved.
The selection of UGM as one of the training destinations was not without reason. Initially, Yogyakarta was targeted for training due to its strong cultural elements.
“Yogyakarta has a rich cultural heritage, and its environment is supportive. UGM is located in Yogyakarta and has a well-established and excellent archives office,” said Fuadi.
“This makes it an ideal learning environment. So, besides learning about archiving here, students can experience our cultural richness, making learning more enjoyable.”
Author: Tasya