National Library of Australia - Home page
NLA News - home December 2003 Volume XIV Number 3

Buying Books in My Garage

Memories of an Indonesian Acquisitions Librarian

Andrew Gosling describes his time working for the National Library in Indonesia

Flooded road
The road outside the National
Library’s Jakarta house and office
often flooded in wet weather
Photograph courtesy of Andrew Gosling

When my wife, two young children and I arrived in Jakarta in July 1979, the National Library’s office was already well established. George Miller, later Southeast Asian Librarian at the Australian National University, had undertaken pilot acquisition projects in the late 1960s before setting up a permanent presence. He and his successor, Ilse Soegito, who managed the operation for seven years, were the pioneers who made it possible for the National Library to develop one of the finest modern Indonesian research collections in the world.

My first office in Jakarta was a converted garage. This lay at the back of Jalan Talang Betutu no. 23, the house allocated to the National Library of Australia’s representative in Indonesia. It had belonged to the Australian Embassy for many years and boasted a Hill’s Hoist, a rarity in Jakarta. It was pleasant working there and, at the end of each day, closing up, then walking the 20 paces to the back door of the house to be greeted by Ibu Emi, our cook, with ‘Tuan pulang’ (‘Sir is home’).

Click to enlarge Map
Map of Indonesia (Washington, DC:
Central Intelligence Agency, 1998)
Map Collection, G8070 1998

The former garage made a cosy and convenient office and store for hundreds of books, journals and newspapers, before their dispatch in regular air consignments to Canberra. Later, the office was moved to join other Australian operations in the Citibank Building, opposite the then Australian Embassy in the capital’s main street, Jalan Thamrin. In the early morning it was quite a comfortable 15 minute walk to work before the heat of the day.

My work depended on the support of excellent Indonesian staff: Mrs Sri Rumambi, whose knowledge of the local publishing scene was of enormous assistance, Mr Bakri and later Mr Sukirdi. Two decades on, Mr Sukirdi is still with the National Library, assisting the current Regional Officer, Oliver Mann.

Staff
The National Library’s Jakarta office staff in 1980, in the front garden of the Library’s house and office at Jalan Talang Betutu no. 23 (left to right): Mr Sukirdi, Mrs Sri Rumambi and Andrew Gosling
Photograph courtesy of Andrew Gosling

While the collection development policy has been refined over the years, the main aim of the office has always been to provide the National Library with a strong research collection of Indonesian imprints about the country’s political, economic, social and cultural life. At the same time, selected Indonesian books and serials were and are obtained for the Australian and overseas libraries participating in the National Library’s cooperative Indonesian Acquisitions Program.

Naturally, collecting depends on what is available. During the early 1980s the number, range and quality of commercially published Indonesian books improved, and more bookshops opened in Jakarta, particularly in the large, modern shopping malls which were then starting to appear. Nevertheless most of what I was obtaining by purchase, gift or on exchange consisted of items issued by government, educational, research and non-government organisations.

Children
The Gosling children sitting outside the converted garage/office (left to right): Katharine, John and David
Photograph courtesy of Andrew Gosling

Wednesday was the main buying day. At Jalan Talang Betutu, book suppliers would sit on benches under the shade of the carport. They sipped tea, waiting in turn to offer their wares. Most were regulars and well aware of the Library’s needs. On one occasion a new supplier, frustrated that we had rejected all the books he had brought, asked if the National Library would be interested in buying soft drinks from him.

Much of my time was spent out of the office, visiting libraries, bookshops, publishers and other sources of publications. To make my rounds, I relied on Embassy cars or the ubiquitous battered yellow taxis, whose seats had long since lost their springs and whose floors were generally so rusted you could see the road underneath. When we returned to Australia, my young daughter Katharine surprised a Sydney cabbie by asking why there were no holes in the floor of his taxi. Later on, once accustomed to the hectic Jakarta traffic, we bought our own car for work and family use.

Office
The National Library’s Jakarta office (converted garage) in 1979
Photograph courtesy of Andrew Gosling

We were in Indonesia at the height of President Suharto’s New Order. This had replaced President Sukarno after the attempted coup of 1965 and subsequent suppression of the left. The New Order lasted over three decades until Suharto’s fall in 1998. The period was marked by a strong military role in government, emphasis on economic development with little popular participation in politics, and strict controls on publishing and information.

Censorship was ever-present but could be clumsy and inconsistent. In August 1980 the author Pramoedya Ananta Toer, who had been imprisoned for 14 years from 1965, published Bumi Manusia (This Earth of Mankind), the first of a quartet of historical novels about the growth of Indonesian national consciousness under colonial rule. This proved to be a bestseller and was reissued five times in less than a year, a most unusual event at that time. The then Vice President, Adam Malik, said that all Indonesian school students should read the book to learn about their history. Nevertheless the Prosecutor General suddenly banned Bumi Manusia, together with its sequel, on the grounds that they were subtly promoting prohibited ideologies. The National Library of Australia had bought copies and sent them back to Canberra at the time of publication, well before the bans.

Ambon War Cemetery
Head of the Maluku Provincial Library, Mr Saleky, and his daughter at the Ambon War Cemetery on 16 June 1982. Many Australians and others who died in eastern Indonesia during the Second World War are buried here
Photograph courtesy of Andrew Gosling

On occasions, I made acquisition trips to other parts of the country. This required preparations such as arranging to visit government offices, universities and other centres. It was important to make such visits outside the capital, as many regional publications were unavailable in Jakarta, a situation which continues to this day.

For example, in June 1982 I spent 10 days in eastern Indonesia. The island of Ambon in Maluku or the Moluccas was one of the original Spice Islands, famous for its cloves, and a prize sought by several European powers in the early colonial period. In the 1980s, the island was an attractive if poorly developed backwater. There were only six passengers on the small plane which took me there. The road around the bay from the airport to the city of Ambon wound past thickly forested hills with sago palms and clove trees, traditional palm-thatched wooden houses and outrigger canoes along the shore.

The back of the National Library s Jakarta house
The back of the National Library’s Jakarta house as seen from the office, 1981
Photograph courtesy of Andrew Gosling

As with some other smaller regional towns, Ambon had no real bookshops or commercial publishers. The main sources of publications were Pattimura University, built with Russian aid many years earlier and badly in need of repairs, the Museum Siwalima, the provincial library and government bodies such as the regional development and census and statistics offices. The latter, I recall, was particularly hard to find, perched high on a wooded hill above the town, with wonderful views across the island. There, and everywhere else I travelled, people were friendly and helpful. For example, the head of the provincial library, Mr Saleky, whom I had met earlier at library conferences, took me to see the beautifully kept war cemetery for Australians and others who died in eastern Indonesia as prisoners of war or fighting Japanese forces during the Second World War.

The two other cities I visited were on Sulawesi, formerly known as Celebes. Said to resemble a starfish, this mountainous island straddles the equator east of Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo).

Australian Embassy Library
Mr Paul Permadi (left) and the late Mr Nurhadi (centre) of the National Library of Indonesia with Andrew Gosling at the Australian Embassy Library in Jakarta, prior to undertaking their training at the National Library of Australia. Mr Permadi later became Deputy Director of the National Library of Indonesia
Photograph courtesy of Andrew Gosling

My three days in Manado proved fruitful. The capital of North Sulawesi appeared more prosperous than Ambon and had several bookshops. With a letter of recommendation from the Governor’s office, I was able to obtain a considerable number of publications from government bodies as well as Sam Ratulangi University, Manado Teachers’ College and the provincial library. To make my rounds, I hired a Suzuki van for the equivalent of only three dollars an hour. The driver, Sonny, was a cheerful young man, but he insisted on playing the same monotonous pop cassette over and over again. Finally, as they were too heavy to carry in my luggage, I sent all the books from Ambon and Manado by courier service back to Jakarta for about 50 dollars.

My final destination was the capital of South Sulawesi, Ujung Pandang, which is better known as Makassar. As always, people were most helpful and I acquired many publications from bookshops, government and educational bodies. For example, the Director of the Ujung Pandang Teachers’ College, Mr Abdul Hamid Rasyid, not only presented a large number of items for the National Library but he also kindly drove me to other locations including Hasanuddin University. Australian academics had been on attachment there for some time, and I met the current Australian lecturer, Dr Jacquie Lineton, who also helped me in tracing suitable local books. The connection with Australia was also emphasised by the eucalypts and wattles growing at the new Hasanuddin campus.

My brief in Indonesia was broader than just acquisitions and involved an active liaison role. This included frequent contact with Indonesian libraries on various issues, including exchanges of publications, staff training in Australia and other development assistance. In particular, I was in frequent contact with the National Library of Indonesia, formally established in 1980 and led by its distinguished first Director, Miss Mastini Hardjoprakoso, and the National Science Documentation Centre, under its dynamic head, the late Miss Luwarsih Pringgoadisurjo. Other duties included representing Australia at library conferences and meetings and helping visiting Australian scholars and librarians.

One task I particularly enjoyed was giving annual lectures about Australian government publications to library students at the University of Indonesia. This certainly forced me to brush up my own knowledge of the subject. The first year I spoke on campus, but later arranged for the students to come to the Australian Embassy Library where they could make use of actual examples.

Living and working in Jakarta was a rewarding experience, professionally and personally. There was great job satisfaction in seeking out books and journals for the National Library’s collections, while travelling in this richly varied land, from Aceh at the northern tip of Sumatra to Ambon in the east. I met some remarkable individuals, including dedicated local librarians who were improving library services across the archipelago. Probably my strongest overall memory is of ordinary Indonesians living with dignity and good humour without the opportunities and financial security we tend to take for granted.

After four years overseas I returned to the National Library in late 1983. It was in the days of the public service tea trolley. On my first morning back, Maria the tea lady greeted me cheerfully with, ‘You’ve been away for a while. Do you still take white tea, no sugar?’

Andrew Gosling was Indonesian Acquisitions Librarian in Jakarta from 1979 to 1983 and Chief Librarian, Asian Collections, from 1985 to early 2003. He has written extensively about Asian collections and services in Australia

Back to NLA News Index Back to December Issue Back to NLA Home Page
NLA News - home

To order a particular issue of the NLA News e-mail nlasales@nla.gov.au
or join the Friends of the National Library of Australia and receive a copy each month by mail.