KUCHING: The State Library (Pustaka Negeri Sarawak) wants to be the 
preferred recreational venue for families and friends to spend quality 
time together be-sides being a major information resource centre in the 
state.
With this in view, its board of management chairman Tan Sri
 Datuk Amar Hamid Bugo said they were looking into providing more 
facilities that could attract people to spend their time at the state 
library.
“We have one of the most unique libraries in the world 
that is surrounded by a park. The park is part of the programme to 
enable visitors to exercise (besides being a recreational spot for them 
to spend time with families and friends),” he said in his statement in 
conjunction with Pustaka Negeri Sarawak’s 15th anniversary next year.
“We
 have the herbal garden and park. These are only a small percentage of 
what we actually have in mind to do. This whole area of 100 acres should
 really be a hotspot of biodiversity.
“It is our plan to have 
every local tree available in the tropical jungle to be here (park) so 
that children can have the chance to learn, see and touch the different 
types of trees when they walk in the park.”
He also touched on the
 need for libraries in the state to be reorganised, as part of the “re- 
engineering” process, as currently the libraries were under different 
jurisdictions.
“Perhaps, in the first instance, we have to change 
the ownership of the libraries to make them, however small wherever they
 are, be under one ownership which is Pustaka Negeri Sarawak.
“Nevertheless,
 we have to do some re-engineering on the organisation. We have to look 
into strategies on how do we reach the rural areas and even more 
important, we have to look at the real purpose of putting up a library 
in each place.”
He also stressed on the need for the state library
 to be relevant in terms of its books collection and service delivery, 
adding if it had all the relevant books and information in its 
collection, stakeholders would be motivated to use the facilities 
provided.
Meanwhile, Pustaka Negeri Sarawak chief executive 
officer Rashidah Bolhassan said besides supporting lifelong learning, 
the other main function of the state library was to be the advocate for 
library development in the state.
“Although the other public 
libraries in the state are under local authorities, we are playing our 
role to support them in planning for development, lobbying for funding 
both at state and national level and the development of human 
resources.”
The other core business that Pustaka Negeri Sarawak 
was in, she added, was as a state depository, not only for published 
materials but also as archive.
She noted that the state library’s 
collection had grown to more than 200,000 over the past 15 years, 
comprising both printed and electronic materials, which were not only 
accessible in the state library but also other divisional libraries.
“In our function as the legal deposit, we have acquired more than 7,000 titles that had been published in Sarawak.
“In
 our archival function, we work together with the government departments
 for them to sur-render their inactive files or file which are of 
archival age to be deposited to us. So far, we have managed to get more 
than 150,000 items.”
Rashidah also reported that the state library
 had recorded 3.5 million visitors, with 1.7 million using the 
facilities provided, and it had a membership of more than 100,000.
Among
 those present at the event yesterday were Pustaka Negeri Sarawak board 
of management member Datuk Alfred Yap and Pustaka Negeri Sarawak library
 services sector head Japri Bujang Masli.
Sarawak Global Media and Information Literacy Week 2025 24 Oct 2025
Program Jerayawara Sarawak Lestari 2025 Zon Selatan,Kampung Hulur Meludam, Betong 19 Nov 2025
Seminar Sarawak Lestari Bertemakan ?Alam Sekitar dan Sumber Asli? 27 Nov 2025
Makersmeet 2025 29 Nov 2025
(Sibu) Fun Run 5KM in conjunction with the 5th Anniversary of Pustaka Sibu 30 Nov 2025