Pustaka Negeri Sarawak, Miri

Pustaka Negeri Sarawak, Miri

Introduction
Branching out to the North of Sarawak, a replica of Pustaka Negeri Sarawak was constructed with the aim of catering for information and research needs of Miri’s populace as well as for those from neighbouring towns and districts within and around Sarawak’s northern region. This is in line with Pustaka Negeri’s goal of giving every individual in the State a chance to have access to information and to acquire knowledge through Pustaka Negeri. Pustaka Negeri Sarawak, Miri (formerly known as Pustaka Miri - before 1st August 2014) is a two-storey building earmarked as one of the anchor nodes for the Miri City Fan. Located along the central axis to Dewan Suarah, the horse-shoe shape two-storey sandstone building with light green curtain walling was designed as a tranquil oasis acting as a symbolic apex of information technology in the heart of Miri Resort City. Pustaka Negeri Sarawak, Miri was constructed in the prominent area of the public park in the central heart of Miri City with seating capacity of approximately 600 readers within the total floor space of 4,927 square meters. The construction of the library began on 27th January 2000 and completed in the end of July 2001. It opened its door to the public for the first time on 3rd October 2002 as a reference library and subsequently on 1st June 2003, widening its services to borrowing and lending.
Pustaka Miri is linked to Pustaka Negeri Sarawak via ICT infrastructure, and it has the concept of hybrid library, that is, a combination of print as well as electronic and digital information resources. Its functions are in line with Pustaka Negeri Sarawak’s functions as stated in the Sarawak State Library Ordinance 1999 which outlines among others: a research and reference centre, with collections at a level that will be able to assist researchers as well as other knowledge and information seekers; as an off-site depository center for legal deposit materials, develop special collections relating to Miriana and other local initiatives; contribute towards Pustaka Negeri Sarawak’s databases on information materials on and about Sarawak; and provide an educational environment through programmes and activities to raise information literacy.
Opening The soft opening of Pustaka Negeri Sarawak, Miri was graced by the then Deputy Chief Minister, Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Dr. George Chan Hong Nam on 19th October 2002. Everyone shared a light moment of joy as the opening bunting was unveiled. It surely marked the beginning of a new information gateway for Miri’s population.
The grand official opening was launched by the then Chief Minister of Sarawak YAB Pehin Sri (now Tun) Haji Abdul Taib Mahmud on 10th December 2002.
The library operated from 10.00 am to 6.00 pm then. Pustaka Negeri Sarawak, Miri’s operation hours had been revised three (3) times subsequently in response to the changing needs of the community and stayed currently with what it used to be during the early days, 10.00 am to 6.00 pm on weekdays and 9:00 am to 6:00 pm on weekends.
Staff Miri started with a strong team of staff members who handled all aspects of services to ensure that the library contributed well to the public in Miri. With just around 35 staff members, Pustaka Miri has three main divisions to cater to the needs of its users. The divisions are Technical Services, Information Services and Corporate Management. Every staff has been trained and equipped with knowledge and skills to ensure smooth running of the organization.

Facilities Pustaka Negeri Sarawak, Miri offers three (3) main facilities to cater its users namely the Multimedia GaleriTM (MMG), Information Resource Center (IRC) and the Children Infotheque. The Multimedia GaleriTM is located on the ground floor and offers wireless (WiFi) and wired Internet access as well as connection to online databases using the computer terminals provided. Users are also able to view heritage films, images of rare books, artifacts, manuscripts, Video-On-Demand (VOD) and other audio-visual materials. Another service that is offered in this section is Productivity Tools for typing and printing purposes. It also houses the Newspapers & Magazines Corner, which offers local, national and international serials for the reading pleasure of users and visitors alike. The Reference Service Desk and reference books are also stationed here.