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.
Meanwhile in the Children Infotheque, digital edutainment and infotainment CD-ROMs for children is streamed on ICT facilities in this section, which is exclusively designed for those aged four to twelve years old. The easy-to-use screen presentation called KIDS DESKTOP encourages and stimulates the young minds to explore the world of information made available through the latest technology. There are also tablets made available in line with the ever evolving world of technology. Apart from that, children members can also benefit from the book lending service and activities organized every weekend.
Located on the first floor of the building, the Information Resource Centre (IRC) houses printed and non-printed materials in the form of monographs as well as serials in all subject areas. The main purpose is to meet the information and research needs of the Northern Region. These collections are mainly focused on users’ professional needs and are classified according to the Dewey Decimal Classification Scheme for easy referencing. Other collections, consisting of non-printed materials in the form of audio visual materials, CD-ROMs; subscribed online databases, electronic resources and digitalized materials on Sarawak literature are accessible online.
To assist users in locating the books, the computer terminals in all the facilities are equipped with Online Public Access Catalogue (OPAC). It also enables them to locate books from other libraries.
A library will not be well equipped if there is no value added services to compliment what it has to offer to the society. The venue management is essential. Hence, Pustaka Negeri Sarawak, Miri is also equipped with several facilities to hold functions such as seminars, talks, forums, meetings, theatrical shows and other presentations. These facilities include the 207-seat Auditorium, Audio-Visual (AV) Room with 69 seats, Multipurpose Room which can accommodate 50 to 70 persons, Meeting Room in the Multimedia GaleriTM is a meeting room which can accommodate up to twelve (12) persons and five (5) Researchers’ / Discussion Rooms, each suitable for small group of five or less.
These facilities strengthen the role of Pustaka Negeri Sarawak, Miri not only as the information hub for Sarawak Northern Region but as alternative choice of avenue for educational, social and business gatherings for the community besides what other government and commercial entities offered. The well-received response from members of the public over the past 13 years on the venue provided has significantly impacted the public perception on what extensively the role of a library should be.
Programmes
Over the past 17 years, Pustaka Negeri Sarawak, Miri had undergone a smooth and confident journey to what it has to be, as transpired in the Sarawak State Library Ordinance (SSLO), 1999. The Strategic Plans which underlined specific targets as indicated in the annual Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and organizational focus is demonstrated in the engagement of our core businesses as well as supported services under the provision of library services and delivery.
The execution of the core business is not only limited to services rendered to users over the normal library counters and reference desk but in the form of activities and programs conducted annually. Essentially reading engagement is a dynamic and integrated process, takes in the form of talks, workshops, forum, carnival etc with society involvement. This is very much pertinent to ensure its relevance. With that ultimate aim, Pustaka Negeri Sarawak, Miri is always prioritizing collaborative efforts as one of the strategies in reaching out to a larger crowd cost effectively, with optimizing most of the resources available, working hand in hand in narrowing the digital gap between the information rich and poor. By working in partnership with other collaborating entities such as individuals, groups and agencies which are addressed honorably as Knowledge Partners, the total of more than 7,000 activities had been conducted ever since its inception in October 2002.
It is noted that though the number of users to Pustaka Negeri Sarawak, Miri is rather small compared to the whole population of Miri, however the number of counter users and visitors to the library had increased significantly from 11,269 in 2002 to a more than 1 million people over the past 17 years. In terms of readership in regards to circulation services, the number has shown positive remarks. The borrowing and lending services started on 1st June 2003 and it gradually increases annually.
In addition to borrowing and lending services, Pustaka Negeri Sarawak, Miri opened its door to bulk loan services in 2007. At the end of 2018, a total of 57 organizations had benefited from the services which made up more than 10,000 items borrowed with more than 50,000 items circulated.
ACTIVITIES
Pustaka Negeri Sarawak, Miri works hand-in-hand with society to promote lifelong learning culture to ultimately strive for a knowledge-based society. Over the years, strong focus has been emphasized on collaborative efforts. As of end of 2018 cumulatively, there were more than a thousand smart partnership programmes held which involved various entities, community leaders and volunteers throughout the landscape of Miri into various places in the Northern region such as Bintulu, Lawas, Limbang and deep into the thick and beautiful rainforest of Baram, where a majority of geographically marginalized Orang Ulu reside. Taking outreach programs into perspectives which embedded with other fulfillment of fun and exciting engagement programs, it proves beneficial in getting the local community closer to the world of knowledge. In strategizing the framework, it has been put into emphasis that each and every entity which takes part in the programmes, shall benefit from the lessons learned, either in a direct and formal manner, or indirect formal ways.
Working with smart partners has brought significant impacts to the overall resources of Pustaka Negeri Sarawak, Miri. Besides the tangible benefits that could be seen clearly such as reducing overall organizing cost and minimizing the use of human resources, more importantly the benefits of intangible lessons in terms of knowledge transfer and sharing of experience is rather valuable. It not only helps Pustaka Negeri Sarawak, Miri gain good reputation in the eyes of collaborators and public, it also expands the horizons into potential exciting possibilities in the future.
Among the momentous activities worth mentioning include jointly organizing the Largest Beads Exhibition with Orang Ulu National Association (OUNA) and Hendrick Nicholas Fine Art which was entered into The Malaysia Book of Records (for exhibiting a total of 24,223 beaded items) on 16th August 2003, 100th Year Anniversary of First Oil Discovery in collaboration with Sarawak Shell Berhad on 20th May 2010, setting another Malaysia Book of Records with the Longest Philately Line (696.89 meters) with philatelic collector Lucas Johnny on 25th May 2017 and the launching the Sarawakiana Series: The Unsung Heroes – Voices of the Sarawakian Guerillas of ‘Z’ Special Unit on 11th September 2014 and a few others Sarawakiana publications in the earlier years such as Makan Tahun Kedayan, Penan: People of the Jungle, Kenyah Ritual Naming Ceremony - Pusau Ngalang Anak, Kayan Traditional Wedding and the recent 2 publications of Sarawakiana Series in 2018 entitled Budaya Tradisi Kaum Jatti Miriekand Sape: Community Binder. There has been also a regular events of Sarawakiana Carnival held eversince 2007.
There were many events organized solely as well as in collaboration with others including exhibitions, talks, workshops, seminars, competitions, programs encouraging and inculcating reading including Reading Months, Knowledge Camps and Let’s Read Together for 10 Minutes; and offsite programs such as outreaches and Kembara Ilmu.
The enrichment of local content is another area of achievement Pustaka Negeri Sarawak, Miri takes pride in. Besides working together with Headquarters in creating Sarawakiana Series, the annual flagship of Local Content Competition among secondary schools in Miri then to the Northern Region of Sarawak subsequently has been aggressively promoted in the effort to preserve and document the cultural heritage of Northern Sarawak local community specifically, and in exposing and teaching the students on the importance of research skills. The students are taught on various important skills to equip themselves to be young researchers such as information seeking and retrieval skills, bibliographic citations analysis besides value added skills such as media and presentation skills.
Similarly, the enrichment of local content has been intensified through various programs. The Sarawakiana Carnivals, the recording and documentation of oral history and various local content engagement activities are all activities directed to this initiative.
The library’s drive for quality achievements is also profound. Its commitment in certified for MS ISO 9001:2015, Quality Environment - 5S, ISO 9001: 2015, involvement in Innovative and Creative Circles (ICC), adherence to the practice of Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) and clean bill of finance audit made the working culture exciting and the execution of core-business meaningful. In terms of the social and communal presence in Miri specifically, Pustaka Negeri Sarawak, Miri has made its own name. The aim in making the presence of library as societal- relevant is explicitly seen in the active participation in Local Agenda 21 (LA21) with Miri City Council and other participating agencies in planning and executing what Miri City should be, the involvement in sports and recreational activities, corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs as well as involvement in social and cultural events.
