In an effort to promote the development of digital library services in Indonesia, the National Library of Indonesia, in collaboration with the Indonesian Digital Library Forum and Brawijaya University, organized the 14th Digital Library Conference Indonesia (KPDI) in 2023. The conference took place from August 9th to 11th, officially inaugurated by Prof. Widodo, S.Si., M.Si., Ph.D.Med.Sc., the Rector of Brawijaya University (UB), at Hotel Atria Malang. The theme of the 14th KPDI was “Forging the Future through Digital Preservation of Local Indonesian Knowledge (Culture, Knowledge, and Learning).” In his address, Widodo expressed gratitude for the trust placed in the organization of this excellent event. He noted that there are many challenges ahead for libraries as the digital era unfolds, one of which is the proliferation of digital information. The official opening of the event followed with the striking of the gong by Muhammad Syarif Bando, the Head of the National Library of Indonesia.
During his response, Syarif Bando acknowledged the collaboration between UB and the Arterial Research and Educational Network in the Asia Pacific (ARENA-PAC), highlighting its potential for providing the academic community access to global reading materials and journals. He stressed the role of librarians as readers and knowledge gatherers worldwide, emphasizing their significance as a profession that all other professions rely upon. He asserted that librarians need to convey the latest and forthcoming knowledge to the public. In the current digital age, he mentioned that the amount of electronic information is still limited, necessitating librarians who can repackage information. For this occasion, the Head Librarian of UGM assigned several librarian staff to participate as speakers in the call for papers or as participants in the conference. Among them, Aris Setiawan SIP, a librarian from the Faculty of Biology Library at UGM, had the opportunity to participate as a conference attendee.
The conference was attended by over 500 participants, including librarians, educators, and library practitioners from across Indonesia. The hope is that by participating in this event, attendees can develop four essential skills necessary for librarians and library managers in the digital era: the ability to curate digital data, analyze important data, conserve, and preserve data. The aspiration is that these skills will inspire and contribute to the evolving landscape of library science and can be applied to support the advancement of knowledge within the academic community.
Several recommendations were concluded after this event, including digital preservation strategies for traditions, languages, scripts, rituals, norms, arts, and various cultural products as part of cultural heritage and cultural expression. These should become part of commodification and cultural economic enhancement. Additionally, digital preservation should play a role in safeguarding the nation’s memory, revitalizing national history, nurturing values of unity, diversity, education, and strengthening cultural literacy. Furthermore, information technology is expected to significantly influence the future of digital libraries.