Enviro News Asia, Washington, D.C. — Alumni of the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) Class of 1973 (Fortuga ITB) have donated a collection of books authored by alumni and publications about Indonesia to the United States Library of Congress, reinforcing Indonesia’s intellectual presence in one of the world’s largest and most prestigious libraries.
The donation took place during a visit to the Library of Congress on Wednesday, July 1, where the Fortuga ITB delegation was accompanied by the Education and Cultural Attaché of the Embassy of Indonesia in Washington, D.C., Dr. Iip Ichsanudin. The delegation was received by Dr. Sarah Rhodes from the Congressional and Intergovernmental Office, along with Library of Congress librarians Elizabeth Jarcy, Joshua Kueh, and Kay Qui.
The delegation included four distinguished professors: Prof. Adang Surachman, Prof. Lienda Aliwarga, Prof. Asri Nugrahanti, and Prof. Indroyono Soesilo, who also serves as Indonesia’s Ambassador to the United States.
The Library of Congress, recognized as the world’s largest library, houses more than 184 million items, including approximately 39 million books and printed materials in 470 languages, 73 million manuscripts, millions of photographs, maps, sound recordings, and historical archives. Its collections continue to grow by roughly two million items annually.
Among its extensive holdings are approximately 190,000 materials related to Indonesia. More than 117,000 Indonesian collections have been catalogued in the library’s Asian collections, covering subjects ranging from history, politics, economics, and science to children’s literature. The library also preserves rare Indonesian manuscripts, audiovisual archives, and historical recordings dating back to the late nineteenth century.
The Indonesian collection includes works documenting the country’s national leaders, with more than 1,100 publications on President Sukarno, 918 on President Suharto, and numerous works on former President B.J. Habibie. The American Folklife Center also maintains Indonesian recordings and documentation spanning from 1893 to 2009.
Several publications authored by Fortuga ITB members are already part of the Library of Congress collection, including nine books by Hatta Rajasa, twenty-five by Rizal Ramli, five by Kusmayanto Kadiman, one by Ali Herman Ibrahim, one by Prof. Adang Surachman, and nineteen by Ambassador Indroyono Soesilo.
One of the library’s most valuable Indonesian treasures is an illuminated Javanese manuscript dated 1862 titled Pangkat-pangkat Caritanipun Serat Babad ing Tanah Jawi Sedhaya, which chronicles the history of Java and the spread of Islam through richly illustrated historical narratives.
During the visit, Ambassador Indroyono Soesilo encouraged stronger institutional cooperation between the Library of Congress and Indonesian libraries through expanded book exchanges and collection development. He announced plans to issue a circular letter inviting Indonesian universities to submit publications produced by their academic communities to the Library of Congress representative office in Jakarta for transfer to Washington, D.C.
The initiative will also facilitate reciprocal exchanges of publications from the Library of Congress to libraries across Indonesia, strengthening research resources and expanding academic cooperation between the two countries.
According to Ambassador Indroyono, increasing the availability of Indonesian publications at the Library of Congress will provide international researchers with broader access to authoritative references on Indonesia while promoting greater global understanding of the country’s history, culture, science, and intellectual achievements.
The book donation reflects Indonesia’s continued commitment to strengthening cultural diplomacy and expanding its contribution to the global exchange of knowledge through one of the world’s foremost research institutions. (*)
