BANDUNG, 2025 — A strategic study conducted by a team of lecturers from the Library and Information Science (LISI) Study Program, Faculty of Communication Sciences, Padjadjaran University, has successfully identified an effective collaboration model between the West Java Community Reading Park Forum (TBM) and universities. The research was conducted by Evi Nursanti Rukmana, Kusnandar, and Samson CMS, in collaboration with Ratnamala Vanamamalai from Mizoram University, India. The study highlights how this partnership strengthens the community literacy movement through programs such as Ancient Bandung Literacy and Sawala Kamisan.
This research aims to address the challenges faced by the TBM Forum in disseminating literacy programs, including limited human resources and the need for scientific strengthening. By involving universities, this collaboration creates a shared space between “knowledge centers (campuses)” and “learning centers (communities).” This partnership not only increases the capacity of volunteers but also fosters a reading culture and strengthens the quality of informal education within the community.
This research employed a descriptive qualitative method, with data collected through observations and interviews at the West Java Community Library Forum activity center at the Ajip Rosidi Library in Bandung. This collaboration is based on two main approaches: individual first and team first. Volunteers act as the driving force with creative ideas, while universities provide scientific support, networking, and resource persons. Unpad, along with Langlabuana University (UNLA) and the Indonesian University of Education (UPI), collaborate as presenters, participants, editors, and consultants in various literacy programs.
Research results indicate that this collaborative model is highly effective. The Ancient Bandung Literacy program, which has been running since 2022, has successfully increased reading interest and critical literacy in the community through activities such as village history writing webinars, literacy camps, and Sundanese poetry reading competitions. Similarly, the Sawala Kamisan program, a weekly talk show, creates a space for dialogue between academics, practitioners, and volunteers, encouraging learning based on local wisdom.
This collaboration has had a significant impact on improving community literacy skills and fostering community pride in the regional literacy program. This partnership model can serve as a national reference for developing community literacy movements in other provinces, particularly in supporting sustainable non-formal education. These findings also align with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), namely SDG 4 (Quality Education) through providing inclusive access to literacy, and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals) by strengthening collaboration across educational institutions and communities. Research reviewing this collaboration model was accepted in August 2024, approved in November 2024, and published in November 2024 in the scientific journal Informatio: Journal of Library and Information Science, Volume 4, Number 3.
The full article is available at:
http://media.unpad.ac.id/files/publikasi/2025/rpm_20250209195526_6710.pdf
Authors: Ridha Amalia, Nadziva Shaqeena, and Moh. Fikri Ardinata Fuadi
