Preserving Indonesian Journalism History at National Press Monument

Abstract

Objective. The National Press Monument is a part of the Indonesian Ministry of Communication and Information (KOMINFO) which has the sole responsibility of developing the communication and information sectors of the government including media and journalism. This research explains the preservation process of the Indonesian Journalism newsprint implemented at the National Press Monument. The purpose of this study is to give an overview of the importance of Indonesian Journalism newsprint to users of the National Press Monument. Indonesian Journalism newsprint is a vital source containing Indonesia’s press history and information about the Indonesian Journalist Association before Indonesia gained its independence. National Press Monument collects and preserves old Indonesian newsprint and journals on various subjects. Methods. The qualitative approach and observation methods are used for this research. The observation method is used to focus on the preservation practices. Alongside the observation, the technique is the application of in-depth interviews. These methods are used to explain the processes of newsprint preservation. Results. The results of the study have found that National Press Monument used four approaches to preserve newsprint material: preventive, curative, restorative, and digitalization. Preventive action is carried out by controlling temperature, humidity, light, preventing human-caused damage and conducting bookbinding action. The curative operation was done by fumigation using Sulfuryl Fluoride (S02F2). The restorative step is done by connecting parts of torn/perforated paper, and repairing damaged binding. Finally, digitalization. National Press Monument also developed a new method to preserve newsprint material which is called freezing. This new method is aimed to protect the manuscript from any harmful organism. Conclusions. These methods can also be used in libraries. The National Press Monument not only contributes to preserving newsprint material in Indonesia but also to develop new ways in protecting the manuscripts through various policies.