KOTA SAMARAHAN: The Kota Samarahan Municipal Council (MPKS) will continue upgrading and revitalising village libraries while strengthening collaborations with higher education institutions to enhance community engagement.
Its chairman Abang Ismawi Abang Ali said the council remains committed to keeping rural libraries open despite declining visitor numbers, particularly among students, due to technological changes and the availability of school libraries.
“We have more than 20 village libraries in Kota Samarahan, but some have been temporarily closed, while others had to be demolished due to their condition.
“At present, 16 village libraries are operational, and we are in the process of upgrading them,” he said when met by reporters at the reopening ceremony of the upgraded Kampung Pinang Village Library here today (May 2).
The ceremony was officiated by Samarahan District Officer Ahmad Abdul Razak on behalf of Muara Tuang assemblyman Datuk Idris Buang.
Abang Ismawi stressed that MPKS has no plans to shut down the facilities, but instead aims to enhance services to attract more users.
“There were previously questions regarding whether village libraries should continue operating, not only here but elsewhere as well.
“In Kota Samarahan, we will continue to keep them open. What we need to do is improve the services and make them more appealing,” he said.
He added that MPKS is leveraging Kota Samarahan’s unique position as an education hub, being home to Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS), Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) and Institute of Teacher Education (IPG) Tun Abdul Razak.
“We will collaborate with these institutions to organise activities that can revitalise the use of these libraries,” he said.
In addition, Abang Ismawi said efforts are underway to equip village libraries with internet access to transform them into community digital centres, subject to necessary approvals.
He also announced a change in operating hours, from Monday-Friday previously to Tuesday-Saturday, to better accommodate school-related activities.
“We hope community leaders and parents will make full use of the facilities provided.
“We will also engage nearby students to visit the upgraded libraries and take part in programmes organised here,” he added.
