On Thursday, October 22, 2020, Dr. Jelfina C. Alouw, Executive Director, ICC, and Ms. Mridula Kotekatte, Assistant Director, ICC, accompanied by Marketing & Statistics Officer, Information & Publication Officer, and the Secretariat team visited the Soil and Agriculture Museum, Jl. Ir. H. Juanda No. 98, Bogor, Indonesia as part of seeking the potential collaboration for dissemination of coconut technology and strengthening networks between the two institutions.
The ICC officers were welcomed by Ms. Rima Setiani, S.P, M.M., Head of the Soil and Agriculture Museum, and the Museum's team. In her address, Dr. Jelfina expressed that this was the beginning of the relationship between ICC, the Soil and Agriculture Museum, and the Ministry of Agriculture library. ICC was looking forward to strengthening the relationship. Executive Director shared the activities of ICC and its collaboration with other member countries and research institutes. Dr. Jelfina appreciated the incredible information obtained from the Soil and Agricultural Museum and the Indonesian Center for Agricultural Library and Technology. It was comprehensive information from the past to the future, and from conventional to modern agricultural technology. She also appreciated the knowledge acquired about library management, from old book conservation, digitalization, also collections handling. Overall it was very informative. Dr. Jelfina also provided input for coconut display improvements for the Agriculture Museum, including bilingual written information to accommodate global visitors. Also, ICC would be grateful to provide coconut product information and any information support related to coconut
The Soil and Agriculture Museum has been established since September 29, 1988. This Museum occupies the Voor Agrogeologie en Grond Onderzoek Laboratory building or the Agrogeology and Soil Research Laboratory, which was founded during the Dutch administration around 1900. The Museum was closed for several years until the Ministry of Agriculture decided to renovate it. On December 5, 2017, to coincide with World Soil Day, the Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Ir. H. Andi Amran Sulaiman, M.P. (2014-2019 period), inaugurated the reopening of the Soil Museum.In further developments, Prof. Dr. Sjarifudin Baharsjah, M.Sc. (Minister of Agriculture 1993-1998) and several other agricultural figures declared the Agricultural Museum's establishment on April 17, 2018. The wishes of these Indonesian agricultural leaders received support from the next Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Ir. Andi Amran Sulaiman, M.P., which then gave the mandate to the Secretary-General of the Ministry of Agriculture through the Indonesia Center for Agricultural Library and Technology, carried out the construction of the Agricultural Museum in the same place, to be inaugurated for its opening on April 22, 2019.
After visiting the Soil and Agriculture Museum, the ICC team visited the Indonesian Center for Agricultural Library and Technology or Pusat Perpustakaan dan Penyebaran Teknologi Pertanian (PUSTAKA), Jl. Ir. H. Juanda, No. 20, Bogor, Indonesia. The visit's purpose was to look into the library management system, coconut-related collection in the Museum, potential collaboration, and increase Cord Journal citation by strengthening networks to the library. The ICC team was welcomed by Ir. Endang Sulistyorini, M.Si., Sub-Head of Publication, and Mr. Akhmad Syaikhu, S.Sos., M.T., Head of General Affairs.
PUSTAKA is the oldest agricultural and biological library in Indonesia, founded in May 1842. In the beginning, PUSTAKA was part of the Bogor Botanical Garden, which had the function of providing botanical literature for guest researchers conducting regional botanical investigations. Currently, PUSTAKA actively disseminates information on agricultural science and technology through various information media, such as television, radio, brochures, CDs, internet sites, and electronic databases, cooperating with various domestic and foreign institutions in disseminating agricultural research results, technology and commodities information.
There was in-depth interaction with the team of officers on different aspects of library management and the future collaboration for disseminating coconut technology and strengthening networks to the library. The visit might provide invaluable input for ICC's Library development and improve service to the member countries.