Kudus Expands Social-Inclusion Program to 19 Village Libraries

RRI.CO.ID, Kudus - The social-inclusion-based literacy movement in Kudus Regency, Central Java, is continuing to expand its reach. With Mijen, Gondoharum, and Gondangmanis villages now included in this year’s national priority program, a total of 19 villages in Kudus have successfully transformed their libraries into centers of community empowerment.

“This program aims to transform village libraries into centers for learning, creativity, and community empowerment,” said Head of the Kudus Regency Archives and Regional Library Agency, Mutrikah, in Kudus, Central Java, on Tuesday, 7 July 2026.

As reported by Antara, she said the office initially proposed four villages to receive the Social Inclusion-Based Library Transformation Program (TPBIS). However, only three villages were eventually approved as recipients in 2026.

The three selected villages are Mijen, Gondoharum, and Gondangmanis. According to Mutrikah, there are several requirements villages must meet in order to qualify for the TPBIS program.

These requirements include having a decree on the establishment of the village library, a library profile, and documentation of the library building along with its supporting facilities and infrastructure.

In addition, villages applying for the program receive assistance, outreach, and technical guidance directly from the National Library as part of the selection and implementation process.

Through the TPBIS program, village libraries are expected to serve not only as places to read books. They are now being encouraged to function as spaces for community empowerment through various skills-training activities aimed at improving residents’ welfare.

Mutrikah explained that implementation has begun with outreach activities for library managers in the three recipient villages, followed by technical guidance, which was last carried out in June 2026.

The next stage is implementation mentoring, which is carried out through a WhatsApp group. During this process, library managers are required to regularly upload program achievements through the management information system provided by the National Library, such as visitor numbers, levels of community participation, and various activities aimed at keeping village libraries active. ***