The South Korean Constitutional Court Library, represented by Keumju Cho as Head of the Library and Information Section, visited the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Indonesia (MKRI) on Wednesday (14/8/2024). Photo by MKRI/Bayu

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JAKARTA (MKRI) — The Library of the Constitutional Court of South Korea, represented by Keumju Cho, Head of the Library and Information Department, visited the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Indonesia (MKRI) on Wednesday, August 14, 2024. The visit was warmly received by Pan Mohamad Faiz Kusuma Wijaya, Head of the Research and Case Study and Library Management Center (Puslitka) at MKRI, along with her team.

Faiz explained that the Court’s Library serves as a vital support unit for Constitutional Court Judges, Experts, and Researchers at Court. Given this role, the Court’s Library is organizationally managed under Puslitka within the General Secretariat of MKRI.

Faiz also mentioned that the Court’s Library has earned an "A" accreditation, denoting “Excellent” status. He pointed out that few other ministries or institutions have libraries with such high accreditation. This "A" accreditation was awarded following an assessment by the National Library of Indonesia's Accreditation Team in 2023.

“Currently, we have a collection of 11,044 physical books, 439 members, and 512 e-books,” Faiz shared in the Delegation Room on the 4th floor of MK Building 1, Jakarta.

He further highlighted that the Court’s Library frequently engages in international collaborations through exchange programs, joint research projects, seminars organized by the Association of Asian Constitutional Court and Equivalent Institutions (AACC) for librarians, digital collection expansion, and the integration of research tools. Faiz also extended an open invitation to the South Korean Constitutional Court Library for potential collaboration with the Court’s Library.

In response, Keumju Cho shared that the South Korean Constitutional Court Library was established alongside the Constitutional Court of Korea in 1988. It has since evolved into a specialized public law library, housing approximately 180,000 volumes of national and international publications as well as various electronic resources.

Following the discussion, Keumju Cho was given a tour of the Constitutional History Center (Puskon) on the 5th and 6th floors of MK Building 1. Accompanied by Faiz, who provided insights into the dynamic history of the constitution and MKRI, the tour showcased a blend of information, art, and technology at Puskon.

Next, Keumju Cho visited the Court’s Library on the 3rd floor of MK Building 2. Before entering, Faiz mentioned that several MKRI staff members have authored numerous books, with MK launching 34 titles and hosting constitutional literacy talks throughout 2023. Over the past five years, MK has published 150 book titles, produced both individually and collaboratively by constitutional judges, retired judges, staff, and MK partners.

This information was well-received by Keumju Cho, who responded with the word "amazing" and a thumbs-up gesture.

“Thanks to my visit to Puskon, I’ve learned about the history of Indonesia and the Constitutional Court of Indonesia. I’m very impressed by the library’s book collection, written by the Court’s staff,” expressed Keumju Cho.

Author            : Mimi Kartika
Editor             : N. Rosi
Translator       : Agusweka P. Siregar (NL)

Disclaimer: The original version of the news is in Indonesian. In case of any differences between the English and the Indonesian versions, the Indonesian version will prevail.

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