The Impact of Disaster-Preparedness Efforts by Archives and Libraries in the Republic of Indonesia

The Republic of Indonesia is sadly no stranger to disasters, having suffered from multiple tsunamis, terrorist attacks, earthquakes, volcanoes, and flooding since the year 2000 alone. The sheer number of disasters, along with the knowledge that future disasters are likely, has led to a focus on disaster-preparedness within this country. Disaster-preparedness and response efforts are government led in Indonesia but have become increasingly localized following the 2001 decentralization of government services. Following the decentralization, archives and libraries play an important role in disaster-preparedness efforts in local regencies and municipalities by providing information, assisting with research, and otherwise meeting the needs of local communities. By looking at the official disaster-preparedness efforts of archives and libraries, and the affect of these efforts during and following disasters, the impact of disaster-preparedness efforts by archives and libraries can be better understood. More specifically, this poster presentation will focus on three geological disasters that took place in Java and their impact on this region’s disaster-preparedness