TCP-TBWA utilizes social media for book-sharing scheme in Indonesia

The idea was simple: make more books freely accessible to a wider audience with an innovative ‘open library’ concept powered by the readers themselves.

Social media, primarily Twitter, is a key element of the project. The movement of books can be monitored and tracked as they travel throughout the nation, people are asked to tweet the book title and location each time a book is donated, borrowed or returned, mentioning @bukubergilir.

Starting at popular suburban hangout Birdie Cafe, the project aims to eventually expand the Buku Bergilir network to include such places as educational institutions, hospitals and clinics, bus and train stations, ferry terminals, domestic airports - anywhere people wait and congregate, where a good read would be appreciated.

According to the CIA World Factbook, Indonesia has an adult literacy rate of 90.4 per cent, a large local publishing industry and strong public interest in reading. Yet access to books is limited, as public libraries are scarce and though bookshops abound, new book prices put them out of the reach of many Indonesians.

Another key insight is the fact that many of those who can afford to buy books, especially novels, read them once then leave them on bookshelves to gather dust. The solution was to encourage people with books they no longer plan to read to liberate them from retirement and donate them to the Buku Bergilir project.

A network of book drop-off points is being grown where people can leave their donated books, which are then identified with a sticker explaining the project and distributed throughout the Buku Bergilir network.

Anyone is welcome to borrow a book to read, take it with him or her, and then when they’re finished, simply return it to any participating location. It’s the first time such a project has been attempted in Indonesia, one reliant on the continuous generosity, participation and honesty of individuals.

Information about the Buku Bergilir project, including an instructional video, can be found at: www.projeqt.com/bukubergilir

In the few days since its launch, the project has attracted a positive response on Twitter, and the media, while gaining the support of many book lovers. The collection already numbers hundreds of books, though it’s early days yet for a project that has the ambition to empower readers across the entire Indonesian archipelago.