The low level of literacy in society is a problem that must be considered by all elements of society. Literacy is important for every individual as a form of lifelong learning. Many factors cause low literacy in Indonesia. Some of them are the lack of libraries, the low circulation of newspapers, the education system that is not supportive, the availability of computers and access to libraries, the lack of promotion and information services for the community, to the human resources managing libraries and also being confronted with the mindset of the community regarding libraries and a penchant for reading.
Dr. Farida Nurani, M.Sc as Head of the FIA UB Library Science Study Program as well as the head of the surveyor team with two Library Science students who were involved in a survey of reading interest in society together with UB Radio talked about how "Build Information Literacy in Society". The three informants were directly involved in a survey conducted by the Library Science Study Program with the IKKM Team and the IPLM Team to find out the level of literacy in society, especially in Batu City. In this activity, which was guided by the host from UB Radio, discussed many things including views on information literacy, development of digital literacy, challenges and opportunities for digital literacy, factors that cause low literacy in Indonesia, information literacy competence in the Library Science Study Program, to how the resource person does survey of people's interest in reading.
According to Ayu Wulandari from the surveyor of the IPLM Team, information literacy is a process of how we gather, use, and filter information, then at an advanced level the process can be used as a means to increase productivity and as a thinking process as lifelong learning. The development of literacy is starting to change towards digital which is a means of facilitating the dissemination of information so that later it can be used as well and as much as possible by the community, that was the hope conveyed by Dr. Farida Nurani, M.Sc. The development of the digital world is likened to by Fatich Idamul from the IKMM Team like two blades, it can be a challenge as well as an opportunity. Many benefits are obtained from it, but from it there are also many vulnerabilities that endanger society.
Facing existing vulnerabilities, it is important for each individual to improve their information literacy abilities or skills. Therefore, information literacy competencies are taught to students in the Library Science Study Program. Information literacy is an important study of the specifics of information management in the Library Science Study Program with supporting subjects including information architecture and databases, information auditing, information preservation and conservation, strategic management of information institutions, seminars on contemporary information issues, etc. So that with this competence, graduates are expected to be competent in literacy for themselves and society and can be well absorbed in the world of work.
Regarding the survey conducted by the interviewees, one of the items surveyed was measuring individual reading preferences in Batu City. The indicators seen in the survey include duration of reading, number of books, duration of internet access, frequency of internet access and reading, and so on. With various characteristics of respondents and their influencing factors, they also looked at the condition of libraries and reading gardens to find out their level of interest in reading. The obstacle found during the survey was that there was still a lack of respondents with certain jobs of productive age to be able to represent the people of Batu City as a whole. The results of this survey can later be used as a recommendation for the Batu City Government to increase the literacy of its people.
Dr. Farida Nurani, M.Sc as the head of the surveyor team said the progress of the literacy development research was that the team had distributed the Google Forms survey which had been filled out by several groups of students, university students, and civil servants. Later for the completeness of the survey, the team will go directly to the field. This survey is still ongoing so that the people of Batu City can fill out the questionnaire via the link on the Instagram account of the FIA UB Library Science Study Program and as an offer there will be prizes for those who have filled out the survey. Collaboration is also wide open for other local governments to help with surveys of reading preferences in their regions.
As a closing, the resource person delivered tips related to literacy. From Dr. Farida Nurani, M.Si conveyed that families should get used to reading from their respective homes. Then for young people, Fatich Idamul gave advice so that they can join a reading community and find a supportive environment. And don't give up and share your passion for reading with each other. Ayu Wulandari gave a message to ourselves that we must find what reading or information we like from any media, and must be able to control information from ourselves. Literacy is not just reading and writing, but the skills obtained from information to then be applied to oneself and then used for the benefit of many people, concluded Dr. Farida Nurani, M.Si.
Live IG UB Radio together with the FIA UB Library Science Study Program entitled "Building Information Literacy for Society" with Dr. Farida Nurani, M.Sc as Head of the Library Science Study Program, Fatich Idamul M from the IKMM Surveyor Team, and Ayu Wulandari from the IPLM Team took place on Thursday, March 31 2022, 10.00 - 11.00 WIB guided by host Kansa Aisya. The rebroadcast can be watched live on the IGTV account @radio_ub for the Brone Talkshow series or via the following link https://www.instagram.com/tv/CbwQ27jh5qK/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y%3D.
