Digital Transformation of the Wukirsari Village Library: Improving Community Digital Literacy

Abstract

The Wukirsari Village Library located in Yogyakarta focuses on fostering literacy to improve human resource development in rural areas. Some of the most pressing issues with libraries include lack of access to the internet and digital technologies, low levels of digital literacy among community members, limited spatial infrastructure, and reliance on village government budgets. This community service project seeks to understand current efforts to improve the digital literacy framework of Wukirsari villagers and consider the condition of reading rooms and alternative funding solutions to support library activities. The program adopts a Participatory Action Research (PAR) approach that empowers constituents to participate fully from the planning stage to evaluation to shape all aspects of program governance. The results show that access to digital catalogues is only limited to devices within the village library and cannot be accessed via Wi-Fi. Exacerbating the infrastructure deficit in addition to limited operational funds creates a state of constant stagnation for the library. In addition, there is a need for revitalization to make reading rooms more child-friendly that allow adaptive support for diverse literacy activities. Regarding funding, there is an urgent need recognized by managers related to building partnerships with locals and academic institutions