Building Connections, Powering Transformation: Indonesia’s Community Literacy Volunteer Model (RELIMA)

Abstract

What does it take for a library to become a genuine center of community life? This question lies at the heart of IFLA Trend 7, which highlights a growing global demand for social connection. In resource-constrained settings where library infrastructure cannot reach every village or island, the answer may lie not in buildings or technology, but in people. Trusted community actors who connect residents, mobilize participation, and extend the library’s reach well beyond its physical walls.

This paper presents RELIMA (Community Literacy Volunteers), a national program launched by the National Library of Indonesia in 2025, as a concrete and replicable response to IFLA Trend 7. In its inaugural cohort, 180 trained volunteers were deployed across 177 districts in 38 provinces from July to December 2025. Of these, 154 continued into 2026 and submitted reflective essays documenting their literacy program, roles, outcomes, community impact, and sustainability plans.

Drawing on qualitative content analysis of 90 essays, this paper examines how RELIMA’s grassroots practices align with the six dimensions of IFLA Trend 7. Community network building (T7-6) was the dominant pattern, present in 62% of essays, followed by place-based program delivery (T7-1) at 22%. The analysis also reveals a significant gap: social cohesion (13%), intergenerational connection (12%), and the library as a third place (9%) are underrepresented, pointing to areas where LIS education and program design could offer stronger support.

Through cases from Bali, Yogyakarta, East Java, West Kalimantan, and West Nusa Tenggara, this paper shows that RELIMA volunteers do far more than facilitate reading. They rebuild social fabric, one community at a time. The model offers practical lessons for LIS educators and practitioners globally, and speaks directly to the theme of WLIC 2026: Libraries Powering Transformation.