APSIG newsletter no. 61: July 2006

Earthquake in central Java

A violent earthquake in central Java on 27 May killed at least 5,800 people, displaced as many as 1.5 million and destroyed 150,000 houses in the densely populated Yogyakarta and Central Java provinces.

The Library of Gadja Madah University, one of Indonesia's most prestigious universities, survived the earthquake, but suffered severe cracking to its walls and damage to collections when they were flung to the ground. Many of the library staff are now homeless as the worst residential destruction was in the southern Yogyakarta area of Bantul, where many of them lived.

Many school buildings in the Bantul area were flattened, but fortunately the Bantul public library survived. However the library of the respected Indonesian Institute of Arts (Institut Seni Indonesia) was destroyed.

Local authorities in Yogya recently announced that as many as 26 tent libraries would be established to provide reading materials to residents, especially students.