The wifi isn’t reliable, but maybe that’s the good thing.
Even though my hometown is one of the biggest cities in Indonesia, there aren’t many public libraries here. I think there are 3 main public libraries that are most visited, and this is one of them. Named after the Surabaya City Library and Archives Office, it’s not located in the city center. That's also the reason why there aren’t as many people visiting this library compared to the one in downtown Surabaya. Or maybe it was just a coincidence that I didn't visit at the same time as many people. But during my few visits, this library was never fully packed with people, it felt like we could still breath around here haha
To enter this library, all you have to do is just fill out an online form. But since I already have my membership card from the other public library, I simply need to scan my barcode. The staff will give a key to open the locker, and I can store my bag and all other belongings there. There are small and quite large lockers available to choose from depending on our needs.
Beside the receptionist and lockers, the first thing we can see from the front area is this desk surrounded by bookshelves neatly arranged with books and numerous trophies and plaques. I haven't checked each award individually, but I'm pretty sure each one is a valuable recognition given to this public library for its existence and contributions over the years.
The table also surrounded with four office chairs, as you can see from the picture I took. Not all the chairs in this library are like that, so that’s a great space if we want to feel more comfortable. Surabaya is one of the hottest cities no joke, so sometimes indoor places tend to turn their AC up a bit too cold for my liking. But here, the air around this library felt quite good. I don’t know where is the placement of the AC, but since it’s not too cold means I can stay in this library for quite a while.
The first area you might want to check out is of course where the main bookshelves are located. There are several bookshelves filled with a variety of books. From psychology, business and self-help books, to novels and comics, you can find them all here. I feel like the book collection in this library is much more extensive compared to the other public library that are more frequently visited. As I wrote previously, one of the reasons why this library has fewer visitors might be because its location. It's located in east Surabaya, which for some people might seem quite far from the city center.
And for some reason, I feels like the layout of this library isn't well-maintained. Perhaps it’s the lack of staff, but fewer visitors might also be a reason why it wasn’t as well-maintained as the other one. For me personally, it only affected the appearance, but didn’t make it difficult to find books at all.
I found “start with why” by Simon Sinek which I’d been wanting to read for a long time, as well as a book from John C. Maxwell. I even found The Great Gatsby which I’d been wanting to borrow the most. But because I had a book from other public library that I’d borrowed with my membership card and I hadn’t returned, I couldn’t borrow another books haha maybe I’ll find this book again next time.
The last thing on the bookshelves I’d like to show is this Agatha Christie collection in the same edition. It was very satisfying to see because the other library also have these thriller collection, but in different editions. I don’t remember how many Agatha Christie books I’ve had read–I’m pretty sure it was more than five, but I want to read more.
Now, let’s explore the main working area. As you can see below, that’s the common situation in this library when I visited–which not many people around. The atmosphere wasn’t always peaceful, as sometimes there’s occasional noise from some corners, but overall it’s still a calming environment for concentrating on assignments, reading, or studying. There’s even another room that seems more private, but honestly it was sometimes filled with a children’s study group.
One of the most interesting things to me is the wifi in this library is completely unstable. At first, I considered it a drawback, a reason I didn't visit this library very often. But now, my perspective has kinda change. This is the place I go when I don’t want to be distracted by the internet. Since the wifi is rarely works, I can locked in on my tasks while I’m here. Especially if I need to write something, somehow the lack of internet connection for my laptop or tablet is exactly what I need the most.
Anyway, in another corner, there's a separate seating area with comfortable sofas. There are also some pictures, which I guess are the children's drawings or coloring, as part of the library's activities.
And speaking of activities, I’m pretty sure this library also actively hosts performances of some kind, as there's also a small stage in another corner. With yellow and green as the background color and brown on the base, it looks neat and simple. I hope to see some of the performances the next time I’m there.
I think the one of the biggest differences between this library and other public libraries is the children area, which is separate from the main area. I rarely see kids wandering around, which is good thing because sometimes they tend to be noisy here and there hehe
That concludes my library trip this time. Thanks for reading, upvote for more content like this :) and how about you, when was the last time you have a trip to the library?