ITB opens American Corner

The Embassy of the United States, in cooperation with the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), opened on Feb. 19 the American Corner in the central library at ITB.

With the launch of this new facility, ITB joins 10 other universities in the country that have an American Corner.

“The offer (to open an American Corner) had been mentioned in 2002, but the realization happened only this year,” said Nanan Hasanah, deputy director of the ITB library.

Funded by the U.S. Embassy, the American Corner provides access to reference materials about the United States.

The opening ceremony was attended by U.S. Embassy Jakarta’s Deputy Chief of Mission John A. Heffern, ITB rector Djoko Santoso and ITB staff members.

Other universities that have an American Corner are: UIN Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University in Ciputat, Tangerang; the University of Indonesia (UI); the State Academy of Islamic Studies (lAIN) and North Sumatra University in Medan; Gadjah Mada University and Muhammadiyah University in Yogyakarta; lAIN Walisongo in Semarang, Airlangga University in Surabaya; Muhammadiyah University in Malang; and Hasanuddin University in Makassar.

According to the U.S. Embassy website, the American Corner concept was created to increase mutual understanding between Indonesia and the United States by making available information about America in a variety of formats.

The American Corner aims to provide accurate and current information about the political, social, economic, cultural, and educational life in the U.S.

Each American Corner, which is located in the libraries-of 11 Indonesian universities, is open to the public.

(Sumber: – The Jakarta Post, Sunday, March 9, 2008 ; 17)