Shah Alam, 5 December 2023 – Universiti Teknologi MARA Kampus Puncak Perdana through the College of Computing, Informatics and Mathematics (KPPIM) recently organized “Pemerkasaan Potensi Pustakawan Pusat Sumber Sekolah” programme at Sekolah Kebangsaan Padang Jawa, Shah Alam. The orientation programme engaged 10 student librarians where they were provided with early exposure to the relationship between library, librarians and books. This exposure aimed to enhance the pupils’ understanding of their duties and responsibilities as school librarians.
Aisyah Rizal, Farid Afiq Basri, Muhammad Syafiq Mohd Nasri and Nurul Zulaikha Aqilah Abdula Mangsah, undergraduates from the Bachelor of Information Science (Hons.) Library Management programme served as the program facilitators. Throughout the orientation, the student librarians were provided with notes prepared by the facilitators which gave annotated points on the functions of libraries and roles of librarians. There were also mini quizzes to keep them engaged.
In preparation for the orientation programme, representatives from the School of Information Science KPPIM collaborated closely with the school’s administration and academics. The insightful meeting and discussion revealed valuable insights into the current state of the school’s facilities and the pupils’ perceptions of books and reading. The collected data played a crucial role in shaping the orientation programme, to ensure that it addressed specific needs and concerns identified within the school community. This thorough approach highlights UiTM’s commitment to foster an effective and impactful learning experience for the pupils involved.
This orientation programme showed a great impact and project positive influence to the stakeholders involved. Puan Rashida binti Ahmad, who is a teacher and also Head Librarian of the school attested, “It is reassuring to witness that our librarians are being exposed to a learning experience that extends beyond textbooks. They appear to be energetic and active”. One of the pupils also gave promising insight about the programme. Chinta Humayyra Aisyah said “After going through this programme, I loved being a librarian! This programme made the library look like a cool place and I’m proud to be a part of it. I cannot wait to tell my classmates about what I learned today!”
KPPIM SULAM (Service Learning Malaysia-University for Society) 2023/2024 programme is one of the initiatives aimed at empowering and serving the community through volunteer activities. Undergraduates are given the opportunity to apply their knowledge practically and discover how the knowledge they have acquired can also improve the living standards of the local community. The activities also support the aspirations of Fourth and Eleventh Sustainable Development Goals, which are the Quality Education and Sustainable Cities and Communities. It is also in line with the visions of Malaysia Madani.