Universitas Indonesia Library held the 4th National Webinar series with the theme “Open Access Policy and the Role of Libraries in Indonesia: Strategies for Improving Higher Education Rankings and Webometrics” in the context of carrying out transformation and innovation in library management. This Webinar activity was attended by the Vice Rector of the Universitas Indonesia (UI) for Academic and Student Affairs, the Head of the UI Library UPT, resource persons who are experts in their fields, lecturers, students, educational staff, librarians, and the general public via zoom .
UI Vice Rector for Academic and Student Affairs, Prof. Dr. rer. Nat. Abdul Haris, in his speech said that open access policies have a very important role in the quality of a higher education institution. “Our nation has experienced rapid growth in higher education. However, to maintain the position of our universities at the global level, we need to consider the role and function of open access policies and libraries as important partners in achieving higher education rankings. The results of scientific research must also be channeled to researchers, the general public, or companies to develop ideas and innovations without being hindered by the walls of universities,” said Prof. Haris. Head of UPT UI Library, Mariyah, S.Sos., M.Hum., also conveyed the purpose of holding this socialization, “This webinar was held to increase insight regarding Open Access policies. We need to know that the world of higher education is increasingly complex and competitive. Therefore, it is important for us to develop innovative strategies to improve the quality of services, including research, scientific publications, and higher education collaboration in the national and international realms.”
This webinar activity, which was attended by around 800 participants, presented resource persons who are experts in their field, namely Dr. Lukman, S.T., M.Hum., as Institutional Director of the Ministry of Education and Culture of the Republic of Indonesia and Prof. Dr. Ir. Riri Fitri Sari, M.M., M.Sc., as Professor at the Faculty of Engineering, University of Indonesia.
In his presentation session, Dr. Lukman explained strategies for improving the quality of higher education in Indonesia. He explained that the Directorate General of Higher Education has five policy directions and strategies in improving the quality of higher education, namely increasing higher education participation rates, strengthening the quality and relevance of higher education, strengthening the quality of lecturers and staff, strengthening the governance system of the Directorate General of Higher Education, and strengthening research and innovation. through community service. To strengthen the quality and relevance of higher education, the acceleration of universities in Indonesia is needed to become a place for superior and quality education. Therefore, the Directorate General of Higher Education has established a strategy as an initial step to improve the quality of higher education institutions, starting with overseeing permits for the establishment of higher education institutions and study programs, strengthening higher education institutions, and carrying out higher education quality assurance (BAN-PT accreditation) which can then meets the criteria as a World Class University standard educational institution.
In this case, the role of librarians is needed to contribute as a pioneer in scientific publication management because improving the quality of research results will have an impact on increasing university rankings. Librarians can play a role through study/research, development of publications to the manuscript process, review/editing process, article process, promotion process, to the impact of publications and the ability to update research tools and scientific publications. “Scientific publication must be made a culture, not an obligation. Through the Open Access policy it can be used as a distribution channel for research results. Based on Permendikbudristek Number 53 Year 2023, publication is no longer an obligation but a necessity and habit, so the push is not on quantity but quality so that it has an impact on citations of quality works,” said Dr. Lukman.
Prof. Dr. Ir. Riri Fitri Sari, MM, M.Sc., Professor at the Faculty of Engineering, University of Indonesia, added material related to the important role of librarians in improving the quality of education in higher education. The current development of digital libraries shows the library’s readiness and support for Open Science activities such as the Open Access (OA) system. Shee also added the role of libraries in supporting Open Access, namely Open Access Repository Management, as a provider of Open Access information, promotion of Open Access Awareness, guidance regarding licensing and copyright, plagiarism detection and Peer Review, and research data management. “Libraries have the role of being guardians of scientific information and must play an important role in providing open access to knowledge. Library readiness, both in terms of infrastructure, human resources and policy, is very important in supporting Open Access and achieving better ranking goals. Partnerships between libraries, researchers, and educational institutions are key in supporting Open Access. Good collaboration can strengthen open practices and improve institutional reputation,” following the conclusions given by Prof. Riri.
Currently, universities in Indonesia are still limited and few are included in the ranking of World Class Universities. Open Access allows librarians to access literature without biographical restrictions either in digital or physical form for free. Apart from that, Open Access is an information distribution effort that aims to increase accessibility, make publication easier, and help expand innovation. The existence of an open access policy can increase contributions to research and collaboration between libraries and other information institutions.
Author: Dika Prasetyo Wardana | editor: Finda Salsabila
