Pustaka Negeri Sarawak, SAINS develop digital repository system

MIRI (Sept 24): Pustaka Negeri Sarawak and the Sarawak Information Systems Sdn Bhd (SAINS) have developed the Legal Deposit Management System (LDMS) to facilitate the receipt, management, recording and documentation of published materials in digital formats.

State Deputy Minister for Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Dato Sebastian Ting called the development timely amid rapid changes in the publishing industry driven by digital technology and artificial intelligence (AI).

“These changes should be viewed as opportunities to improve the efficiency of producing, editing, translating and disseminating knowledge to society.

“Nevertheless, while embracing these technological advancements, we must continue to safeguard content quality, copyright, the authenticity of works and the integrity of information so that the publishing industry remains credible and trustworthy,” he said.

He was speaking when officiating at the ‘Seminar on the Legal Deposit of Published Materials and the Publishing Industry in Sarawak 2026’ and launching of the LDMS, here yesterday.

Ting said the system was also aimed at ensuring publications produced in Sarawak were collected, preserved and documented, and made available as reference resources for present and future generations.

He also called for continued support for Pustaka Negeri Sarawak in carrying out its role as the state’s legal deposit and repository centre for published materials.

He said the materials received were not merely stored, but preserved and made available for reference.

“As of August 2026, a total of 13,320 titles comprising 53,200 copies of published materials had been received through the implementation of the Sarawak State Library Ordinance 1999,” he said.

Ting urged writers and publishers to continue playing an active role by complying with the requirement to deposit three copies of their published materials with Pustaka Negeri Sarawak, as stipulated under the Legal Deposit of Published Materials Ordinance.

“What is deposited today is more than merely reading material. It is a legacy of knowledge that will benefit future generations,” he said.

On strengthening Sarawak’s reading culture and publishing industry, he said cooperation among writers, publishers, educational institutions, researchers and government agencies must continue to be strengthened to produce high-quality, relevant and impactful works.

He said this was in line with the emphasis on reading as a culture and lifelong practice, as well as the call to increase the publication of quality reading materials to strengthen Sarawak’s culture of knowledge.

Ting also welcomed more knowledge, literacy and publishing-based programmes to be organised in Miri.

He also urged writers to apply for grants from his ministry, which has been allocated RM10 million annually for the purpose.

The seminar also featured the Special Legal Deposit Award, with recipients recognised for their contributions to the local publishing industry.

For the agency category, Sarawak Tourism Board (Kuching) received the Special Legal Deposit Award after depositing 136 published materials with Pustaka Negeri Sarawak in 2026.

The Board of Christian Literature (Sibu) received the award in the association category for depositing 42 materials, while SMK Tun Abdul Razak (Kuching) was recognised in the school category after depositing 12 materials.

In the individual category, the award was presented posthumously to the late Yu Chin Liik, who had deposited eight materials with Pustaka Negeri Sarawak.

Also present were Pustaka Negeri Sarawak Board of Management chairman Datuk Dr Abang Abdul Rauf Abang Zen and Pustaka Negeri Sarawak deputy chief executive officer (Library Services) Salina Zawawi.

lead Legal Deposit Management System onsite Pustaka Negeri Sarawak Sains Sebastian Ting