Supporting Public Knowledge Improvement, Students Hold Kandally Exhibition

Jatinangor, West Java – Knowledge is inclusive, so it should be accessible to anyone. The library is a means of supporting the acquisition of information. Not only storing books, but libraries generally also store various items that support the acquisition of information.

As done by the students of the Library and Information Science study program at Padjadjaran University class of 2022. In November 2023, they held an exhibition that raised the habit patterns of Sundanese people with the theme “Kandally” which stands for “Kandaga Sundanese Gallery.” The exhibition was held at Kandaga Building (Unpad Central Library Jatinangor) on Monday (27/11) to Wednesday (29/11).

Wina Erwina, Head of the Knowledge Management Center of Universitas Padjadjaran who is also the lecturer, said that the “Kandally” exhibition is a form of final assignment for two courses, namely Cultural Documentation and Public Relations of Information Institutions. This activity was also supported by the Knowledge Management Center of Universitas Padjadjaran.

“The two courses are combined, students organize an event (whose) content is from the Dokumentasi Budaya (Cultural Documentation) course,” says Wina.

Wina also explained that the “Kandally” exhibition focuses on the main point, namely the habitual patterns of Sundanese people in paddy farming, field farming, animal husbandry, and fisheries. The information presented is not only limited to books but also in the form of infographics and daily appliances, making it visually appealing.

“There are lute, angklung, and traditional kitchen utensils. There is a section on Sundanese traditional clothes. There are daily clothes, special clothes, and so on. Visitors who come there can wear the clothes and be photographed,” Wina explained.

The timing of the exhibition, which coincides with the Pimnas 36 event, makes it a special attraction for guests and visitors. Wina believes that this moment can be used as an opportunity to disseminate the results of collaboration in various fields of science in accordance with the principles of the Knowledge Management Center. This makes Kandally an entertaining, educative, and informative event.

Through the Kandally exhibition, Wina hopes that guests and Unpad students will get to know the Sundanese community better. On the one hand, the implementation of the program is also expected to increase student experience and expertise, especially in organizing events and creating exhibition content.

The “Kandally” exhibition also received a positive response from Unpad students. Three students of the Faculty of Cultural Sciences (FIB), namely Mahfirotu, Fazra, and Nabila expressed their admiration for the concept of organizing exhibitions and information that raised Sundanese culture.

“The most interesting part of the gallery series is the clothes, because you can try them on directly. The experience is better because you can try it on and take photos,” says Fazra.

The three students admitted that they got new information that they had not known before, such as the different types and shapes of gardening hoes in the Sundanese tradition. The diversity of gardening hoes is believed to have its own philosophy.

Cultural exhibitions that are attractively packaged are one way for libraries to open access to information acquisition for the public. Thus, this can expand the community’s opportunity to access information through library services.

Writer: Maria Imanuella Dewi Sekartaji
Translator: Jauza Maryam Mumtazah