Preserving Lontar Bali, Keeping Archives and Historical Memory in Bali

Background

Bali is not only known for the beautiful of nature, Bali also has an interesting tradition and culture. Based on these facts, it's no wonder Bali becomes one of tourist destinations frequented by tourists both from within or outside the country. Tradition and culture of Bali has a high value, different and unique. Although today many cultural influences from outside who come to Bali, traditions and culture of Bali is expected to still be awake.

Tradition and culture is both a breath of tourism in Bali, it is proper tradition and culture of Bali maintained to continue to be preserved. Basically, the traditions and culture of Bali wisdom teaches about man's relationship with the Creator (God), with fellow human beings and human beings to the natural surroundings (Tri Hita Karana). Since a long time, values ​​of local wisdom in the people of Bali are stored on a papyrus manuscript called as Lontar Bali. Lontar Bali are usually kept by individuals or institutions. In individual storage usually can still be found in some villages in Bali, while institutions save as Gedong Kirtya, Faculty of Letters Udayana University and the Research Institute for Languages. It is estimated that today many lontar Bali which has a state of concern, both in storage and the usage.

The young generation plays an important role in the preservation of traditions and culture of Bali. Youth Bali is expected to run the values ​​of local wisdom wisely in line with the onslaught of globalization that little lot is already being felt in Bali recently. The values ​​of local wisdom that is usually stored and recorded in a lontar scrolls is even more forgotten. In fact today, most of the younger generation just does not know the whereabouts of Bali Bali lontar. It is certainly cause for concern, at a time when efforts to preserve traditions and culture of Bali promoted precisely the younger generation do not know the existence of the archive that stores the values ​​of such wisdom.

How Lontar Bali Now?

Since long time ago, Lontar Bali is a means or media used as a means of storing information. The information is stored not only personal but also contains things that include the interests of the people. Contains a wealth of information stored on the values ​​of local wisdom that usually can be used as a consideration in the decision. Typically, in the past people store information in rolls of  lontar  as a habit to store important information useful in the future. Many young people who are not familiar with the role and function of lontar Bali. Tradition and culture of the values ​​of local wisdom will be threatened with extinction. Bali younger generation in the future is feared to lose our identity because of forgetting the history and values ​​of customs has there for generations. This phenomenon is certainly a challenge for us, how can foster a love of the history of Bali which stores the values ​​of local wisdom to Bali’s younger generations today.

Preservation efforts of Lontar Bali

Lontar Bali preservation effort is a shared responsibility. Not only the parties relating to archival who work hard to preserve Lontar Bali, all communities have the same responsibility in preserving Lontar Bali. Lontar Bali stored in the archive office or library should be organized. It aims to protect the physical condition and increasingly fragile. After that, employees of the office archives or libraries should do a comprehensive campaign to promote Lontar  Bali. Promotion can be done is by providing brochures, both print and electronic are then disseminated to the community at large that all citizens know about the existence and usefulness of the information value contained in Lontar Bali. Not only that, archivists must also play an active role in educating users in the utilization of Lontar Bali is vulnerable to damage. Not only the responsibility of the employees who work there. Society must also play an active role in maintaining and preserving the information contained in Lontar Bali.

Constraints Preservation of Lontar Bali

Many things have been attempted in the preservation of Lontar Bali, but in reality they only found a wide range of conservation constraints Lontar Bali. Some problems were found among them:

1.     Patterns and utilization

Most users are often unable to be cautious when utilizing the lontar Bali, the user tends to unroll roughly without considering the fragility of the physical condition of Lontar Bali. The solution in this problem is the provision of written guidelines in the utilization of Lontar Bali, so users who will utilize the Lontar Bali must be careful in touch and take advantage of Lontar Bali.

2.     Limitations of human resources (HR)

Limited human resources (HR) are foremost within the constraints of preservation is not all archivists and librarians who have competence in the organization and utilization of Lontar Bali. Limitations of this ability can be addressed by policy archivist or librarian engage in educational sessions regularly held by National Archives Republic of Indonesia (ANRI).

3.     Storage Facility

Not all archival storage medium of Lontar Bali have decent conditions and qualified. Lontar Bali need to get special treatment in terms of storage. This is done so that the Lontar Bali avoid unwanted damage. Some of the factors that should be considered starting from the factor of humidity, light, acidity even to disturbances caused by animals that can damage the Lontar Bali.

4.     User education

The young generation is expected to maintain the values ​​of local wisdom traditions and culture of Bali, should be given appropriate education in the utilization of archives of Lontar Bali. It is very important to do. Given the right information, the young generation into the Lontar Bali sincere in utilizing the Lontar Bali.

Conclusion

History and memory can not be repeated, that's the right phrase that became the basis for the preservation of archives Lontar Bali. Balinese culture and tradition should be maintained, either by maintaining and preserving the Lontar Bali to archive the history and memory of Bali remains a guide in life through values​​of local wisdom contained in the Lontar Bali.