First Library App for Smartphones Introduced in Indonesia
Jakarta. Woolu Aksara Maya — or Aksaramaya — an application content developer for smartphones, has joined hands with the Jakarta Library and Archive Agency (BPAD) to launch an e-book depository called iJakarta.
“iJakarta ... has social media features. This will make reading more fun,” said Sulasmo Sudharno, the chief executive officer and one of the founders of Aksaramaya.
iJakarta, the first digital library application developed locally, offers about 5,000 titles from major publishers.
There is a function in the app that allows users to ‘borrow’ the book for free for seven days. Other users wishing to read the same book must wait until the previous user returns the book, just like a physical library.
The app is available for smartphones running on Android, iOS or a hybrid OS.
Sulasmo said Aksaramaya has been offering digital books for sale through another application, Moco, but response was limited because few Indonesians are willing to pay for e-books.
“The market for digital books in Indonesia isn’t there yet, but if you make it free, there will be thousands who download [the e-books],” said Sulasmo, adding that he intended to spread the initiative beyond Jakarta to other provinces.
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