Info Director Joins Local Knowledge Planning in Indonesia
An official of Silliman University participated in a planning workshop in Semarang, Indonesia on May 7 to 9 that assisted close to 15 schools in establishing a formal group advocating local knowledge, now known as the University Network for Digital Knowledge (UNDK).
The workshop was hosted by the Soegijapranata Catholic University and was attended by around 20 officials and professors from universities in Semarang and the provinces of Bali, Jogjakarta, Manado, South Sulawesi, Surabaya and Timur, among others.
Mr. Mark Raygan E. Garcia, Director of the Office of Information and Publications, was one of six resource persons representing the Asian Universities Digital Resource Network (AUDRN), the group that inspired the creation UNKD.
AUDRN started as a project of Miriam College (MC) which recently, after three years, developed into an association of academic partners from different parts of the country sharing the same strength and advocacy in local knowledge. Through open sharing of researches, field camps and use of digital tools, it targets preservation and promotion of culture, language, food, the arts and other facets of local life that build up a community’s unique identity.
Managed by MC as lead school, AUDRN traces its roots to a workshop on Digital Humanities conducted in Hong Kong in 2009. Mr. Garcia, Computer Studies Dean Dr. Dave E. Marcial and MC’s Dr. Baybay and Mr. Joel Yuvienco are four of the AUDRN pioneering members who were present in that workshop.
Dubbed the Joint AUDRN-UNDK Workshop, the three-day event in Semarang provided an avenue where the Indonesian participants interfaced with the AUDRN resource persons. Apart from sharing of experiences, a number of issues were tackled related to concepts of local knowledge, nature and quality control of researches, administrative support, resource sharing, logistical requirements, and organizational nuances.
The workshop was concluded with the formal organization of UNDK, headed by Soegijapranata’s Rector Dr. Budi Widianarko, and the presentation of the respective plans of AUDRN and UNDK in the coming school year.
Also in attendance from AUDRN in the Semarang workshop were University of St. La Salle’s Alumni Relations Director Mr. Rhoderick K. Samonte, Ateneo de Davao’s Prof. Dennis Coronel, Ateneo de Zamboanga’s Prof. Sam Fuego and AUDRN Project Coordinator Ms Sheila Dingcong.
