Strengthening students’ competencies through practice-based learning was reaffirmed through the signing of a cooperation agreement between the Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Hasanuddin University (Unhas), and the Library and Archives of Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) on Tuesday, 21 April 2026. The event, held in the Archive Meeting Room, L7 Building, 2nd Floor, UGM Library and Archives, was attended by the Dean of the Faculty of Cultural Sciences at Hasanuddin University, Prof. Dr. Andi Muhammad Akhmar, S.S., M.Hum., Vice Dean I, Dr. Ilham Daeng Makello, M.Hum., and their delegation.
This cooperation focuses on a student internship program as a means of strengthening skills in library management, user services, and modern archival governance. The Dean of the Faculty of Cultural Sciences at Unhas, Prof. Dr. Andi Muhammad Akhmar, S.S., M.Hum., stated that the internship policy holds an important position in the higher education learning system because it provides students with real-world work experience.
“With a workload of 20 credits over approximately four months, this internship policy is both strategic and appropriate. We hope that students who have the opportunity to intern here will develop competencies in library governance and be able to serve library users in support of the teaching and learning process,” he said.
He also expressed his appreciation to the UGM Library and Archives for its willingness to accept Hasanuddin University students as internship participants.
A warm welcome was also extended by the host, Arif Surachman, S.I.P., MBA, Head of the UGM Library and Archives, who expressed his gratitude for the trust placed in the UGM Library and Archives as a partner. “Thank you for the very warm welcome. We hope the students will gain new insights while also being able to apply the knowledge they have acquired during their studies,” he added. He also emphasized that his institution remains open to educational collaboration and human resource development through inter-university internship programs.
In his remarks, Arif Surachman, S.I.P., MBA, also expressed his hopes for future cooperation between the two institutions. “We hope this visit will not only serve as an opportunity to strengthen ties, but also become a good first step toward fostering closer institutional relations, broadening perspectives, and improving the quality of library and archival management at both institutions,” he added.
He further stated that sustained cooperation is expected to bring mutual progress to Universitas Gadjah Mada and Hasanuddin University in the future.
This collaboration is in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly Goal 4: Quality Education, through the enhancement of experiential learning, and Goal 17: Partnerships for the Goals, through strengthened synergy among higher education institutions.
In this era of higher education transformation, cooperation of this kind reaffirms that libraries and archives are not merely centers of information, but also strategic spaces for preparing graduates who are adaptive, competent, and ready to face future challenges.
Contributor: Amelia Maharani Pujadi