Yogyakarta, 22 May 2025 – The Library Science Study Program, Faculty of Adab and Cultural Sciences, UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta, organized a cultural lecture as part of the series of events in the IDKS 2025 Cultural Exhibition. The activity took place in the Meeting Room of the Faculty of Adab and Cultural Sciences and was attended by 24 students from the 2023 cohort of the Library Science Study Program.

The event was opened by UIN Sunan Kalijaga Campus Ambassador, Dziky M Azzam, who provided a general overview of the cultural lecture. The session was then led by Library Science lecturer Thoriq Tri Prabowo, S.IP., M.IP., Ph.D., who acted as moderator.

Focusing on traditional cloth as cultural heritage

This cultural lecture focused on the theme of traditional cloth and presented two speakers: Dr. Lee Chu Keong, a lecturer at Nanyang Technological University, and Muhammad Bagus Febriyanto, M.Hum., a lecturer in Library Science at UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta.

Dr. Lee delivered a presentation on local cultural documentation, with particular emphasis on traditional clothing. In his talk, he stressed that traditional clothing is a cultural heritage that contains the historical values and identity of a nation. Along with the passage of time, cultural practices often undergo shifts in meaning, making knowledge management in the form of documentation essential for preserving them.

“Wearing cloth is cool”: identity and continuity

In the next session, Muhammad Bagus Febriyanto, M.Hum., presented material under the theme “Wearing Cloth is Cool: Identity and Cultural Heritage”. According to him, cloth does not merely function as a body covering but also serves as a marker of identity, reflecting who a person is and where they come from. He elaborated on the history of cloth in Indonesia, from prehistoric times to the present, including the traditions associated with cloth and its modifications in the modern era.

He pointed out that traditional cloth is closely linked to local wisdom and social values. Therefore, he argued, efforts to preserve cloth are not only about safeguarding physical objects but also about maintaining the continuity of cultural narratives embedded within them.

Through this cultural lecture, students were invited to view cloth from a broader perspective—not just as a fashion item, but as a medium of cultural storytelling that deserves to be documented, studied, and passed on to future generations. The event also demonstrated how library and information science can contribute to cultural preservation through systematic documentation and knowledge management.

Writer:

M. Azky Fuadi Z A (afz)