Participatory Method and Regionalism Approach to Design Furniture for the Nginden Jangkungan Herbal Library in Surabaya

Abstract

Surabaya’s vision to become a literacy city, initiated by the mayor, Tri Rishmaharini, led to the opening of 533 regional libraries by 2019. In 2020, Nginden Jangkungan Herbal Library was chosen as the best regional library in Surabaya, with facilities and infrastructure supporting various literacy activities. However, there is much that still can be developed, in terms of the visual and functional quality of its interior design. This research used the participatory design method combined with a regionalism approach. This method was used to engage the community to develop their library with their own strengths and resources. Meanwhile, a regionalism approach was adopted to develop the local potential of the library within a global perspective. The objective of this research was to enrich the use of local resources by utilizing them as part of the furniture design for the herbal library. There are many herbal plants on the surrounding site that can be used by the local community. Therefore, eco-print training was held to educate the community and provide a transfer of knowledge about the benefits of herbal plants other than for consumption. The results of this eco-print training were then used as a part of the library’s furniture, such as for the upholstery, and were designed in a modern way. Through the participatory method, the community can further develop this eco-print potential for the development of various products that can support the literacy activities of the public library.
 Keywords: literacy, participatory, regionalism, library, eco print