Strengthening Disaster Literacy through Minangkabau Local Wisdom: A Case Study of the Bukittinggi Public Library

Abstract

English

Indonesia is one of the countries with the highest disaster vulnerability in the world, making disaster literacy a fundamental necessity for communities, especially those living in disaster-prone regions such as West Sumatra. In this context, Minangkabau local wisdom holds significant potential to strengthen disaster education through the cultural values embedded in community life. This study aims to analyze the practice of disaster literacy at the Bukittinggi Public Library and to identify how local values such as ‘Alam Takambang Jadi Guru’ (Nature as a Teacher), gotong royong (mutual cooperation), and ‘Bajanjang Naiak, Batanggo Turun (hierarchical but participatory cooperation) are integrated into community literacy activities. Using a qualitative descriptive approach with a case study method, data were collected through in-depth interviews, participatory observation, and institutional document analysis. The results reveal that the Bukittinggi Public Library actively fosters disaster awareness through culturally based literacy activities such as storytelling with disaster themes, collaborative disaster mitigation programs with institutional partners, and post-disaster trauma healing sessions. Minangkabau cultural values serve as a foundation for social learning that nurtures empathy, solidarity, and ecological awareness among the community. These practices expand the library’s role beyond an information center into a cultural space that bridges modern scientific knowledge with local wisdom. The study highlights that disaster literacy grounded in local culture enhances community resilience, enriches public literacy practices, and provides new directions for developing public libraries as agents of socio-cultural transformation rooted in humanistic and sustainable values. Abstrak Indonesia merupakan salah satu negara dengan tingkat kerentanan bencana tertinggi di dunia, sehingga literasi kebencanaan menjadi kebutuhan mendasar bagi masyarakat, khususnya yang tinggal di wilayah rawan bencana seperti Sumatera Barat. Dalam konteks ini, kearifan lokal Minangkabau memiliki potensi yang signifikan untuk memperkuat pendidikan kebencanaan melalui nilai-nilai budaya yang tertanam dalam kehidupan masyarakat. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis praktik literasi kebencanaan di Perpustakaan Umum Kota Bukittinggi serta mengidentifikasi bagaimana nilai-nilai lokal seperti Alam Takambang Jadi Guru (alam sebagai guru), gotong royong (kerja sama), dan Bajanjang Naiak, Batanggo Turun (kerja sama hierarkis namun partisipatif) diintegrasikan dalam kegiatan literasi masyarakat. Penelitian ini menggunakan pendekatan deskriptif kualitatif dengan metode studi kasus. Data dikumpulkan melalui wawancara mendalam, observasi partisipatif, dan analisis dokumen kelembagaan. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa Perpustakaan Umum Kota Bukittinggi secara aktif menumbuhkan kesadaran kebencanaan melalui kegiatan literasi berbasis budaya, seperti kegiatan mendongeng bertema kebencanaan, program mitigasi bencana kolaboratif dengan mitra kelembagaan, serta kegiatan pemulihan trauma pascabencana. Nilai-nilai budaya Minangkabau berfungsi sebagai landasan pembelajaran sosial yang menumbuhkan empati, solidaritas, dan kesadaran ekologis di tengah masyarakat. Praktik-praktik ini memperluas peran perpustakaan, tidak hanya sebagai pusat informasi, tetapi juga sebagai ruang kultural yang menjembatani pengetahuan ilmiah modern dengan kearifan lokal. Penelitian ini menegaskan bahwa literasi kebencanaan yang berlandaskan budaya lokal mampu meningkatkan ketangguhan masyarakat, memperkaya praktik literasi publik, serta memberikan arah baru bagi pengembangan perpustakaan umum sebagai agen transformasi sosial-budaya yang berakar pada nilai-nilai humanistik dan berkelanjutan

Indonesian

Indonesia is one of the countries with the highest disaster vulnerability in the world, making disaster literacy a fundamental necessity for communities, especially those living in disaster-prone regions such as West Sumatra. In this context, Minangkabau local wisdom holds significant potential to strengthen disaster education through the cultural values embedded in community life. This study aims to analyze the practice of disaster literacy at the Bukittinggi Public Library and to identify how local values such as ‘Alam Takambang Jadi Guru’ (Nature as a Teacher), gotong royong (mutual cooperation), and ‘Bajanjang Naiak, Batanggo Turun (hierarchical but participatory cooperation) are integrated into community literacy activities. Using a qualitative descriptive approach with a case study method, data were collected through in-depth interviews, participatory observation, and institutional document analysis. The results reveal that the Bukittinggi Public Library actively fosters disaster awareness through culturally based literacy activities such as storytelling with disaster themes, collaborative disaster mitigation programs with institutional partners, and post-disaster trauma healing sessions. Minangkabau cultural values serve as a foundation for social learning that nurtures empathy, solidarity, and ecological awareness among the community. These practices expand the library’s role beyond an information center into a cultural space that bridges modern scientific knowledge with local wisdom. The study highlights that disaster literacy grounded in local culture enhances community resilience, enriches public literacy practices, and provides new directions for developing public libraries as agents of socio-cultural transformation rooted in humanistic and sustainable values