Experts from the Indonesian Archaeological Association (iaai) Ahmad Zuhdi Allam said that non-collection facilities such as toilets and sinks for children must be considered and provided by the manager so that the museum is child-friendly.
“Facilities not related to collections need to be provided, such as toilets for small children who are lower in position, sinks for lower children, because there is not necessarily someone who always accompanies the child,” he said in Jakarta, Tuesday.
Another thing to make the museum child-friendly, said Zuhdi, the rules in the museum that can be visited by children. Rules in the museum should be made not too rigid.
Managers, for example, can free children to explore the museum as long as they do not damage the collection. “There is also a museum where children can lie on the floor. “I think the mindset has changed,” he said.
When seeing small children playing on the floor as long as it does not damage the collection should be left. “Don’t be too hard on the kids,” he said.
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Then, Zuhdi emphasized the importance of museums to implement interactive information or education delivery strategies.
“Understanding will be better if you do something and remember more of what was said. Interactive is as simple as it needs to be for a museum and it’s not just for small children but adults as well,” he said.
Related to the collection, Zuhdi suggested that museum managers provide information on activity plans or programs for the future. This can be an overview of related activities that visitors can visit or choose.
“Actually, many museums in Indonesia already know what to do in the next year, but they don’t have some kind of book that informs this year what to do?,” he said.
It also includes a children’s program. “For a year, what does the children’s program want?,” he said.
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The provincial government of DKI Jakarta stated that it continues to strive to provide child-friendly public spaces as one way to improve the quality of life of citizens. This child-friendly public space is equipped with various facilities that support the development of children and the comfort of parents.
Especially for museums, the DKI Jakarta Culture Office stated that it had presented better governance equipped with modern and more complete facilities.
Currently, there are 12 museums under the auspices of the DKI provincial government, namely the Puppet Museum, The Jakarta History Museum, the Taman Prasasti Museum and the MH Thamrin Museum.
Then, Joang’45 Museum, Museum of Fine Arts and ceramics, Textile Museum, Maritime Museum, Betawi Museum, Si Pitung House, Benyamin Suaeb Park and Onrust Archaeological Park.