SUKOHARJO- In this digital era, technology has penetrated all levels of society. Whether in education, among families, or even in the smallest neighborhoods, such as village organizations such as Karang Taruna. Karang Taruna is a youth organization that plays an active role in community development and empowerment. As such organizations, many documents and data need to be archived appropriately, such as activity reports, member lists, project proposals, etc. Along with technological developments, digitalizing archives is considered the right solution to address the problem of sustainability and efficiency of records management. Through digitizing archives, Karang Taruna of Kamal Village turned physical documents into digital forms that can be accessed and searched quickly via computers or other electronic devices. This digitalization process involves scanning and organizing these documents so that all papers will be later stored in an organized and easily accessible digital format.
This step was taken to increase efficiency and ease managing important archives owned by Karang Taruna. On Wednesday (26/7/2023), the Kamal Village Hall was filled with Kamal Village Karang Taruna “Ganesha Putra” members enthusiastic about participating in the training. The activity was carried out by Rika Vrindia Perdana from the Department of History as a Student of the 2023 Diponegoro University Community Service Team II as a form of scientific program. This program activity was carried out after the internal meeting of the Karang Taruna of Kamal Village. This program seeks to provide information regarding the main benefits of digitalizing archives, namely efficiency in information discovery. Searching for specific documents in a conventional physical archive system can take quite a long time. However, with digital libraries that are neatly organized and equipped with a search feature, members of the Karang Taruna of Kamal Village can quickly find the documents they need. The digitalization will greatly facilitate them in carrying out their duties and responsibilities as members of the organization.
Furthermore, digitalizing archives also provides a better level of security and sustainability. Digital documents are less susceptible to damage or loss than physical archives, which are sensitive to damage by moisture, animal attack, or fire. By doing regular backups, Karang Taruna of the Kamal Village can ensure their digital archives are safe and available during a disaster or unexpected event. Mr. Agus, as the Chairman of the Karang Taruna of Kamal Village, strongly supports this digitalization step because they realize the importance of efficient and modern archive management. Digitalization also aligns with efforts to accelerate digital transformation in all public service sectors. In addition, the process of digitalizing archives can also reduce paper usage significantly, which in turn helps protect the environment. In implementing this digitalization, Rika Vrindia Perdana, a student of the Undip Community Service Team, managed digital archives through Google Drive storage as a pilot application for exceptional archives so that members of Karang Taruna of Kamal Village could easily access and search for the documents needed.
Members of the Karang Taruna of Kamal Village gained an in-depth understanding of how to compile and categorize documents and maintain data security and confidentiality by providing training to Karang Taruna members to manage and use this digital archive system properly. With this digital archive system, the archives management by Karang Taruna of Kamal Village will be more efficient and transparent. A Karang Taruna of Kamal Village member, Mr. Rosyid, expressed joy at this opportunity. “As Karang Taruna Secretary, I am often tasked with handling various documents and administration. With this training, the other members and I feel better prepared to face the challenges of digitalization. Now, we can manage archives more efficiently and maintain data integrity properly,” he said.
In addition, this program also allows Karang Taruna members to compete in an increasingly developing digital era. By having digitalization skills and the ability to manage records, they have an advantage in collecting information and meeting members’ needs.
The output of this scientific program was to compile a guidebook on the importance of digitalizing archives with two versions, namely flipbooks and booklets, which were given to Karang Taruna of Kamal Village. The scientific program carried out by the Diponegoro University Community Service Team II, namely the archive digitalization training program, not only benefits members of the Karang Taruna of Kamal Village “Ganesha Putra” themselves but also encourages the development of the village as a whole. In addition, it is also hoped that this step can serve as an example for other youth organizations to utilize technological advances to improve performance and service to the community. Archive digitalization is the best solution to overcome conventional archive management problems. Karang Taruna of Kamal Village has shown extraordinary initiative in adopting this technology, and it is hoped that this step will provide long-term benefits for village development and community welfare. (Rika Vrindia Perdana and Bogi Budi Jayanto)
