Let’s get to know one of the Bachelor’s degree alumni in Library and Information Science from the Faculty of Humanities, Universitas Diponegoro (FIB Undip), who has spent more than 10 years contributing to international schools—Jefri E. Cahyono. He is currently known as a Library Coordinator & ICT Teacher at SIS Surabaya, with a strong track record in advancing librarianship and educational technology.
Early Career Journey
During his university years, Jefri was actively involved as the Chairman of the Library and Information Science Student Association and participated in Library Care, a volunteer program focused on assisting school libraries.
His first professional experience was as a librarian at PDII-LIPI (Center for Scientific Documentation and Information – Indonesian Institute of Sciences, now part of BRIN), where he worked as a library materials analyst responsible for processing and uploading scientific publications to a national database. Prior to that, Jefri also gained valuable experience through internships at the Central Java Public Library and Bank Indonesia in Semarang.
Works and Contributions
From 2015 to 2021, Jefri worked at Singapore National Academy, a school offering Singaporean and Cambridge curricula from preschool to pre-university levels. He began his career as a Teacher for iPad Literacy and later advanced to become an ICT Teacher, teaching coding and the Cambridge ICT Starter curriculum. At the peak of his career there, he was appointed Head Librarian (2019–2021), responsible for overseeing all library operations and services.
Since 2021, Jefri has been serving at Merlion School as a Library Coordinator. During the pandemic, when library activities were nearly inactive, Jefri continued to innovate by bringing library services closer to users. The library introduced an online reservation system, allowing students to borrow books as easily as ordering food via Gojek. As a result, many students actively utilized this service. As a professional librarian, Jefri continues to grow and earned a Head Librarian Certification (2023) from the Indonesian Librarians Association in collaboration with the National Library Training Center.
At the end of 2023, Merlion School became part of the SIS Group of Schools and transformed into Singapore Intercultural School (SIS Surabaya). This transformation also impacted library operations, requiring Jefri to migrate the library system to Koha, integrated across SIS school networks in four countries. Interestingly, in addition to serving as a Library Coordinator, Jefri also took on the role of ICT Teacher, teaching digital literacy based on the Cambridge curriculum and coding using Makeblock robotics kits.
Implementing the International Baccalaureate Curriculum
A new chapter will begin next month! Jefri will join a new school implementing the IB (International Baccalaureate) curriculum. This opportunity brings exciting challenges, including designing a library from scratch. It will allow him to apply best practices in librarianship and create an ideal learning environment. As a preview, Jefri plans to develop a STREAM corner, implement lexile analysis for library collections, and introduce various innovative library programs.
Jefri’s journey is one of continuous learning and adaptability. He believes that literacy and technology are fundamental pillars of education and remains passionate about innovating and contributing to this field. Behind this #SuccessStoriesAlumniFIBUndip lies an interesting insight: what was once intended as a stepping stone has ultimately become a strong foundation—one that will continue to support his career growth in the future.
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