KUCHING: The Sarawak Public Communication Unit (UKAS) continues to strengthen its role as the information arm of the state government by establishing working ties with Perpustakaan Tun Abdul Rahman Ya’kub (PeTARY) Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS).

During a courtesy call by a PeTARY delegation to the UKAS Headquarters on Tuesday, both parties explored potential areas of collaboration including outreach programmes, the promotion and dissemination of relevant publications for the benefit of students and the wider community, as well as knowledge exchange in repository services.

In particular, PeTARY Director Levas Mejus said the library is actively digitising its collection of publications and archival materials, including those of historical significance.

“In this regard, we would like to collaborate with UKAS to help promote our collections, particularly materials in niche subject areas that are exclusively available at UNIMAS,” she said while leading the delegation.

Also present were UKAS Director Awang Putrayusrie Awang Redzuan, UKAS Deputy Director Mohamed Faizal Shah Ali, PeTARY Deputy Director (Strategy) Valentino Abu Bakar as well as senior officers from UKAS and PeTARY.

Additionally, Levas said the library is also able to contribute its expertise through training modules on information literacy, particularly in identifying fake news.

Meanwhile, Awang Putrayusrie encouraged PeTARY to leverage UKAS' wide range of communication platforms to enhance public awareness of its resources.

“We have the platforms, so share your materials with us and we will help disseminate them to the public,” he said.

On a separate matter, PeTARY also shared details of the upcoming Asia Medical Library Seminar (AMLiS) 2026 which will be held at the Borneo Cultures Museum (BCM) from 8 to 9 September.

Organised by the Malaysian Medical Library Group (MLG) in collaboration with Persatuan Pustakawan Malaysia, UNIMAS, Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) Kuala Lumpur and BCM, with support from Business Events Sarawak (BESarawak), the seminar aims to bring together medical librarians, health information professionals and researchers across Asia to exchange views, foster regional collaboration and explore cutting-edge technologies that will shape the future of medical library services.

Those interested in participating can obtain further information at https://www.amlis2026.com. -UKASnews