If you asked me what makes Americans so smart, my answer would be very simple: It is because they read books. And by that, I mean lots of books.

In America it's not unusual to see someone hanging onto a strap in a subway car with their left hand and holding a thick novel in their right.

It seems reading is something that is valued and appreciated.

Unlike Indonesians, Americans have easy access to books. Finding books and reading them for free is not difficult at all.

In Jakarta, I remember, I had to find clever ways to read books for free at bookstores. The challenge for me was tough. Bookstores in Jakarta are probably designed to be as uncomfortable as possible for so-called cheaters like me. They just wanted me to pick a book, buy it and leave.

In America it's a different story. Bookstores like Barnes and Noble and Borders, to my surprise at first, let customers read as many books as they want and for as long as possible. They even provide comfy chairs. There are no sealed books or magazines. You can grab any book you want, get a perfect spot and read for free. If you have some money to spend you can buy a coffee and enjoy it with the book you've been dying to read. But let me tell you, buying the coffee is not obligatory.

Bookstores are not the only places to find books in America. For some Americans, public libraries are much better than bookstores. And I have to salute the U.S. government on this matter. Americans are indeed lucky to be blessed with such easy access to knowledge and information.

In the county where I live, there are 21 public libraries, which are always happy to serve residents. Getting a library card is easy, taking only a few minutes after you present your ID. The facilities are amazing.

I can borrow 50 books at the same time and I can return them at any library in the same county. Yes, 50. I couldn't believe it when a librarian unearthed that fact. I felt I had to make sure one more time and asked, "You mean 50 books at the same time?" The nice librarian nodded and smiled.

I can check the availability of a book online and I can place it on hold so that other people won't take it. I can even choose the location where I want to pick up the book. And yes, it's all free.

A new public library in the county where I live opened in late 2006. It's the biggest library in the area and it was built for US$26.3 million fund. It has everything you want: 200,000 books, 22 personal computers on each floor, free Wi-Fi and more.

And that's just one county. I believe other counties in America have almost the same facilities when it comes to public libraries. No wonder Americans are smart.

Some of you may not like America. And although I'm still a big fan of pecel lele and nasi Padang, I think at least there's one thing we can learn from this superpower; and that's their ability to provide books and knowledge to their citizens.

According to www.jakartalibrary.com, there are six public libraries in Jakarta. I don't really know who is to blame, perhaps the local government or Jakarta residents, but it seems to me that these libraries are completely unknown to the public.

I can't tell much about the facilities the libraries have, but six libraries is clearly not enough for a city as big as Jakarta.

I know it's not the wisest thing in the world to compare America with Indonesia, but that doesn't mean we can't apply some of the good things that advanced countries enjoy.

What we all have to understand is that making our children smart is the key to making Indonesia a competitive nation in this already competitive world. Depending on our natural resources is not enough. Our intellectual resources are what will lead to future development.

I do enjoy going to a public library or a bookstore in America. Although I have to admit that my first experience borrowing books from the library wasn't entirely perfect, because I wanted to read all the books, now I'm an addict.

And when I sit down in an air-conditioned library with my hands on a nice book, I sometimes think about how one small library in America is 10 times better than the library I used to go to during my university years in Jakarta.

It's time for us to think about books and how we can provide them for our people.

So next time you want to join a demonstration make sure that whatever issue you and your friends are protesting, you don't forget to bring a big banner that says, "Give us more books".

The writer is a postgraduate student in Washington D.C. His personal blog can be found at http://guebukanmonyet.com.

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