World Book Day celebrations were almost non-existent this year, with big libraries and bookstores in the city running their businesses as usual Thursday.

Only one NGO held an event to celebrate the day in Jakarta, while most libraries and bookstores failed to use the day to promote reading.

The National Library said it would only hold a special event for the National Book Day on May 17.

"We are planning to hold a month-long event in May, to commemorate the National Library Day. That's what we always do every year," the head of the library's public division Agus Sutoyo told The Jakarta Post.

The event would include the National Movie Week, featuring local movies, as well as a book fair, poem readings, story telling competitions and a series of literary discussions.

Asked why the National Library did not take part in the World Book Day commemoration, Agus said, "I think the World Book Day is not really well-known here."

The National Education Ministry library or library@senayan, said it would also likely hold a special event in conjunction with the National Book Day.

"We never commemorate World Book Day, but we are planning to hold some activities like a book fair and library visits for a couple of days in May or June," said library staff Chaidir Amir.

"Currently, we are still planning the event with the ministry's officials." He said World Book Day was usually only commemorated within reading communities.

Several major bookstores failed to notice it was World Book Day.

"We never have any event to celebrate World Book Day," said Iqbal, a promotions employee with Kinokuniya bookstore. Periplus bookstore marketing communication employee Yohana said the store did not prepare any event either.

"We usually have discounts for special occasions, such as Independence Day, Valentine's Day, Christmas or Idul Fitri," she said.

Gramedia bookstore employees in Puri Indah, West Jakarta, said their store did not take part in the celebration either.

Meanwhile, the Indonesian Reading Forum (FIM) is holding various events to celebrate World Book Day, starting Thursday until May 17, with exhibitions, workshops, discussions, art and cultural performances as well as community gatherings.

This year's World Book Day festival, themed "Reading for Love", is aimed at promoting reading to families, asking them to read together for 15 minutes, said festival director Dessy Sekar Astina.

Most of the events in the festival will be held every Saturday and Sunday at Bank Mandiri Museum, located in the Old Town area.

Besides weekend events, the forum will also organize the "World Book Day Goes to School' program, from this Friday to May 15 in 26 schools in Greater Jakarta and Bandung.

There will also be an exhibition of literacy posters from Thursday to May 11 at the museum's art center.

On Thursday, the forum also launched library@batavia, which is located on the museum's first floor. Combining the concept of a library and a museum, the new library is expected to be a center for community activities.

The World Book Day has been celebrated in the country since 2006, although only by a small number of communities concerned by the low take-up of reading in the country.

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