In the Dutch East Indies, on the other hand, the colonial government was an active sponsor of libraries, and created no fewer than 2,500 public libraries between 1918 and 1926, stocked with literature in the vernacular languages specifically designed for the Malay, Javanese and Sundanese populations. These proved exceptionally popular and facilitated real strides in the advance of literacy. To the Dutch colonial government, they were a tool to inculcate support for colonial rule and western values; in this they were only partially successful, given that the indigenous populations, once exposed to western notions of liberty, self-determination and democracy, were determined to apply these principles to themselves.

Andrew Pettegree, Arthur der Weduwen, The Library- A Fragile Hist…, loc. 621