Digitization of Indian manuscripts heritage

Abstract

India has the distinction of having one of the most ancient, richest and largest collections of manuscripts in the world. These manuscripts which are available in different forms, languages, scripts and cover a wide range of subjects are a powerful medium for the preservation of Indian cultural heritage. But the preservation of these manuscripts is a serious problem for the custodians of manuscripts because of the hot and humid climate of the country. In this context the present paper gives an account of the commendable efforts rendered by the National Mission for Manuscripts since its inception in 2003 by establishing and strengthening 57 manuscript resource centres, 50 manuscript conservation centres and developing a National Database of Manuscripts. It also presents the current status of digitization of Indian cultural heritage in the form of manuscripts starting from its collection to the development of a Digital Manuscript Library for global access.

Disproportions in archival collections usage in Malawi

“…Roper (1979) views archival materials as important for public administrators, as they provide important elements to the machinery of government, contributing to its efficiency and playing a role in national development. Sahoo and Mohanty (2015) further state that archival materials are packed with information to satisfy scholars' information needs. Kamatula et al (2013) mention that common users of documentary heritage include historians, students, professional researchers, genealogists, public administrators, journalists, politicians and the general public.…”

“…Printed and published materials are also used by historians to determine the possible materials they can use that were used by other prolific authors and historians. Kamatula et al (2013) and Sahoo and Mohanty (2015) agree that these materials are packed with information to satisfy scholars' information needs.…”

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“…In this research, this issue was raised from some of the subjects. However, though the community members desire to digitize the PLMs, they have the difficulty to do so due to a lack of digitization expertise (Agrawal, 2006) similar to other information service organizations around Southeast Asia such as Kerela University, India; the University of Kelaniya and University of Peradeniya Library in Sri Lankan such as University Library in India and Sri Lankan (Alanhakoon, 2009;Ranasinghe & Ranasinghe, 2013;Sahoo & Mohanty, 2015;Mohamed Sageer, 2017;Udaya et al, 2009;Weerabahu, 2019). With digitization, the accessibility of PLMs is limitless according to time and places.…”

“…Most of the information services holding PLMs focus on scientific preservation methods especially digitization and aim to create digital libraries of material, e.g. Kerala University, India; the University of Kelaniya and the University of Peradeniya Library in Sri Lankan (Alanhakoon, 2009;Ranasinghe & Ranasinghe, 2013;Sahoo & Mohanty, 2015;Mohamed Sageer, 2017;Weerabahu, 2019). These information institutions consider digitization as the best practice for preserving the contents of the manuscripts (Udaya, Sreekumar, & Athvankar, 2009;Weerabahu, 2019) and enabling worldwide access (Sahoo & Mohanty, 2015).…”

“…Kerala University, India; the University of Kelaniya and the University of Peradeniya Library in Sri Lankan (Alanhakoon, 2009;Ranasinghe & Ranasinghe, 2013;Sahoo & Mohanty, 2015;Mohamed Sageer, 2017;Weerabahu, 2019). These information institutions consider digitization as the best practice for preserving the contents of the manuscripts (Udaya, Sreekumar, & Athvankar, 2009;Weerabahu, 2019) and enabling worldwide access (Sahoo & Mohanty, 2015). The north and northeast Thai monasteries similarly consider that digitization is the natural direction for the preservation of the PLMs (Butdisuwan & Babu, 2014;Jarusawat, 2017).…”