Page 104 - DLIS007_LIBRARY AUTOMATION

Unit 5: Management of Library Automation

digitized data for manuscripts, raw and processed. Raw data is unprocessed data stored in Notes
.tiff format. When the quality of raw data is enhanced to make it more legible, becomes
processed data. The processed data is stored in .jpeg format and the files are smaller than
the raw, unprocessed image. A copy of raw data is maintained for reference in case of
information loss from processed data at the time of editing. Eleven million pages are now
electronically accessible within the program.
Workshops and Seminars

To gather and share knowledge on safeguarding manuscripts and rare documents, a national
seminar on Digital Preservation of Manuscripts and Rare materials was organized in 2005
by Central Library, BHU. The seminar was focused on tools and techniques, indigenous as
well as technological, for the preservation and conservation of manuscripts. A national
workshop on manuscriptology and palaeography was organized by the Central Library,
BHU in cooperation with NMM. Experts on different scripts imparted their expertise to
personnel from different institutions as well as students and research scholars, to help
them learn the fundamentals of different scripts and languages. Many of the languages
and scripts in which manuscripts were written are dying, and this workshop was crucial in
creating awareness. In addition to this basic course, there are plans to conduct an advanced
course to build a national pool of people who can effectively contribute in conservation
and wider dissemination of the thought content stored in manuscripts. This is one of the
major objectives of NMM.
Bibliographic Database of Manuscripts
A scholar coming to the library does not have a clear idea about the manuscript collections
there. Time is wasted in searching for manuscripts. A bibliographic database of manuscripts
and rare documents available in the region should be developed. This will help locate
manuscripts as well as providing more visibility for them. One of the NMM’s primary
goals is creating an electronic database of manuscripts that will contain titles, themes,
authors, commentaries, scripts, languages, conservation status, and much more.
Storing and Managing Digitized Data
After digitization is complete, the data must be archived. Raw and processed data is
currently stored on hard drives and compact discs. The number of CD-ROMs is nearly
10,000, which is nearly 7 TB of data. Managing such a huge amount of data has become a
problem for the MCC. There is a proposal to buy a high-end storage server and also a
digital library solution, to provide access to digitized manuscript data on the internal
network. Better storage and access for the compact discs is also being pursued.
Since the inception of human civilization, India has been a centre of learning for religion,
philosophy, and science. Manuscripts contain writings from eminent scholars. These
writings are available on materials such as cloth, birch bark, leaves, clay, etc. They cannot
survive without proper handling and care. Central Library, BHU has a large collection of
manuscripts that are in regular demand by scholars in different disciplines. This leads to
regular consultation of these rare classics which cause their condition to further deteriorate.
Efforts are being made to preserve the collection. Simultaneously, conservation of
documents is also being done to keep the body and content of the scripture intact. The
collaboration of NMM and BHU has advanced efforts in the eastern UP of India in protecting
old manuscripts. The collaboration also promises a more intense coordination between
the scientific community and manuscriptologists, to bring forth better technological tools
and techniques to decipher, search, and retrieve the knowledge stored in these rare
scriptures. Last but not least, these efforts help inculcate a sense of responsibility in society
toward our rich past.
Contd...

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