Project to digitize library archives
KOLKATA: National Library is tying up with British Library for a unique digitization project. The two heritage institutions will digitize, archive and exchange surrogate copies of early Bengali printed material dating from 1778 till 1914. Roly Keating, chief executive of British Library, is currently in the city "shaping the ambitious project and defining its first phase".
Talking to TOI, 18 months after taking charge of the world's second largest library and helping it reinvent itself, Keating said, "A digitization programme between the two libraries has been on the cards since 2011. Now, we are here to take the joint digitization project forward. The British Library has a lot of Bengali collections from the British Museum and the India Office Library. With contributions from the National Library, we could add value to our existing stock." He is accompanied by Leena Mitford, head curator, South Asian Studies, British Library.
While elaborating on the British Library's vast collection that is about to get bigger, both Keating and Mitford sounded excited about the Indian collaboration, which would also involve Jadavpur University, Bangiya Sahitya Parishad and Uttarpara Library, for digitization of the mammoth collection between 1778 and 1914.
Based on preliminary talks with the Union ministry of culture and the British government in 2011, JU's School of Cultural Text and Records readied a bibliography of Bengali books spanning 1778-1914.
The bibliography already has more than 2,500 entries till 1867; another 10,000 are likely to be added. "We have decided to use this bibliography. We shall also get surrogate copies of Bengali books from the British Library," P Y Rajendra Kumar, director general of National Library, told TOI during a dinner with British Library representatives at Bengal Club on Monday.
The dinner was hosted by British Council director Sujata Sen to allow Keating meet those involved with museums, archives and exhibitions in Bengal.
Kumar said, "The JU bibliography will come extremely handy and provide the fundamentals of this project. Keating and my notes will be compiled to create a project report for the culture ministry. It needs to get passed by the highest level as this involves two countries."
"We are looking forward to National Library being a part of this digital revolution," averred Keating. "We could have just picked up the phone and spoke about the collaboration. But there's nothing like a meet in person even in this e-age," he said.
For him, the National Library set in Kolkata with its magnificent collections has immense heritage value.
The British Library, said to be the world's second largest library after the US Library of Congress, stores over 150 million items and is currently into collecting e-books and websites. Keating talked about the Legal Deposit (Non Print Works) Regulations 2013 by which the British Library has started collecting publicly published pages on websites with a "uk" suffix.
"These new responsibilities have already quite profoundly changed our identity as an institution. The British Library is now a national digital institution," Keating, who has been BBC's director of archive content and in charge of online services like BBC iPlayer, said.
What about the relentless demand for physical services even in this e-age? "The journey into the digital world is not a simple one-way switch out; the physical demands on what the library does -- collecting physical artefacts and serving real people in real space are, if anything, going up," Keating said.
Source | Times of India | 26 March 2014
KOLKATA: National Library is tying up with British Library for a unique digitization project. The two heritage institutions will digitize, archive and exchange surrogate copies of early Bengali printed material dating from 1778 till 1914. Roly Keating, chief executive of British Library, is currently in the city "shaping the ambitious project and defining its first phase".
Talking to TOI, 18 months after taking charge of the world's second largest library and helping it reinvent itself, Keating said, "A digitization programme between the two libraries has been on the cards since 2011. Now, we are here to take the joint digitization project forward. The British Library has a lot of Bengali collections from the British Museum and the India Office Library. With contributions from the National Library, we could add value to our existing stock." He is accompanied by Leena Mitford, head curator, South Asian Studies, British Library.
While elaborating on the British Library's vast collection that is about to get bigger, both Keating and Mitford sounded excited about the Indian collaboration, which would also involve Jadavpur University, Bangiya Sahitya Parishad and Uttarpara Library, for digitization of the mammoth collection between 1778 and 1914.
Based on preliminary talks with the Union ministry of culture and the British government in 2011, JU's School of Cultural Text and Records readied a bibliography of Bengali books spanning 1778-1914.
The bibliography already has more than 2,500 entries till 1867; another 10,000 are likely to be added. "We have decided to use this bibliography. We shall also get surrogate copies of Bengali books from the British Library," P Y Rajendra Kumar, director general of National Library, told TOI during a dinner with British Library representatives at Bengal Club on Monday.
The dinner was hosted by British Council director Sujata Sen to allow Keating meet those involved with museums, archives and exhibitions in Bengal.
Kumar said, "The JU bibliography will come extremely handy and provide the fundamentals of this project. Keating and my notes will be compiled to create a project report for the culture ministry. It needs to get passed by the highest level as this involves two countries."
"We are looking forward to National Library being a part of this digital revolution," averred Keating. "We could have just picked up the phone and spoke about the collaboration. But there's nothing like a meet in person even in this e-age," he said.
For him, the National Library set in Kolkata with its magnificent collections has immense heritage value.
The British Library, said to be the world's second largest library after the US Library of Congress, stores over 150 million items and is currently into collecting e-books and websites. Keating talked about the Legal Deposit (Non Print Works) Regulations 2013 by which the British Library has started collecting publicly published pages on websites with a "uk" suffix.
"These new responsibilities have already quite profoundly changed our identity as an institution. The British Library is now a national digital institution," Keating, who has been BBC's director of archive content and in charge of online services like BBC iPlayer, said.
What about the relentless demand for physical services even in this e-age? "The journey into the digital world is not a simple one-way switch out; the physical demands on what the library does -- collecting physical artefacts and serving real people in real space are, if anything, going up," Keating said.
Source | Times of India | 26 March 2014