Hi-tech needed to preserve priceless books, manuscripts at DU library
Saturday, 25 April 2009
Due to lack of proper preservation, century old 'puthis' and manuscripts, newspapers and periodicals printed in Bangladesh during the last century, have been decaying at the Dhaka University (DU) Central Library, reports BSS.
About 300 rare manuscripts and at least 600-microfilmed newspapers have already been damaged, although there is a supervisory committee to look into this. Another 500 'puthis' and newspapers are going to meet the same fate if preventive steps are not taken, said sources at the library.
The university library has a collection of more than 30,000 such books and manuscripts, dating back to the medieval period, written on palm and banana leaves, barks, stone slabs and handmade papers in Sanskrit, Bangla, Arabic, Pali, Urdu, Persian, Maithili, Uriya, Hindi and a few other dialects.
About 20,000 among the manuscripts have been identified and 6,500 almost decayed manuscripts have been microfilmed and laminated, the sources said. Work on identifying other manuscripts is on but they are in such decrepit condition that it is difficult to work with those, sources said.
'Sharada Tilok', a Sanskrit Puthi more than 550 year old and rare Bangla works from the middle ages like 'Padma Puran', 'Yusuf Zulekha' and 'Padmabati' by Alaol are some of the notables among the most decrepit volumes.
Some rare newspapers from the last century, which had been chronicled the events of division of Bengal in 1905, partition of India in 1947, events relating to language movement, mass upsurge in 1969, independence of Bangladesh in 1971 and other major social and cultural movements are decaying in the dusty, damp atmosphere.
The manuscripts are crammed in 49 shelves in a room that is so small that it hinders the staff to make those valuable documents dust free, the sources said. "We have informed the DU authorities several times about our problems but they are yet to take any step to improve the situation," said a staff of the library.
The microfilmed newspapers and periodicals have been kept in a room where the air-coolers remain active only during office hours, whereas the coolers should work round the clock, at least in the summer months.
The office of the microfilm section remains open from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. It works five and a half days a week and remains closed on government holidays.
A microfilm reader and a microfilm and fiche reader have been lying inoperative for years, said the sources.
In summer months, it takes at least four hours to lower the room's temperature to a required level after switching on the coolers.
The outmoded and inefficient air coolers in the manuscripts and microfilm section cannot maintain 18 to 20 degrees Celsius temperature. The level of humidity should also be between 52 and 58 per cent all the time but there is no proper humidity control mechanism.
Alongside more efficient air-conditioning and humidity control systems, more rooms and increased manpower are needed to maintain the 'puthis' and microfilms properly and index them systematically.
The temperature in the manuscripts section on a typical summer day was recorded at 34.50 degrees Celsius and humidity at 71 per cent, while temperature of the microfilmed newspaper section was 28.4 degrees and humidity 62 per cent as the air coolers and the humidity control machine running for at least three hours.
The five-member manuscript committee set up in 1980 with the librarian as its convener to supervise the manuscripts section seems stringed due to procedural and other problems.
A DU librarian told the news agency that some microfilmed manuscripts have been damaged. A process to reprint those was underway, he said.
The Dhaka University library with an enviable collection of rare books, puthis and manuscripts, newspapers and periodicals, maps and other reference materials served teachers, students and researchers from home and abroad for decades, said Chairman of the Department of Bangla Prof Abul Kasem Fazlul Haque.
Vice Chancellor of Dhaka University Prof Dr AAMS Arefin Siddique at a function recently said that the manuscripts were the foundation of knowledge for Bangali nation as those were carriers of our long history, culture and tradition.
Mentioning manuscripts as the invaluable assets, the DU VC said there are many rare manuscripts in the library of Dhaka University, which are not only a matter of pride for the Dhaka University but for the whole nation. He emphasised the need for preserving those with the help of modern technology.
About 300 rare manuscripts and at least 600-microfilmed newspapers have already been damaged, although there is a supervisory committee to look into this. Another 500 'puthis' and newspapers are going to meet the same fate if preventive steps are not taken, said sources at the library.
The university library has a collection of more than 30,000 such books and manuscripts, dating back to the medieval period, written on palm and banana leaves, barks, stone slabs and handmade papers in Sanskrit, Bangla, Arabic, Pali, Urdu, Persian, Maithili, Uriya, Hindi and a few other dialects.
About 20,000 among the manuscripts have been identified and 6,500 almost decayed manuscripts have been microfilmed and laminated, the sources said. Work on identifying other manuscripts is on but they are in such decrepit condition that it is difficult to work with those, sources said.
'Sharada Tilok', a Sanskrit Puthi more than 550 year old and rare Bangla works from the middle ages like 'Padma Puran', 'Yusuf Zulekha' and 'Padmabati' by Alaol are some of the notables among the most decrepit volumes.
Some rare newspapers from the last century, which had been chronicled the events of division of Bengal in 1905, partition of India in 1947, events relating to language movement, mass upsurge in 1969, independence of Bangladesh in 1971 and other major social and cultural movements are decaying in the dusty, damp atmosphere.
The manuscripts are crammed in 49 shelves in a room that is so small that it hinders the staff to make those valuable documents dust free, the sources said. "We have informed the DU authorities several times about our problems but they are yet to take any step to improve the situation," said a staff of the library.
The microfilmed newspapers and periodicals have been kept in a room where the air-coolers remain active only during office hours, whereas the coolers should work round the clock, at least in the summer months.
The office of the microfilm section remains open from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. It works five and a half days a week and remains closed on government holidays.
A microfilm reader and a microfilm and fiche reader have been lying inoperative for years, said the sources.
In summer months, it takes at least four hours to lower the room's temperature to a required level after switching on the coolers.
The outmoded and inefficient air coolers in the manuscripts and microfilm section cannot maintain 18 to 20 degrees Celsius temperature. The level of humidity should also be between 52 and 58 per cent all the time but there is no proper humidity control mechanism.
Alongside more efficient air-conditioning and humidity control systems, more rooms and increased manpower are needed to maintain the 'puthis' and microfilms properly and index them systematically.
The temperature in the manuscripts section on a typical summer day was recorded at 34.50 degrees Celsius and humidity at 71 per cent, while temperature of the microfilmed newspaper section was 28.4 degrees and humidity 62 per cent as the air coolers and the humidity control machine running for at least three hours.
The five-member manuscript committee set up in 1980 with the librarian as its convener to supervise the manuscripts section seems stringed due to procedural and other problems.
A DU librarian told the news agency that some microfilmed manuscripts have been damaged. A process to reprint those was underway, he said.
The Dhaka University library with an enviable collection of rare books, puthis and manuscripts, newspapers and periodicals, maps and other reference materials served teachers, students and researchers from home and abroad for decades, said Chairman of the Department of Bangla Prof Abul Kasem Fazlul Haque.
Vice Chancellor of Dhaka University Prof Dr AAMS Arefin Siddique at a function recently said that the manuscripts were the foundation of knowledge for Bangali nation as those were carriers of our long history, culture and tradition.
Mentioning manuscripts as the invaluable assets, the DU VC said there are many rare manuscripts in the library of Dhaka University, which are not only a matter of pride for the Dhaka University but for the whole nation. He emphasised the need for preserving those with the help of modern technology.