Candra Malik

Jeans Kupferschmidt, a researcher from Leipzig University in Germany, demonstrating the digitalization process in Solo. (Photo: Candra Malik, JG)

Digital Age Provides Hope For Ancient Manuscripts

Solo. The case of ancient manuscripts being found missing or damaged at the Radyapustaka Museum in Solo, Central Java, has drawn world attention and prompted efforts to digitize the collection to help preserve it.

Together with the British Library, Manusa, a nongovernmental organization working to preserve the ancient manuscripts, held a four-day workshop on document digitalization aimed at developing ways to save thousands of works that have been sitting in museums, libraries and private collections here and abroad gathering dust.

The workshop will end today.

Manusa chairman Oman Fathurrahman said that the surviving manuscripts were written in various languages and scripts, including Arabic, Malay, Javanese, Sundanese, Sasak, Balinese and the Wolio language of Buton Island.

“Since the paper is hundreds of years old and very fragile, its physical condition is very poor,” Oman said. “They will be destroyed if we don’t preserve them.”

Jeans Kupferschmidt, an ancient manuscript researcher from Leipzig University in Germany, demonstrated the digitalization process at the workshop, which was attended by participants from Aceh, Solo, Banjarmasin, Balikpapan, Bandung, Batam, Denpasar, Jakarta, Kendari, Makassar, Mataram, Padang, Palembang, Pekanbaru, Pontianak, Yogya, Semarang and Surabaya.

Kupferschmidt said the operator had to wear gloves and a mask to keep the document clean, then get the lighting to focus on the document as other light sources would disturb the process.

“A digital camera connected to a laptop or PC will allow you to see the result before it is uploaded onto the Web site,” Kupferschmidt said.

Fakhriati, the program coordinator for Aceh’s manuscript digitalization, which is affiliated with the British Library, explained that a normal SLR camera supporting the TIFF file format could be used to digitalize ancient documents.

Fakhriati recommended use of a 25 millimeter macro lens, or one slightly smaller, to get brighter and clearer results.

“Use a tripod so that we can correctly measure the object and the aim distance. Better put a black fabric under the script,” Fakhriati said, adding that files should not only be stored on an external hard disk, but also to CD or DVD for back-up.

“It will be much better if we upload the images to the web so that people can see them,” she said.

At least four people were needed for the digitalization process, a photographer, an assistant photographer, a manuscript cleaner and registration officer. An interview with the manuscript’s owner was also useful.

“The result must show the original and real condition of the script — calibration addition is not allowed. The picture taking must be conducted page by page,” Fakhriati said.

Jeje Abdul Rojak, the program coordinator for digitalization at Islamic pesantrens, said that many manuscripts from pesantren , or traditional Islamic boarding schools, have already been secured using digitalization.

“The problem is that there are many more important ancient manuscripts in private hands,” he said. “The owners usually refuse us access to them because they consider them sacred relics that have been handed down for generations.”

Jeje said the government should also help in preservation efforts.

Tuti Hendrawati, from the National Library’s digital transformation division, said that the library kept about 10,000 ancient manuscripts. She said 50 manuscripts, 50 rare books, 58 rare magazines, 200 maps and 2,000 photos from the library were digitally archived in 2008.

The work covered 11,000 pages, including 3,000 pages from manuscripts, 3,000 pages worth of rare books and 2,200 pages of rare magazines.

“There is also an e-library program so that the public may have an easy access to the library archives,” Tuti said.