e-Library in Odisha State Archives to ensure easy access to books, old records

BHUBANESWAR:

Now the researchers or scholars, who normally visit the Odisha State Archives, will not have to search books or old records physically. Because the State Archives is going to launch e-library system to solve this issue.

The state government will launch this system here on Friday on the occasion of the International Archives Day. The books that are in the library of the archives have been catalogued for easy access to users.

Previously, the users were physically searching books from a huge number of books and old records, but now it will be a thing of the past. "Users have to just type in the keywords and they can get information about the books in which the related information is available," said superintendent in charge of the archives Bhagyalipi Malla.

She said around 25 people visit the archive library daily and it has a collection of over 60,000 books and six lakh old records. "It becomes difficult for them to find the records. This e-library will help them find their books easily," she added.

The Archives is now focusing on digitising rare records of various landmark events related to the recent history of the state. Recently, they had released books on Nabakalebar and Odisha famine of 1866. The books have been digitised and put up on the website of the archives. The National Informatics Centre (NIC) has also been entrusted with the job of restoring the website.

"The documents contain crucial information, and so, their digitisation for future generations is very important. We have started scanning of books and records for their digitization. We have started this process in 2014 and it will take some time to finish the process. Till date around 20 lakh pages have been scanned and digitized," she added.

The State Archives has also prepared a publication on the Paika mutiny that will be inaugurated along with the e-library project on Friday. The archival document of 700 pages has brought together facts that recognize Paika as the first independence revolt.

Culture secretary Manoranjan Panigrahy said the paika mutiny is the great event in the history of Odisha. "For this reason only we documented the records of the event," he added.