Digital Status Related to Manuscripts and Rare Materials in Government Punjab Public Library Lahore, Pakistan

Abstract

The main objective of this study is to investigate, explore and analyze the digitization of manuscripts and rare materials at the Government Punjab Public Library (GPPL) in Lahore, Pakistan. For this purpose mixed methods approach were used to study the status of digitization, selection criteria and challenges in GPPL. Outcomes of the study exposed a significant gap among the targeted materials and current progress. Only a small portion of the rare materials was digitized. The selection criteria of rare materials for digitization prioritized by experts was the significance of historical records and its condition. This study further explained that the digitization of the library project faced many challenges, including budgetary constraints, lack of staff training, inadequate metadata creation and limited public access. The major recommendations of this study about digitization of the remaining materials were standardize library staff training and creation of metadata, establish online access platforms dedicated to users and promoting a culture of innovation among library staff. According to these recommendations, the Punjab Public Library can significantly increase its digitization efforts, Preservation and can ensure the online access of its valuable manuscripts and rare materials for future generations. This study also explores and examines the questions as: What is the significance of history records and its conditions?  What is the status of the digitization of manuscripts/rare material? What is the selection criteria of digitization of manuscripts/rare materials? What are the challenges faced by digitalization of the library project? How to cope with these challenges?