Digitization and Digital Preservation of Cultural Heritage in India with Special Reference to IGNCA, New Delhi

Abstract

Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts is an autonomous centre under Ministry of Culture, Govt. of India established in 1987 with a vision to preserve the rich arts and cultural heritage of the country. The centre has a variety of heritage resources available in different formats. Preservation of these resources in traditional as well as digital form is a major challenge. The purpose of this paper is to explore the collection of IGNCA and methods adopted for preservation especially digital preservation of cultural heritage resources by the centre. Case study is used as research method to examine the collection, digitization and preservation of heritage resources in IGNCA. A well structured questionnaire, interview and observation methods were used as research tools to get the exact data for the study. Findings of the study reveal that IGNCA has a huge number of cultural heritage resources which includes photographs, photo-negatives, photographic slides, digital images, motion picture films, LP records, audio spools, audio and video tapes, microfilms, microfiches, manuscripts, digital images, digital audio and video files. The centre has digitized a major part of its collection for preservation and access. A digital library named as KALASAMPADA is also developed containing heritage resources accessible through internet. This study is only one of its kind as it explores the digitization and digital preservation practices of a pioneering institute working in the area of arts and cultural heritage in India.