Collaboration with the British LibraryLaunch of the Batak Manuscripts Digitisation Project

9 February 2022

Photo: British Library

On 18 February, the British Library and CSMC will hold an online event to celebrate the launch of the Batak Manuscripts Digitisation Project.

The Batak people are an ethnic group residing in North Sumatra (Indonesia). In the past, they produced written artefacts using several organic materials as writing support, including tree bark, bamboo, and bone. The British Library holds a relatively small but significant collection of 37 Batak manuscripts, including the earliest Batak manuscript acquired (in 1764), which was donated by Alexander Hall. The collection is one of the oldest Batak manuscript collections in a public institution. In collaboration with CSMC, this collection of Batak manuscripts has been digitised and is being made accessible through the British Library’s Digitised Manuscripts portal.

On February 18, 10 am – 12 pm, the official launch of the project will be celebrated in an online event which is open for everyone to attend. Experts from both the British Library and CSMC, including Michael Friedrich, Jan van der Putten, and Roberta Zollo, will give short presentations about the new online collection that will stimulate the study of this remarkable manuscript culture.

For more information about the digitisation programme, check out this article in the Asian and African studies blog of the British Library.