PU teachers, scholars can now access books at archival cell
Panjab University (PU) has opened an archival cell at AC Joshi Library for its faculty and research scholars.
Vice-Chancellor Renu Vig yesterday inaugurated the dedicated reading hall and book-scanner at the ground floor of the library. With its inauguration, a longstanding demand of the PU faculty members and research scholars for “a separate space for using manuscripts, rare books, maps, historical gazetteer, historical photographs, and government reports etc” has been fulfilled.
The library houses 1,500 manuscripts, 40,000 rare books, important newspaper collection (since 1952), maps, historical gazetteer, historical photographs and government reports etc. These are primary sources particularly for humanities, arts, social sciences, education, inter-faith studies as well as linguistic research. A high-end book-scanner has also been installed to convert these rare archival documents into digital/electronic documents, which may facilitate multiple access to the same document besides minimising the damage to the original manuscript/rare books and other documents.
Last year, UGC Chairman M Jagadesh Kumar made a visit to the cell and found these collections aptly managed and hoped these could be used for the linguistic research and re-visiting history. A NAAC team, during a visit to the cell, also found these collections invaluable and praised for excellent management and upkeep of these records. However, it was felt that these needs to be opened for use of the PU scholars and beyond for qualitative research.
Professor Vig had also felt the need to provide adequate space to faculty and research scholars of the university, foreign scholars and those from other universities and institutions for larger focus on the history and related documents being preserved at the cell. Therefore, a seating capacity of around 50 faculty members and research scholars has been created in the first stage with facility to use laptop and other electronic equipment.
Dr Mritunjay Kumar, In Charge of Archival Cell, on behalf of all the staff members, thanked the Vice-Chancellor for her support to the project. This new facility will be very helpful to the research for their intended research based upon the documentation of Archival Cell, he added.
Prof Savita Bhatnagar, Director, RDC and University Librarian (Additional Charge); Prof Harsh Nayyar, former Director, RDC; Prof YP Verma, Registrar, Panjab University; Prof Amarjit Singh Naura, president PUTA, and faculty members and research scholars were also present on the occasion.
High-end book-scanner
A high-end book-scanner has also been installed to convert these rare archival documents into digital/electronic documents, which may facilitate multiple access to the same document besides minimising the damage to the original manuscript/rare books and other documents.
