As part of protecting and safeguarding old books and manuscripts, the digitalisation of Sri Gowthami Regional Library has just taken off. Foundation was laid for new buildings for renovation and restoration was also done recently.

At present the library has 1.03 lakh books — 71,130 Telugu, 21,974 English, 7,967 Hindi, 372 Urdu , 667 others, 411 palm leaf manuscripts, six copper plates, and 40 unpublished manuscripts.

Of the 40,000 books that have been partially or completely damaged, digitalisation of 30,000 is being taken up with the support of a team of computer operators monitored by the project in charge Aripirala Narayana Rao, former reader in Sri YN College, Narsapur.

Prof. Narayana Rao said that about 30 lakh pages have to be digitalised. Five computers and two high-end scanners brought from Bengaluru each are being used for the purpose.

Akula’s initiative

The project was initiated by city MLA Dr. Akula Satyanarayana and the total cost of the project is ₹10 lakh for the first year. “It will take at least two years to accomplish the task,” said Prof. Narayana Rao. The State Bank of India has sponsored computers, printer and air- conditioners worth ₹4.5 lakh. The books that are being digitalised include Sanskrit Bible, the first published copy of the Britannica Encyclopedia, silver-coated stylus for writing on palm leaves, copper plates and palm leaf manuscripts, and 15,000 rare books.

“Viveka Vardhini magazines which were edited by Kandukuri Veeresalingam Pantulu, Hitha Suchini published in the year 1845 and popular Swami Seva penned by Muddu Narasimha Naidu in 1862 are also being digitalised,” Prof. Narayana Rao said. The Manasu Foundation of Bangalore has acceded to their request to digitalise some valuable books.

Gowthami library is the biggest one in the region after the Thanjavur library in Tamil Nadu. It was set up by Nalam Krishna Rao in 1898 and christened Sri Veeresalingam Panthulu Library. Addanki Satyanarayana Sarma, a noted scholar, started another one — Vasuraya Library.

Following the advice of the elite in the city, the two libraries were merged and named as Gowthami Grandhalayam and registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1920. Vavilala Gopalakrishnaiah and AB Nageswara Rao were instrumental in getting regional status to the library. In 1979, the government took over the library.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Andhra Pradesh / by B.V.S. Bhaskar /  Rajamahendravarman – December 09th, 2017