malaysiang
GEORGE TOWN, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), through the Centre for Policy Research and the Hamzah Sendut Library, has made history when it became the first university to be granted the sole right to access digital images of the Malay Archipelago Correspondence Collection 1768-1794, also known as the Light Letters, by the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London.
According to USM, this milestone was achieved through a Memorandum of Agreement signed in September 2018. The agreement allows USM to provide researchers, scholars, and the public with access to these digital images, along with descriptive metadata, transcription, and transliteration available online.
“Under this agreement, USM holds the right to store the images, as long as the terms are upheld by both parties, with annual renewals. The Light Letters collection is the largest repository of Malay manuscripts globally, comprising 1,200 letters across 11 volumes,” USM said in a statement.
The collection includes writings
and notes from the old Malay Sultanates, royal family members, Malay dignitaries, prominent figures from the Malay Archipelago, business associates, wives of Malay nobles, Francis Light, and various English merchants, spanning from 1768 to 1794.
The letters are categorised into those sent to Light, correspondence with his business associate James Scott, notes, records, drafts, and copies from Light, as well as letters from kings, dignitaries, and other documents like bills, receipts, petitions, and contracts.
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USM-LIGHT LETTERS 2 (LAST) GEORGE TOWN
According to USM, the collection includes letters from various regions, such as Penang, Kedah, Perlis, Selangor, Perak, Terengganu, Kelantan, Borneo, Acheh, Asahan, Batu Bahara, Siak, Palembang, Pontianak, and others. The loan of digital images of the Light Letters is the first of its kind to be supplied to external institutions by the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London.
Through the Digitalisation and Documentation of Li
ght Letters project, SOAS provides access to these letters for cataloguing, searching, and producing transcriptions and transliterations.
The USM Library is responsible for preserving and maintaining the Digital Collection of Light Letters, as part of the agreement. This includes ensuring that the digital images are accessible through a dedicated portal, and that cataloguing is conducted by the USM Library.
Additionally, transliterations and transcriptions of the materials are produced by the Policy Research Centre (CPR). Searches of transcriptions and descriptive metadata are facilitated through an open-source software system managed by the USM Library, available at https://libdigital.usm.my.
USM vice-chancellor, Professor Datuk Seri Dr Abdul Rahman Mohamed, in the same statement, said that the exclusive rights granted to the USM Library offer significant opportunities for researchers to explore new studies on Malaysia’s history.
‘The Light Letters hold immense potential for research across various field
s, and will aid in studies, particularly in the history of the Nusantara region. This access greatly benefits the academic world, by enhancing the availability and quality of historical sources, supporting efforts to preserve and understand our valuable heritage,’ he said.
Earlier, the Malay Archipelago Correspondence Collection 1768-1794 was presented to the Sultan of Kedah, Al-Aminul Karim Sultan Sallehuddin Sultan Badlishah, at Istana Anak Bukit, Kedah.
Source: BERNAMA News Agency
