No future for old books here

Digitisation bid by researcher at College of Teacher Education hits a hurdle

A screenshot of the website.

The city is home to many reputed centres of higher education, some of which have completed their centenary and have acquired heritage status.

Sadly, their huge collections of books face damage because of the absence of timely renovation and proper storage facilities.

The situation at the 106-year-old Government College of Teacher Education, the oldest training college for teachers in Kerala, is no different. Leaky roofs, termites, and the lack of adequate storage options have destroyed several books of antique value.

Now, C. Praveen, a faculty of the postgraduate department at the college, has embarked on a mission to digitise the collection of antique books.

However, paucity of funds has hindered his efforts. Dr. Praveen has digitised select pages of 25 antique books published between 1886 and 1918, all of which are on pedagogy.

Research project

He undertook the efforts as part of his minor research project, titled ‘Regenerating knowledge online through selective digitising of antique books content’, for which he was provided with a grant of ₹70,000 by the University Grants Commission (UGC). The digitised content has been included in his website www.curatorp edagogue .com .

“The college has lost a number of books. While relatively new books regularly issued to students are being preserved in bookshelves that are in fine condition, the antique ones are dumped in dingy corners,” he said.

The researcher had earlier submitted a proposal, on behalf of the college, to the UGC, seeking a grant of ₹60 lakh under its scheme for funding heritage colleges.

Later, he requested ₹3 lakh for digitising the entire collection.

“Unfortunately, I’ve been provided less than one-third of the sum. I am forced to restrict my efforts to select content from 25 antique books. The college should have at least 400 books that were published over 100 years ago. Many of these demand immediate preservation using sophisticated techniques,” Dr. Praveen says.

Web specials

A highlight of his website is the ‘Curio Blog’ that includes critical reviews of the digitised content and prospects for future research.

The photo gallery displays images from books identified for the project.