Tamil Nadu makes rare historical records available online

Tamil Nadu Archives, which maintain historical records, is digitalising some of the rare ones, which goes back even to the year 1670.

Published: 16th September 2019 08:34 AM | Last Updated: 16th September 2019 08:34 AM | A+A A-

By Binita Jaiswal

Express News Service

Researchers will soon be able to access precious and rare records available with the Tamil Nadu Archives
online.

The Archives has a treasure trove of rare records dating even back to the year 1670. With an aim to preserve these records and to improve web access, the Tamil Nadu archives has digitized a major chunk of the rare records and have created special software on which they are uploading it, said senior officials of the archive.

The authorities have plans to inaugurate the digital archives website soon. After launching of the website, researchers and other public can access the records online and they will not have to visit the Archive office at Egmore. But before making the records accessible for public, adequate measures will be taken to chalk out a concrete strategy to ensure safety and security of the priceless possessions, Commissioner
of the Archives, Apoorva told Express.

“Detailed modalities will be set up as who can access the records and how can they do it, because our top priority is to ensure the safety of the records. The records are very important and before making it accessible online, we will have to ensure that they will not be misused by anyone,” said Apoorva. She further said that soon meeting will be convened with different stakeholders to discuss out the issues
and resolve it.

Another major concern of the officials is to decide as which rare records should be made public. “The Archive has lakhs of old records, which may contain confidential information. We are digitizing the records for their better upkeep and preservation but we have to be very sure as to which records should be made accessible to public,” said a senior official of the Archives.

The Tamil Nadu e-governance Agency has developed the special software or implementing the digitization and uploading of the records.Officials in the Archive said the digitization work is in its last leg and 14 terabyte of data have been uploaded on the special software. The authorities are planning to link the software with the website of the Tamil Nadu Archives so that researchers can get access to it.

So far, records from the pre-mutiny era records from 1670 to 1857 have been digitized and uploaded on the software. Even the documents and government orders(GO) of 1920s have been digitized.