A Mobile Digitization Lab MDL to comb villages of Panjab for rare documents and digitize them on the spot.

We have raised $12,000 ($10,000 via DVN). This amount helps us buy a chassis of the Van. We still need about $18,000 to fabricate the Van. Even after the Van is fabricated we need another $30,000 for equipment and Salaries. Till today we have not succeeded in raising this money. The money raised will go waste if we just buy a chassis to meet a deadline.

Panjab Digital Library thanks you for supporting the Mobile Digital Lab (MDL) Project. Due to lack of funding for all phases of MDL project, PDL will not be able to move forward as intended with the MDL project. We will revisit the project once the funding is completed for all three phases.

In an effort to stay transparent and accountable, Panjab Digital Library has returned all donations made to the Mobile Digital Lab (MDL) project through Dasvandh Network back to DVN.

Moving forward you have the option to either:

A - Apply your donation to Panjab Digital Library’s new project - Phulkari Digitization

B - Allocate it to Panjab Digital Library USA (PDL)

C - Ask for a refund

Please respond by January 15th, which option (A, B or C) you would like to move forward with. We hope you will continue to support PDL as we fundraise and work toward locating, digitizing, preserving, collecting and making accessible punjab’s heritage.


History
Manuscripts in the villages of Panjab remain un-catalogued. People are not aware of their importance, don’t know how to properly take care of them, and without proper care manuscripts are being damaged every day. On top of this, there are number of centers operating in the garb of Angitha Sahib Gurduaras, their vans comb villages across India for Panjab related manuscripts and rare books which are brought to these centers for burning. On an average 5000 books and manuscripts are burned every year at each center. Rare documents in the villages remain highly vulnerable to loss without being reported. On the spot digitization facility will motivate people to get their documents digitized and will allow for more search throughout Panjab.

Project
MDL will be fully loaded with equipment to digitize manuscripts in the villages and transfer data to Panjab Digital Library (PDL) server through internet every day. It will provide access to unexplored, at risk heritage available in the villages of Panjab. If lost, nobody will ever even know about the loss. The devastating tragedy of Kashmir is in front of us. Flood waters entered the government archives, cultural academy, the building housing Srinagar’s museum and several other libraries. The flood also destroyed scores of private collections of texts, rare religious manuscripts, letters and other important connection to Kashmir’s past. Things would have been different had this material been digitized? This has happened in Panjab as well, and is bound to repeat in future. MDL will digitize over 400,000 pages every year.

Budget
Phase I is fabricating MDL and Phase II is initiating operations. 2-year budget is $50,000.

Phase I: Capital Expense 1-Time
Chassis $12,000
Fabrication $10,000
Digitization Equipment $8,000
Total $30,000

Phase II – Yearly Operations
2-Person Staff $5,000
Fuel $2,500
Maintenance $1,500
Internet connectivity $1,000
Total $10,000


The project will commence once the funding is completed.