Dharamsala: The Department of Religion and Culture of the Central Tibetan Administration organised a three-day session on Tibetan Digital Library content and catalogue classification, from 5 June to 7 June 2025, at the Department of Education’s Conference Hall. The meeting was held in collaboration with the Monlam Tibetan IT Research Centre.
The meeting convened with scholars and experts to develop standardised frameworks for the Tibetan Digital Library project, currently under development. The distinguished participants included Additional Secretary Kunga Gyaltsen, Geshe Lobsang Monlam, founder and CEO of the Monlam Tibetan IT Research Centre; Professor Jampa Samten, Senior Professor of Tibetan Buddhism and History at the Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies in Varanasi; Professor Sonam Gyaltsen, Senior Professor at the College for Higher Tibetan Studies in Sarah; Ju Tenkyong, a researcher at Monlam IT Research Centre, and Sonam Tobgyal, head of the Tibetan Section at the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives (LTWA).
The event commenced with the address, Secretary Dondul Dorjee of the Department of Religion and Culture, followed by the head of the culture section, Dhondup Tsering, detailing the Tibetan Digital Library Initiative’s presented a comprehensive overview of the digital library initiative, outlining its objectives, implementation phases, current progress, and future roadmap.
Geshe Lobsang Monlam underscored the crucial role of proper cataloguing and classification systems in ensuring the digital library’s effectiveness and accessibility.
The primary aim of the consultation was to finalise the cataloguing and classification schemes—essential components of the Tibetan Digital Library website. Once implemented, these systems will enable researchers and members of the global Tibetan community to clearly locate and access documents through the digital platform.
Over the course of the three-day meeting, participants engaged in in-depth discussions and expert review of the proposed framework developed by the Monlam IT Research Centre, working collaboratively to establish clear standards that will serve as the foundation for the digital library network.
