Dharamshala: The Department of Religion and Culture (DoRC), Central Tibetan Administration, successfully conducted a series of training sessions focused on the Tibetan Digital Library project in 12 monasteries across Tibetan settlements in South India from 26 to 30 December 2024.
On 26 December, a joint training session was held at the Drepung Loseling Library in Mundgod Tibetan Settlement for six monasteries: Drepung Loseling, Drepung Gomang, Gaden Jhangtse, Gaden Shartse, Ratoe Dratsang, and Sakya Tsechen Dongag Choeling Monastery. The session was attended by 12 librarians who were introduced to new features of the Tibetan Library Management System’s progressive web app, the operation of overhead scanners, and the application of accession QR codes to manuscripts and xylographs. The training concluded with an interactive Q&A session where participants actively engaged and resolved app-related bugs and other technical issues.
Following the training, DoRC staff visited the respective monastery libraries in Mundgod on 26 and 27 December to monitor their progress under the Tibetan Digital Library project. These visits included hands-on training sessions that focused on assigning accession QR codes to manuscripts. The team also addressed several technical problems and bugs encountered by the libraries, ensuring that their systems operated smoothly.
On 28 and 29 December, the DoRC team conducted similar training sessions for monastery libraries in the Bylakuppe Tibetan Settlement. The libraries visited included Sera Jey, Sera Mey, Tashi Lhunpo, and Namdroling monasteries. At Tashi Lhunpo monastery, Tehor Khanze Zeekgyab Tulku, the monastery’s abbot, met with the DoRC staff and shared positive feedback about the project.
The official visit concluded on 30 December in the Hunsur Tibetan Settlement, where the team visited Gyudmed Monastery and Dzongkar Choede Monastery. During these visits, the team engaged with librarians to monitor the cataloguing and digitisation efforts and provide additional guidance where needed.
Throughout their visits, DoRC staff worked closely with monastery librarians to follow up on the ongoing cataloguing and digitisation processes. They gathered valuable feedback on the project, identified bugs in the TLMS application, resolved technical glitches, and addressed doubts regarding its implementation. This comprehensive approach ensured the effective transfer of skills and knowledge to the monasteries, enabling them to manage their libraries more efficiently.
This initiative is supported by USAID under the Strengthening Cultural Resilience of Tibetan Communities program.
