Community involvement in the management of palm leaf manuscripts as Lanna cultural material in Thailand

Jarusawat, Piyapat; Cox, Andrew M.; Bates, Jo

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/96760 Copy

Description

Title

Community involvement in the management of palm leaf manuscripts as Lanna cultural material in Thailand

Author(s)

• Jarusawat, Piyapat
• Cox, Andrew M.
• Bates, Jo

Issue Date

2017

Keyword(s)

• Palm leaf manuscripts
• Indigenous knowledge
• Collection management
• Community collaboration

Abstract

The Lanna region in Upper Northern Thailand has a distinct cultural heritage, one of the most important aspects of which are palm leaf manuscripts. These are seen at one and the same time as forms of sacred writing, containers of cultural knowledge, religious symbols, beautiful artefacts, products of particular cultural traditions and fragile historical documents. Libraries may have an important role to play in managing the collections of such cultural material (Becvar & Srinivasan, 2009; Jory, 2000). Yet following the management practices of developed countries may be inappropriate (Kreps, 2005). Participatory models of collection suggest that information professionals should encourage local people to participate in collection management to meet their needs (Shilton & Srinivasan, 2007). The aim of the study is to develop a model of community-based collection development for palm leaf manuscripts, by exploring the views of community members and experts. Semi-structured interviews, participant observation and photographic inventory (Collier & Collier, 1986) were used as methods in this research.

Publisher

iSchools

Series/Report Name or Number

iConference 2017 Proceedings

Type of Resource

text

Language

en

Permalink

http://hdl.handle.net/2142/96760

Copyright and License Information

Copyright 2017 Piyapat Jarusawat, Andrew M. Cox, and Jo Bates

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