Towards Designing a Digital Repository for the Cultural Heritage of Kashmir: Experiences and Challenges

Abstract

Purpose: The study attempts to explore, identify and document the rich cultural heritage of Kashmir valley with a focus on preserving and safeguarding cultural assets and enabling accessible digital collections for enhanced visibility, accessibility,
sharing and Consultation through the implementation of an integrated digital repository framework.
Design/methodology/approach: A multi-phase methodology was adopted involving the identification, documentation, digitization, organization, and representation of  cultural heritage resources. Data were collected through site visits, consultations with historians, artisans, manuscript custodians, and cultural institutions. Digital content were created using scanning, photography, and audio-visual recording technologies. Metadata standards and customized descriptive elements were applied to organize resources, while Greenstone open-source software was used for repository development and management.
Findings: The study reveals that diverse cultural heritage resources, including manuscripts, folklore, inscriptions,monuments, traditional music, arts and crafts,indigenous knowledge systems, and historical records, etc., can effectively integrate,within a single access platform. Metadata-driven organization and interoperable digital library technologies enhance discoverability, accessibility, and long term preservation. The study also highlights practical challenges related to resource identification, stakeholder cooperation, metadata customization, and digitization of rare and dispersed cultural materials.
Research limitations/implications: The repository testbeds represent selected cultural resources and may not fully represent the entire Kashmir’s heritage.Challenges associated with access restrictions, ownership issues, and the absence of universally applicable metadata standards needs to be addressed for large-scale implementation. The study provides provisions for detailed assessment of important considerations and persistent issues concerning successful implementation of such efforts.
Originality/value: The study is an original effort towards preservation of cultural heritage items of Kashmir valley through the implementation of digital preservation technologies within a digital repository framework. It highlights practical approaches to digitization, metadata management, and interoperability that can support such implementations.