Soon, get access to 300-year-old books, records from late 1850s on your fingers

The project, implemented by Tamil Nadu e-Governance Agency through Higher Education department, is expected to provide copies of records to people who seek it under the Right to Information Act, 2005. The new website will have latest search and index facilities to pinpoint any document. 

The Tamil Nadu Archives has a huge collection of historical documents, photos and books that are three hundred years old. “These facilities are available for historical research and for public references. However, retrieving information manually is a time consuming and tedious process”, a senior official from Tamil Nadu Archives told DT Next on Friday.

“The project is being implemented in the department using latest technology so that the records are easily accessible by the public,” said the official. “We are using a software called TNAEDMS developed by Pallavan Transport Consultancy Services,” he said adding that the process was being carried out under strict vigil. 

As part of the digitisation effort, data entry of finding aids and scanning of historical documents of the Post 1857 period have also been carried out. Higher education sources here said that Rs 1.05 crore was sanctioned for the digitisation process.

“The process is almost complete. The archival records will be available on the website with search and index facilities”, another senior official from the department said.

He said, “in addition, the National Archives of India has approved a project of Rs 47 lakh for scanning and microfilming of records and provision of computers and accessories to six district record centres”.

According to him the project is being funded to the extent of 75 percent by the Government of India and the remaining 25 percent is contributed by the state.