About MOW Sri Lanka Programme
The Memory of the World programme is a major project of UNESCO to preserve the documentary heritage of the world. The Programme was started in 1992 as a remedial measure to the crisis faced by many archives and libraries.
Sri Lanka has a history of rich documentary heritage from 3rd B.C. It is conjectured that the earlier writings other than those indicted on stone were of Talipot and Palmyra leaves. Thousands of palm leaf manuscripts in various aspects are hosed in ancient temples. In 1551 1st book was printed by Dutch in Sri Lanka. The 1st gazette was printed in 1802 and the 1st newspaper was printed in 1832 and the 1st cine film was produced in 1984.
In the ancient period, information was recorded on stone, metal and palm leaves, whereas paper and other multimedia is now being used for the same purpose. Documentary Heritage in Sri Lanka is housed in many institutions such as National Archives, National Museums University of Peradeniya, National Library and Documentation Services Board and individual owners.
Preservation and Access
The Memory of the World programme has two main aims. They are to preserve the documentary heritage of the world and to improve access to it. The first objective of the program is to ensure the preservation, by the most appropriate means, of documentary heritage which has world significance and to encourage the preservation of documentary heritage which has national and regional significance. A twin objective is to make this heritage accessible to as many people as possible, using the most appropriate technologies.
Memory of the World National Committee was appointed on 1st August 2006 as a national level committee. National Library and Documentation Services Board serves as the focal point of the programme in Sri Lanka.
The Memory of the World Programme of Sri Lanka aims:
- To add new entries to the memory of the World Register on the basis of the nominations received on documentary heritage of Sri Lanka to be assessed by the committee
- To maintain National Register of Documentary Heritage of Sri Lanka.
- Digitization of public records and public access to records.
- To publicize the MOW programme.
- To develop cooperation with government professional associations and custodial institutions at national level regarding the preservation of documentary heritage.
National Register
Selection criteria for National Register
When considering documentary heritage for inclusion in the National Register the item will be first assessed against the threshold test of authenticity. Is it what it appears to be? Has its identity and provenance been reliably established?
Secondly, the National Committee must be satisfied that the nominated item is of national, regional or world significance. That is, it must be: unique and irreplaceable, something whose disappearance or deterioration would constitute a harmful impoverishment of the heritage of humanity. It must have created great impact over a span of time or within a particular cultural area of the country or world. It must have had great influence – whether positive or negative – on the course of history.