Cooperation Of Qomaruddin University With Airlangga University
The Indonesian Language and Literature Study Program, Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Airlangga (FCS UNAIR), together with the Digital Repository of Endangered and Affected Manuscripts in Southeast Asia (DREAMSEA), held a workshop entitled Knitting Intellectual Networks through Javanese Manuscripts. This event will take place on November 29, 2024 in the WS Rendra Room. The workshop brought together expert academics from DREAMSEA and manuscript owners to share insights on manuscript preservation.
The Journey of Digitizing Manuscripts Muttaqin Habibulloh, M.Pd.I., as one of the manuscript owners, explained that the manuscript digitization process at the Qomaruddin Islamic Boarding School began in collaboration with DREAMSEA. After that, several institutions such as the British Library also contributed. Recently, the Qomaruddin Islamic Boarding School Foundation inaugurated the Technical Implementation Unit (UPT) for the Preservation of Islamic Boarding School Treasures to manage and develop manuscript collections. This UPT plays an important role in facilitating the preservation of manuscripts which are now an important part of the collective consciousness of the pesantren community.
Strategies and Challenges for Preservation Habibulloh added that manuscript inventories have been carried out in several areas, including Tuban and around the Qomaruddin Islamic Boarding School. Digitization is a priority to prevent manuscript damage due to age and external factors such as termites. In addition, the collection of manuscripts that have been identified will be included in the catalog for easy access and scientific study.
On the other hand, several challenges still remain, such as the limited number of human resources who understand philology, the lack of ideal facilities such as scriptitories, and the high cost of preservation. However, Habibulloh emphasized that strategic steps continue to be pursued, including building a manuscript gallery and establishing cooperation with various parties.
This workshop is an important moment in strengthening intellectual networks through the preservation of Javanese manuscripts. With the spirit of collaboration, it is hoped that this cultural heritage can continue to be preserved and used for academic studies and scientific development. This workshop also supports Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) number 4, namely quality education
