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Special Collections

Within the greater digital library, we have earmarked a space for Special Collections. This domain houses collections of audio, visual and textual content that range across thematic, historical and/or geographic areas yet cohere by virtue of the creator(s) of these materials. Special Collections are highlighted for their intrinsic value, as well as for the broad interpretative and aesthetic threads that give them a sense of internal integration. A Special Collection may be the work of a photographer, an ethnographer or an explorer; or may also be a set of historical materials collected or recorded in one person's life, whether or not that individual was a citizen of the Himalayas. While Special Collections are accessed and accessioned into the digital library in the same manner as other multimedia content relating to Tibet and the Himalayan region, we have chosen to highlight a specific collection every month on the homepage of the THDL site. In this way, we will draw attention to the unique work of a single creator or group of collectors for an intensive period of time and thus give them exposure to a far greater audience than would otherwise have been possible.

Our initial Special Collection is drawn from our close collaboration with the Digital Himalaya project. We are delighted to disseminate digitised copies of the 16mm cine reels taken by Professor Christoph von Fürer-Haimendorf during his stay among the Apa Tanis of north-east India in 1944 and 1945. These film clips will be viewable by the middle of 2003.

Concurrently, we are also preparing several exhibits of images collected by contemporary photographers. We welcome interested individuals to contact us if they have an interest in sponsoring or developing a Special Collection for presentation on the THDL site. We encourage all collaborators to make use of the tools we have developed to create an immersive learning environment.