The soft launching of the National Library's Online Portal in the context of the digitisation project 'A trigger for an urgent paradigm shift' of the National Library of Mauritius, was held, this afternoon, in the presence of the Minister of Arts and Cultural Heritage, Mr Avinash Teeluck, at the Municipal Council of Port Louis.
On the same occasion, a Memorandum of Understanding on the storage and digitisation of the Government Information Service's (GIS) archives of newspapers by the National Library, was signed between the National Library under the aegis of the Ministry of Arts and Cultural Heritage and the GIS under the aegis of the Prime Minister's Office.
Members of the Diplomatic Corps; the Permanent Secretary of the Prime Minister's Office and Supervising Officer of the GIS, Mr Satydanand Aujeet; the Director of the National Library, Mrs T.K Ramnauth; and the Chairman of the National Library Board, Mr Anish Khugputh; were also present on the twin events.
In his keynote speech, Minister Teeluck underlined that the digitisation project of the National Library is in line with the Digital Mauritius 2030 Strategic Plan recently launched by the Prime Minister, Mr Pravind Kumar Jugnauth. He remarked that the National Library hosts a significant collection of primary documents of historical importance, in the form of newspapers, manuscripts dating back to 1771, adding that these were at the risk of decay, thus the urgent need to be safeguarded.
It is the utmost duty of not only the Government, but each and everyone, to ensure the preservation of these treasures and hand them over to the new generations, emphasised the Minister. As regards the GIS, Mr Avinash Teeluck highlighted that the institution houses a significant number of historical documents, photos, videos, and data which will allow us again to revisit yesteryears and understand how the country evolved post independence.
According to him, it is primordial for every Mauritian to known and understand their background, the history of the country and the roots of its development.
He also dwelt on the benefits of the setting up of the Online Portal, including providing faster access to information, improving customer service and experience, improving information security as well as promoting further interest of people to delve into the country's history.
Besides, the Minister of Arts and Cultural Heritage announced the setting up of a state of-the-art building in Ebene, to house the National Library and the National Archives Department and provide them with the appropriate infrastructure and technologies to conserve and maintain documents.
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For his part, the Permanent Secretary, Mr Satydanand Aujeet, stated that the MoU being signed is a collaborative venture of the GIS with the National Library, which aims at preserving GIS' archives of newspapers, which he said, will provide users with a variety of relevant information, features and tools.
The GIS, he recalled, has become an important repository of collective memory, in the form of audio tapes, photographs, capturing all the high moments in the history of our Nation.
The Permanent Secretary stressed that this treasure includes a large collection of newspapers dating back to the pre- independence period, reminding that the Mauritian press is among one of the oldest in the world, with the first newspaper, Annonces, Affiches et Avis divers pour les Colonies des Isles de France et de Bourbon, being printed in 1773.
The Documentation Section of the GIS houses a total of 2,085 bound copies representing dailies and weeklies in A2, A3 and A4 formats, with some dating as far back as 1952, he further informed.
The digitisation solution offered under the MoU, highlighted Mr Aujeet, will hence allow the conversion of newspapers into digital records that will be electronically archived and efficiently managed by the National Library, with access given to the GIS.
Besides, the Permanent Secretary underpinned the shared mandates of both organisations, namely of ensuring appropriate information service delivery and documentary support service to the public, underling that together they will best serve the people at large and continue to preserve the collective memory and legacy of the Republic of Mauritius.
