[INDOLOGY] Collection of Kashmir Shaivite manuscripts in Archive.org

[Nemec, John William (jwn3y)]

Dear Colleagues,

I would second Mrinal's double sensibility—both that it is better for manuscript collections to be more easily available and also that scholars should respect the rules of the institutions from where they access such materials.  By coincidence, I was in the ORL in Srinagar just last week, and I can report that those who work there are utterly kind, thoughtful, and capable people.  Such a visit, for those with the good fortune to be able to make the journey, is worth more than just access to documents.

Sincerely,
John

________________________________
From: INDOLOGY <indology-bounces at list.indology.info> on behalf of Mrinal Kaul via INDOLOGY <indology at list.indology.info>
Sent: Sunday, December 22, 2024 1:00 PM
To: Harry Spier <vasishtha.spier at gmail.com>
Cc: Indology List <indology at list.indology.info>
Subject: Re: [INDOLOGY] Collection of Kashmir Shaivite manuscripts in Archive.org

Dear Harry,

All these Ms are from the collection of the Oriental Research Library (located in Srinagar) of the Jammu and Kashmir Government. Someone who does not want to be identified has accessed the digital copies of these Mss from the ORL, Srinagar, and has made them openly available, clearly defying the library's rules.

As much as I have fought with the archives/manuscript libraries across India that scholars should have easy access to manuscript materials, I also respect their rules. I have insisted repeatedly that many of these rules need to be changed, but I have no reason to be an outlaw. In fact, many of these manuscript libraries have become extremely suspicious or sceptical of offering scanned copies of Mss to scholars because they openly violate their rules. This case is a clear example of such a violation. The ORL authorities have been very generous, but I know the scholars who have taken advantage of their generosity and innocence. They have shamelessly violated their policies by sharing MS images on Facebook and other social media platforms. One should certainly bring this to the notice of the Government of Jammu and Kashmir.

Mrinal
-----
Mrinal Kaul (he/ him/ his)
Assistant Professor of Indian Philosophy
Department of Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS)
Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay (IIT-B)
Powai, Mumbai 400076, INDIA
Tel: +91 22-2576-5349  Extn: 5349 (office)
Tel: +91 22-62513773 (Residence)
email: mrinal.kaul at iitb.ac.in<mailto:mrinal.kaul at iitb.ac.in>
https://www.hss.iitb.ac.in/people/faculty/mrinal-kaul
https://iitbombay.academia.edu/MrinalKaul
Meeting: meet.google.com/gtj-tdms-tpg<http://meet.google.com/gtj-tdms-tpg>

On 22-Dec-2024, at 11:05 PM, Harry Spier via INDOLOGY <indology at list.indology.info<mailto:indology at list.indology.info>> wrote:

Dear list members,
I've just come across a collection of 168 Sharada manuscripts of Kashmir Shaivite texts https://archive.org/search?query=creator%3A%22Mcintosh+Skipper+Roth%22

Does anyone know anything about this collection?  Who posted it, an individual named McIntosh Skipper Roth, or is this three individuals.
Thanks,
Harry Spier

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