Manuscript Research & Preservation Centre is a unique laboratory which provides preservation,digitization and complete recovery of physical documents. MRPC was launched in Irinjalakuda, Central Kerala as a part of University Grands Commission (UGC) endorsed course under Bachelor of Vocation Studies (B.Voc) scheme. MRPC handles all kinds of palm leaf documents and paper documents. Complete technical facilities are available for preservation and digitization which includes Ink fixing, aqueous cleaning, solvent cleaning, bleaching, deacidification, encapsulation, repair, lamination and full range of digital preservation.

Reach Out:

When in 2018 and 2019 Kerala witnessed the worst floods that displaced nearly a million people, the MRPC team professionally assisted the public to restore thousands of important documents relevant to their personal lives. Nearly 50,000 documents which were torn, muddled inseparably with sludge and silt were recovered in this restoration effort.

Preservation:

Preservation of traditional palm-leaves is an on-going task that moves along with the B.Voc Course. The centre makes accessible the treasure of such documents to researchers and scholars world-wide on request.

On Going Project:

Currently we have an ongoing one-year project of British Library (UK) called Endangered Archives Programme titled ‘Preservation and Digitisation of manuscripts belonging to 16th to 20th century in Central Kerala’. “The Endangered Archives Programme captures forgotten and still not written histories, often suppressed or marginalised. It gives voice to the voiceless: it opens a dialogue with global humanity’s multiple pasts. It is a library of history still waiting to be written.” The aim of this digitization project is to collect, process and digitize approximately 84 documents distributed in a total of 77 palm leaves documents and 7 old books to yield approximately 16000 + images. The project team has been actively carrying out the process of digitization and documentation in the form of palm leaves and ancient books.

British library project team: Project Lead: Mrs.Litty Chacko

Co Applicants Dr.Aneesh E M, Dr.Sharrel Rebello, Dr.N R Mangalambal

Research Assistant: Sona s, Technical Staff: Rosy Chandy, Office Staff: Elsa Devassy.

Consulting: The centre has helped institutions and banks to preserve many of their valuable documents as a part of consulting initiatives with the centre. We have assisted local bodies, schools and individuals too.

Advisory Board 

Prof. Achuthsankar S Nair

Interdisciplinary Academic

Manu S Pillai

Author, Historian

Dr.Salil S

Governing Council Member

Director

Litty Chacko