[INDOLOGY] 20th anniversary of the Muktabodha digital library and KSTS series.

[Harry Spier]

Dear list members,

Two weeks ago was the 20th anniversary of the launch of the Muktabodha
digital library.  On Nov. 7, 2003 the online library was launched with the
75 volumes of the KSTS series that were then out of copyright.

At that time no single library (at least in the USA) had a complete set of
the KSTS series, not even the Library of Congress. I would take the bus
from a small town about 75 miles from New York City and commute in to the
city and photocopy the copies in the New York Public Library , usually 4 or
5 volumes each trip, a page at a time.  Some of these volumes were
literally falling apart.  After each trip I'd scan each page into
Muktabodha's computer.  The New York Public Library would find out for me,
which libraries had the volumes they were missing and get them for me by
inter-library loan.

One thing we discovered was that when the KSTS volumes were originally
printed in Kashmir, some mistakes were made in the volume numbers and some
volume numbers were never used. One volume was originally printed with the
wrong volume number. The printers then overwrote this by hand with the
correct volume number (only in some cases). So not only did no single
library have all volumes, but even the library of congress had errors in
its cataloguing of the series.  In case its still of use to anyone or of
historical interest, I'm attaching the document I created at that time with
the correct title and volume information for the KSTS series.

In the announcement of the launch of the Muktabodha digital library to the
Indology list on Nov. 7, 2003 we wrote: * . . . Muktabodha plans
subsequently to make available in the form of digital images thousands of
texts, primarily from the Shaiva, Shakta, and Vedic traditions ... *
Through grace and hard work we were able to accomplish that task.

Thank you,
Harry Spier
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