Wikisource Conference 2025/Submissions/Through the Lens: Preserving Manuscripts Digitally in the WILMA Project in Bali
Title
[edit]Through the Lens: Preserving Manuscripts Digitally in the WILMA Project in Bali
Description
[edit]The presentation will be a sharing session on my experiences as part of the WILMA (wikisource love manuscripts) project in Bali. As an assistant photographer for this project during the mission in Bali, I had numerous interesting experiences and had the opportunity to participate in the digital preservation process. This technique is crucial to discuss because, when working with manuscripts, I learn a lot about how to produce a nice shot. In this session, I will share my own experiences and strategies for photographing Balinese lontar manuscripts, as well as the problems I had while working on these projects. When digitizing Balinese manuscripts, I address concerns such as document arrangement, sharpness of writing, lighting, document fragility, and the need for high focus to produce precise photos. I also explore the potential of digitization in preserving Balinese manuscripts. Through this visual documentation, we not only conserve the physical look of these manuscripts but also contribute to their long-term accessibility and study by scholars and anyone else interested in Bali manuscripts from all over the globe. My work as an assistant photographer for the WILMA project highlights the significance of photography in the digital humanities, as well as the collaborative effort required to digitally transform and preserve our cultural history.
Relationship to Wikisource or to the theme
[edit]This presentation shows the potential of visual documentation as one of the critical efforts to preserve Balinese lontar manuscripts through the Wilma project, in addition to preserving the physical lontar with increased accessibility, it also opens up great opportunities for long-term studies by scholars and anyone interested in Balinese manuscripts from around the world. As an assistant photographer for the WILMA project, I consider photography in digital humanities to be very important, as a collaborative effort in transforming and preserving our cultural history digitally.
Username of speaker(s)
[edit]Session type
[edit]Lightning Talk
Duration
[edit]5-10 minutes
Outcomes
[edit]The outcomes are to share experiences about preserving manuscripts digitally in the WILMA (wikisource love manuscripts) Project in Bali.