In order to discover Bhutan’s rich literary treasures and preserve important and rare documents for posterity, the Documentation Survey team is carrying out a survey of rare texts and documents throughout the country.
The survey work includes digitization and registration of rare texts, and recording of details of ownership and physical location along with an outline of their contents and condition for future reference. In particular the Team is responsible for identifying these rare texts and hence, when a particular rare or important manuscript or xylograph text is discovered, its contents are catalogued and many such texts are either digitised at the location by members of our survey team or else brought to the National Library for microfilming.
There are more than two thousand temples, monasteries owned by the government and the private throughout Bhutan which are expected to hold important text, documents, and manuscripts. Untill the end of 2018 the survey team conducted survey of temples and monasteries in Sandrubjongkhar, Pemagatshel, Bumthang and Tsirang. In the locations surveyed so far, a total of over 4,000 titles had been able to catalogue and digitize.
The results of the survey in seven dzongkhags have been published in the form of a book. In order to complete this important task, over the next few years our team will visit the temples, monasteries and collections in the districts of Bhutan which have so far not been surveyed.
Besides carrying out survey and digitization in different temples and monasteries, digitisation and scanning services of archival materials are also provided at the NLAB to those who wish to have their documents digitized and scanned.