After successfully digitizing 10,982 pages of manuscripts made from lontar and papers inscribed with Balinese script, Wikisource Loves Manuscripts (WiLMa) held a meet-up in Denpasar to transcribe Balinese manuscripts in Wikisource. The event was held in Renon, Denpasar, on Sunday, 1 December 2024 and featured Ilham Nurwansah, Wikimedian in Residence for WiLMa, as the main speaker.
“Preservation of Balinese manuscripts should be synergized simultaneously and consistently to create an optimal cultural ecosystem,” said Ilham. “It is hoped that this community meet-up will encourage Wikisource users to remain active in contributing and editing on Wikisource,” he added.
The event involved proofreading pages from three manuscripts: Kandaning Pemangku Maseha (WM ID 001 0009), Tatwaniŋmanuṣā (WM ID 001 0016), and Babad Pasek Gelgel (WM ID 001 0017). In total, 86 manuscript pages were transcribed. These three manuscripts are part of the collection of Made Oka Suryawan Salain, which was digitized by WiLMa in 2023.
Abdullah Maulani, WiLMa Community Coordinator, appreciated the event, saying, “Community-based events like this are crucial to implement simultaneously so that the manuscript preservation ecosystem in Indonesia functions well. Essentially, the manuscripts that have been digitized must be utilized for scientific knowledge,” he concluded.
The WiLMa pilot in Indonesia successfully digitized manuscripts from Java, Bali, and West Sumatra, totaling 28,371 pages. In addition to digitizing, WiLMa also collaborates with communities in these three regions to transcribe the digitized manuscripts in Wikisource. Wikimedia communities around the world are now collaborating to digitize and preserve their literary heritage with the WiLMa initiative.
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