While digitized primary sources were an important part of the research process even before the pandemic, the past year and a half has taught us how critical remote access to information can be. Digital space such as SEADL allows us to expand the definition of traditional library materials to present oral histories and television shows alongside palm leaf manuscripts, historic photographs, and rare books.  These materials are all richly described with item-level metadata to enhance their use and are contextualized alongside indexes of online secondary sources related to the region. Beyond its own collections, SEADL links to external primary source repositories, bringing numerous additional items within reach of interested users. With this wealth of aggregated information, SEADL should be one of your first stops in an online search for primary sources related to Southeast Asia.

But it is not simply SEADL’s holdings that make it unique. This digital library is cooperatively managed by the fourteen academic institutions that make up CORMOSEA. These libraries—including Cornell, Northern Illinois University, Yale, and the Library of Congress—pool together subject area knowledge, library collections, professional networks, and financial resources to create a repository that none could build alone. SEADL is a testament to collaboration, demonstrating how partnerships between institutions better facilitate the preservation and sharing of cultural heritage.

A New Position for Sustainability and Growth

With an eye on long-term sustainability, CORMOSEA sought external funding through the Henry Luce Foundation to support two newly created positions, a Southeast Asia Digital Librarian (myself) and a Digital Library Web Developer (Annie Oelschlager at Northern Illinois University). While digital collections are the foundation of any digital library, the work does not end when these materials are placed online. To serve as many library users as possible, collections need advocates, someone to promote them widely and ensure that they continue to meet users’ needs as technologies and standards change over the years.

As the new Southeast Asia Digital Librarian, I actively seek out ways of better connecting SEADL resources with potential users around the world. Recent events have included a virtual tour of SEADL with the Center for Khmer Studies in Cambodia, an introduction to digital primary source research for the New York Southeast Asia Network’s Public University Conference, and the inaugural Southeast Asia Digital Library Undergraduate Paper Award.

Outreach is not the only way that SEADL is growing. We are currently processing five new collections, including palm-leaf manuscripts from the National Library of Cambodia, a selection of rare films from the Thai Film Archive, early printed books from Vietnam, digitized recordings of Cham chants, and the archives of the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia radio broadcasts. In the past, interested users would have had to book an international flight to consult one of these collections, let alone several. But today aggregation through SEADL unites these dispersed collections, enabling users anywhere in the world to access them near instantaneously, without even needing to consult multiple library websites. Be on the lookout for future announcements about the publication of the new collections mentioned here, as well as other forthcoming SEADL events.

Dedicating two full-time positions to SEADL has also allowed for the revitalization of creative projects beyond the traditional means of presenting library materials online. Several years ago Greg Green, Curator of Cornell’s Echols Collection, launched the Virtual Southeast Asia project. While travelling throughout the region, Greg captured nearly 800 photographs of buildings, landscapes, statues, and other sights. Greg then began to geolocate these photographs to create a navigable map of the art and architecture of Southeast Asia. Today, this endeavor has begun again, and we are in the process of geolocating all SEADL collections so that users can browse these resources through a map-based interface.

New Directions

The internet is a large place, and without deliberate care and curation it is easy for digital collections to get lost among the billions of other websites jockeying for your attention. For this reason, SEADL is undergoing a massive overhaul that will improve the ways that the digital library describes and presents its materials online.

Updates will include a newly organized site with a reconfigured information architecture that will streamline site navigation and make it easier for users to orient themselves while searching for resources. In preparation for this migration, we are updating legacy collections with improved description and additional contextualization that will make these items easier to identify and locate when searching both within SEADL and on the internet at large. The SEADL team is also working with a graphic designer to rebrand the site with a modernized, sleek look. With the support of dedicated professionals and a network of libraries united by the goal of open access for Southeast Asia primary sources, SEADL is embarking upon a new chapter, one which embodies growth, innovation, and creativity.

For any questions about SEADL and its collections, please reach out to Emily Zinger at emz42@cornell.edu