Progress Report: Archives in Lhasa

by Jim Canary
I traveled to Lhasa twice this year to participate in preservation related activities at the Tibetan Autonomous Region Archives (TARA). We have installed some new equipment, notably a suc-tion table with humidification chamber and an ultrasonic welder. Mark Barnard and Kumiko Matsuoka, conservators at the British Library, surveyed a group of materials for preservation, and we are preparing to initiate an intensive training program for conservation staff this summer. See out 1999 newsletter for background information.
While in Lhasa, I had the opportunity to work with Sonam Norgyal on the preparation of thing-shog, the beautiful blue-black paper he produces for the writing of manuscripts in gold ink. I was very fortunate to meet up with Ani Lekshe Tsomo, a nun from Hawaii and her travelling companion Mike Barber, who had a beautiful Sony digital video camera. With their generous help, we were able to document the making of mthing-shog paper, as well as shooting some footage at the school of the Paper Road project. Many thanks for their generosity and enthusiasm with helping us in our efforts to document and preserve the traditions of Tibetan Book Arts.
I received the Herb and Virginia White award from the School of Library and Information Science at Indiana University, which will enable me to take a course in fiber microscopy to better understand Tibetan papermaking fibers. I will also be spending a week at the British Library working with Mark and Kumiko on documentation for Tibetan paper documents and examining the extensive Stein Collection of Tibetan papers and bindings. I plan to teach some Tibetan binding structures in Lhasa to the students at JCWSS on this summer’s visit.