Prof Abdul Rahman (left) handing over digitalised copies of the original Light Letters to the Sultan of Kedah at Istana Anak Bukit. — Photo courtesy of USM
UNIVERSITI Sains Malaysia (USM) has been granted exclusive rights by the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, to access digital images of its collection of 18th century letters from the Malay world.
Known as the Light Letters project, the collection features written messages from the Malay Archipelago era between the years of 1768 and 1794.
The rights were gained through USM’s Centre for Policy Research and the Hamzah Sendut Library (HSL) via a memorandum of understanding (MOU) called “Loan of Light Letters” signed in September 2018.
USM, in a statement, said the loan access to SOAS’ digital images was the first of its kind to be provided to an institution outside of SOAS.
The digital images have been named “The Digital Collection of the Light Letters”.
Along with descriptive metadata, transcriptions and transliterations, these are now accessible online for researchers, scholars and the public.
“The Malay Archipelago Correspondence Collection 1768-1794 is the largest collection of Malay manuscripts in the world.
“It contains 1,200 letters stored in 11 volumes.
“These include writings and notes from the old Malay Sultanates, royalty, dignitaries and prominent figures from the Malay Archipelago, business associates, wives of Malay nobles, Francis Light and several English traders over a period of 26 years,” said the statement.
For example, there are multiple messages between Light and the Kedah royal family exchanging information related to trade, culture and the region’s history.
The letters are classified into those sent to Light, Light’s business associate James Scott as well as notes, records, drafts and copies sent by Light.
There are also categories for letters from kings and dignitaries.
Other documents comprise bills, receipts, petitions and contracts.
Letters in the collection originated from Penang, Kedah, Perlis, Selangor, Perak, Terengganu, Kelantan, Borneo, Acheh, Asahan, Batu Bahara, Siak, Palembang and Pontianak.
Through the project, SOAS has granted USM access to the Light Letters under its rights for cataloguing and searching for transcriptions and transliterations.
Proper storage of the 2,400 images of the digitised letters is also a focus of the agreement.
Under the MOU, USM has the rights to store these images as long as the agreement terms are upheld by both parties and are renewed annually.
Part of HSL’s responsibility is to ensure the images are accessible through a dedicated portal, while transcriptions and descriptive metadata are accessible through the open-source software system libdigital.usm.my
The library’s role in cataloguing the digital letters is also highlighted.
The MOU also stated the Centre for Policy Research’s role in the transliterations and transcriptions of the letters.
USM vice-chancellor Prof Datuk Seri Dr Abdul Rahman Mohamed said USM’s custodian role of the digital Light Letters would provide opportunities for humanities researchers to conduct new studies.
“The Light Letters hold great potential for research across various fields and will aid in studies, particularly in the history of the Nusantara region.
“The access to digital images greatly enhances the availability and quality of historical sources for researchers and scholars, supporting efforts to preserve and understand valuable historical heritage,” he said.
To mark USM’s success in obtaining the exclusive rights from SOAS, a handover of digitalised copies of the Light Letters was held at Istana Anak Bukit in Alor Setar, Kedah.
At the palace, Sultan of Kedah Al-Aminul Karim Sultan Sallehuddin Sultan Badlishah graced the ceremony that symbolised the returning of the letters to their original owners or roots.
The ceremony has an added meaning as the Light Letters are part of the nation’s annals, especially in Kedah and Penang.
