This article was downloaded by: [University of North Dakota]On: 20 December 2014, At: 01:29Publisher: RoutledgeInforma Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954Registered office: Mortimer House, 37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH,UK

Journal of Web LibrarianshipPublication details, including instructions forauthors and subscription information:http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/wjwl20

The International DunhuangProjectSarah Beasley a & Candice Kail ba Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh Film & Audio ,Pittsburgh, PA, USAb Software Engineering Institute, Carnegie MellonUniversity , Pittsburgh, PA, USAPublished online: 12 Oct 2008.

To cite this article: Sarah Beasley & Candice Kail (2007) The International DunhuangProject, Journal of Web Librarianship, 1:1, 113-122, DOI: 10.1300/J502v01n01_09

To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1300/J502v01n01_09

PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE

Taylor & Francis makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all theinformation (the “Content”) contained in the publications on our platform.However, Taylor & Francis, our agents, and our licensors make norepresentations or warranties whatsoever as to the accuracy, completeness,or suitability for any purpose of the Content. Any opinions and viewsexpressed in this publication are the opinions and views of the authors, andare not the views of or endorsed by Taylor & Francis. The accuracy of theContent should not be relied upon and should be independently verified withprimary sources of information. Taylor and Francis shall not be liable for anylosses, actions, claims, proceedings, demands, costs, expenses, damages,and other liabilities whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly orindirectly in connection with, in relation to or arising out of the use of theContent.

This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes.Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan,sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution in any form to anyone is

expressly forbidden. Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found athttp://www.tandfonline.com/page/terms-and-conditions

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Uni

vers

ity o

f N

orth

Dak

ota]

at 0

1:29

20

Dec

embe

r 20

14

GLOBAL CONNECTIONS

The International Dunhuang Project

Sarah BeasleyCandice Kail

Welcome to the first Global Connections column. The purpose ofthis column is to raise awareness in the United States of English-lan-guage, library-related websites and web projects in other countries.With today’s shrinking borders and increasing collaboration, it is evenmore important to ensure that we are not ethnocentric when identifyingand using exceptional digital projects.

Sarah Beasley is Manager, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh Film & Audio, Pittsburgh, PA(E-mail: beasleys@carnegielibrary.org)

Candice Kail is Senior Writer/Editor, Software Engineering Institute, CarnegieMellon University, Pittsburgh, PA (E-mail: kailc@carnegielibrary.org).

Journal of Web Librarianship, Vol. 1(1) 2007Available online at http://jwl.haworthpress.com

© 2007 by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved.doi:10.1300/J502v01n01_09 113

Sarah Beasley Candice Kail

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Uni

vers

ity o

f N

orth

Dak

ota]

at 0

1:29

20

Dec

embe

r 20

14

Given this mission, we have developed several criteria to provide fo-cus and guidance to our selection process. We will strive to:

• cover the broadest possible geographic area• represent many different types of libraries• highlight a range of projects• limit selection to sites and projects with free or largely free access• select sites demonstrating excellent design and interface

The reason for restricting our selection to sites or projects available inEnglish is twofold. First, this is an English-language journal. Second,we do not have the capability to effectively or fairly analyze a site that isnot available in English.

With those guidelines in mind, we invite anyone with knowledge ofan exceptional website or digital project affiliated with a library outsideof the United States to submit a recommendation to us at jwl.global@gmail.com. Projects affiliated with organizations in the United Stateswill be considered as long as they have a substantial internationalconnection.

THE INTERNATIONAL DUNHUANG PROJECT

Our first column focuses on the International Dunhuang Project (http://idp.bl.uk/). The IDP represents a perfect example of the kind of web proj-ect we hope to highlight in this column. The IDP’s mission is “to promotethe study and preservation of the archeological legacy of the Eastern SilkRoad through international cooperation,”1 and the project has creatednew inroads of collaboration among countries and institutions. Based atthe British Library, the project incorporates a wide variety of collectionsrelating to the Silk Road. By combining local training centers with collab-orative partners and international conferences, the IDP offers a wealth ofinformation resources online that are truly international in scope. TheIDP’s goal is to make information about and images of thousands of arti-facts from Dunhuang and other Silk Road sites available on the Internet toanyone from scholars to laypeople. Subjects range from manuscripts totextiles and include paintings and other artifacts. The site is attractive, ex-tremely functional, and free to access (see Figure 1).

A Brief History of the Silk Road and the IDP

The Silk Road was a 4,000-mile trade route linking China and theWest, specifically Rome. Its trade uses began circa 100 B.C., channel-

114 JOURNAL OF WEB LIBRARIANSHIP

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Uni

vers

ity o

f N

orth

Dak

ota]

at 0

1:29

20

Dec

embe

r 20

14

ing silk to the west and wools, gold, silver, and new religions to the east.With the decline of Roman power, the route became increasingly un-safe, and its use declined. The Mongols revived it in the 13th century,when it was traveled by Marco Polo, and it was used into the 14th cen-tury (see Figure 2).

During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, extensive excavationsof the Library Cave at Dunhuang and other ancient Silk Road sites, suchas temples and tombs in the Taklamakan and Gobi deserts, unearthed atremendous collection of artifacts dating from 100 B.C. to AD 1200.Artifacts included paintings, manuscripts, textiles, and numerous otherobjects. Taken together, these items provide an invaluable glimpse intothe extraordinary world that surrounded the Eastern Silk Road duringthe first millennium AD. Over twenty languages were identified on themanuscripts, and paintings and murals were found on silk, hemp, andpaper. Scenes depicted were primarily Buddhist but also representedother religions and themes. Many of the artifacts were also Buddhist,but plenty of everyday objects were found as well.

Global Connections 115

FIGURE 1

Used with permisson.

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Uni

vers

ity o

f N

orth

Dak

ota]

at 0

1:29

20

Dec

embe

r 20

14

FIG

UR

E2

Rep

rinte

dw

ithpe

rmis

sion

from

The

Inte

rnat

iona

lDun

huan

gP

roje

ct.<

http

://id

p.bl

.uk/

>

116

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Uni

vers

ity o

f N

orth

Dak

ota]

at 0

1:29

20

Dec

embe

r 20

14

Because of the number of expeditions and the variety of countriesthat undertook expeditions throughout Asia and along the Silk Road,the collections were dispersed worldwide. Some discoveries went to in-stitutions affiliated with the expeditions, and some were sold to muse-ums and archives in other countries. Maintaining their vast Silk Roadcollections challenged these institutions financially, and the institutionswere often unable to systematically archive and preserve these items,therefore limiting the availability of manuscripts and other materialsfor study. In October 1993, the curators and conservators from all in-stitutions holding excavated materials met to discuss this problem.The result was the creation of the International Dunhuang Project,with five local centers and nine collaborating members. From 1993 to1997, the IDP focused on the conservation and cataloging of the col-lections. In 1997, in an effort to bring together the dispersed collectionsvirtually, digitization of the manuscripts began. The IDP websitedebuted in October 1998, allowing free access to the entire IDP data-base, which includes information on over 50,000 paintings, artifacts,textiles, manuscripts, photographs, and maps. Digitized image collec-tions are available for nearly 20,000 of these items. It was redesigned in2005 and undergoes ongoing updates and additions.

The local centers–London, Beijing, St. Petersburg, Kyoto, andBerlin–were established to “[train] local staff to use the latest digitis-ation and computer equipment and [share] conservation and scientificadvances among all.”2 These centers have Silk Road collections that areincluded in the extensive IDP database. The founders and collaborativeinstitutions are the British Library, the British Museum, the Victoriaand Albert Museum in London; the Chester Beatty Library in Dublin;the National Library of China in Beijing; the Dunhuang Academy; theInstitute of Oriental Studies in St. Petersburg; the National Museum inNew Delhi; Ryukoko University in Kyoto; Berlin’s State Library andBrandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities; the BibliothequeNationale de France in Paris; Stockholm’s National Museum of Eth-nography and Sven Hedin Foundation; the Freer Gallery of Art in theSmithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.; the University of Califor-nia at Los Angeles and Berkeley; and the Pierpont Morgan Library inNew York. Because the collections of materials found along the SilkRoad are dispersed, the project requires ongoing collaboration not onlyto digitize collections but also to access varying items that werediscovered along the Silk Road.

Global Connections 117

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Uni

vers

ity o

f N

orth

Dak

ota]

at 0

1:29

20

Dec

embe

r 20

14

CONTENT AND SEARCH FUNCTIONALITY OF THE IDP

In addition to the extensive digital collections, the site has a usefulcollection of related links, an interesting history of Chinese bookbind-ing, discussion of Buddhism on the Silk Road, a complete archive ofIDP newsletters, and a timeline of the IDP from 1993 to present. Theyalso plan to launch a site on Silk Road forgeries in 2006.

The collections of the IDP are divided geographically and includesizeable British, Chinese, French, German, Japanese, and Russian col-lections, as well as smaller collections from Sweden, Finland, Ireland,Taiwan, India, and the United States. The website nicely outlines eachcollection’s origins, placing the excavation of each collection into a his-torical context, introducing major players, describing the collections’contents, and outlining what content can already be found in the IDP da-tabase. In addition, the website provides information on how eachcollection can be accessed in person (see Figure 3).

The IDP offers a number of access points for scholars and laypeoplevia their extensive website and database collection. Google is used forsearching within the site itself. The site offers a number of differenttypes of information, research, and collections, making it useful to amore varied audience than some portions of the database. The site’s ed-ucation resources offer unique learning opportunities for younger stu-dents and collaboration opportunities for teachers. The Silk RoadExhibit and the Silk Road Project offer a wealth of online informationfor college and high school students as well as the general public.

Because of the complexity of the collection, there are many issues toconsider when searching the database. These include search terminol-ogy, available indexed fields, issues concerning the images of the itemsthemselves, and the availability of translations for portions of specificmanuscripts. The “Search the IDP Database” option in the menu on theleft side of each page allows searching of indexed fields and searchesonly those records that have images, which is less than half of the col-lection. The advanced search is more comprehensive, allowing users tosearch by pressmark, by indexed values, and by free-text searchingwithin titles and catalogue entries. The advanced search allows the userto deselect the “Show Only Records with Images” option for each typeof search it offers. The term “image” does not mean simply a scannedphoto; this term refers to a collection of digitized objects accompanyingan entry. This can include maps, artifacts, manuscripts, and other itemsrelated to the entry. The ability to combine physically disparate yet

118 JOURNAL OF WEB LIBRARIANSHIP

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Uni

vers

ity o

f N

orth

Dak

ota]

at 0

1:29

20

Dec

embe

r 20

14

closely related materials truly highlights the power and potential ofdigitization and the IDP as a collective.

For researchers, the IDP database offers powerful access points to thecollections; however, for laypeople, they are not very intuitive. Familiarityaffords a better search experience. The IDP News, Winter 2005, Issue 26,offers a comprehensive explanation of the advanced search options, ex-plaining many of the nuances. This issue is available via the IDP archives inthe IDP Newsletter area (http://idp.bl.uk/pages/archives_ newsletter.a4d), which is the current issue as of the writing of this article. Exploringthe collections using the “Show Catalogues” option in the left column thatappears on every screen is another way to become familiar with the varietyof items and collections available in the database. Collection catalogues areadded as they become digitally available (see Figure 4).

The pressmark search allows users to search by each institution’sunique catalogue number, which is similar to an archival finding aid andto database accession numbers. These numbers are formed according to

Global Connections 119

FIGURE 3

Used with permission.

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Uni

vers

ity o

f N

orth

Dak

ota]

at 0

1:29

20

Dec

embe

r 20

14

an item’s relationship to a specific institution and to the expeditions in-volved in excavating that item. According to the IDP FAQ, “A pressmarkis the name given to a unique string (which might include letters andnumbers) which an institution such as a library or museum gives to eachobject in its collection. It is therefore a unique identifier of this object.Most catalogues of library and museum collections and exhibition cata-logues will contain the pressmark.”3 The example of a pressmark offeredby the IDP is Or.8210/S.767. “Or.” signifies the Oriental section of theBritish Library, “8210” signifies Stein’s second expedition, ”S.” standsfor Marc Aurel Stein, who led four Silk Road expeditions, and “767” de-notes a particular item found in that expedition.4 In searching the press-marks, users can select “contains” or “is equal to” as well as choosingwhether to limit their search to those entries with images.

Searching indexed values allows users to conduct a very specificsearch based on artifact type, holding institute, subject or keyword, lan-guage, and other options. These selections each offer a menu that allows

120 JOURNAL OF WEB LIBRARIANSHIP

FIGURE 4

Used with permission.

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Uni

vers

ity o

f N

orth

Dak

ota]

at 0

1:29

20

Dec

embe

r 20

14

users to choose from a list of options or to select the “All” option. Typi-cal selection devices are available in the menus, including selectingmultiple yet separate options by using the Windows control key or theApple key while also clicking the choices with mouse. The “free text”search option allows users to enter a search string and to select from alist of collection catalogues to limit results (see Figure 5).

Though its search functions are somewhat complex, the results aretremendous and well worth the effort of learning the nuances of their da-tabase. The screen shot below offers a result from a free text search for“Dunhuang_Mogao,” limited to records with an image. Language barri-ers in the manuscripts can often be overcome by the descriptions that ac-company many of the items in the collections (see Figure 6).

CONCLUSION

The International Dunhuang Project is an amazing example of theimportance, power, and potential inherent in digital collaboration. This

Global Connections 121

FIGURE 5

Used with permission.

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Uni

vers

ity o

f N

orth

Dak

ota]

at 0

1:29

20

Dec

embe

r 20

14

project provides resources to all levels of users from schoolchildren topost-doctoral researchers. It offers a springboard for collaboration andis an inspiration for other cross-cultural, multidimensional library-related websites.

NOTES

1. International Dunhuang Project, “About IDP,” Welcome to the InternationalDunhuang Project, http://idp.bl.uk/pages/about.a4d (accessed July 7, 2006).

2. International Dunhuang Project, “IDP Centres,” Welcome to the InternationalDunhuang Project, http://idp.bl.uk/pages/about.a4d#5 (accessed July 7, 2006).

3. International Dunhuang Project, “IDP Help,” Welcome to the InternationalDunhuang Project, http://idp.bl.uk/pages/help.a4d#FAQ3 (accessed 10 July 2006).

4. International Dunhuang Project, “IDP News Issue No. 27,” Welcome to the Inter-national Dunhuang Project, http://idp.bl.uk/archives/news_current/news_current.a4d#5 (accessed 10 July 2006).

122 JOURNAL OF WEB LIBRARIANSHIP

FIGURE 6

Used with permission.

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Uni

vers

ity o

f N

orth

Dak

ota]

at 0

1:29

20

Dec

embe

r 20

14