- Preservation of Tibetan Books in Cloth Book Covers, dpe ras -

Traditionally Tibetan and Mongolian books were kept wrapped with cloth book covers, usually made of silk or cotton, that preserved them from dust and other external influence. Sometimes cloth was treated with insecticide, a measure suitable for the Central Asian environment. In the upper part a long strait of the same cloth was input to which a decorative label bearing the brief title of the treatise, glegs bu, was attached. Cloth was usually yellow, orange or red which are traditional Buddhist colors.

Most of the Tibetan books at the IOM’s collected used to have such book covers. Regretfully, during the Soviet time a measure was taken to remove the greater part of the book covers since they were considered to be dust collectors. Instead, the books were placed between cardboard sheets or wrapped with paper. Such methods of preserving the books can hardly be called optimal. Therefore we decided to return gradually to the use of traditional Tibetan book covers.

The cloth book covers that still have remained, all in all about one thousand pieces, were washed and used for the wrapping of volumes of Cone and Narthang Bka’ ’gyur . Obtaining new book covers is the most difficult point now. Thanks to help of our friends about 500 pieces were acquired. Nonetheless there remain about 25,000 volumes at the collection, but we hope that the project will be eventually accomplished, and we will be happy to receive more help from any interested persons or organizations.

The process of wrapping of books with covers: Dr S.S. Sabrukova is at work