ICHCAP

ICHCAP invited the project team of the National Library and Archives of Bhutan (NLAB) to Korea for three days, from 24 to 26 August 2025, to conduct the “Field Training Program on Digitization of Bhutan’s ICH-related Analogue Audiovisual Resources.” This program is part of a digitization cooperation project launched in 2011, which aims to convert approximately 540 hours of audiovisual analog materials—recordings of oral traditions, mask dances, and folk dances produced in the 1990s—into a preservable digital format. With this initiative, Bhutan has become the 11th country to participate in ICHCAP’s digitization cooperation project.

The Bhutanese delegation included Mr. Yeshi Lhendup, Mr. Lobzang Norbu, Ms. Pema Dema, Ms. Karma Karma, and Mr. Phub Thinley. During their stay in Korea, the team visited the National Archives of Korea, the Korean Film Archive Paju Preservation Center, Korea Educational Broacasting System (EBS), and the National Folk Museum of Korea to observe firsthand the systems of digital archiving and preservation management. They also held working-level consultations to review technical challenges in digitization, discuss possible improvements, and explore ways to link their digitized collections with the ichLinks platform.

Participants emphasized that the training program provided significant support for enhancing Bhutan’s capacity in digitization projects. Mr. Yeshi Lhendup, Chief Research Librarian, remarked, “Learning from Korea’s specialized institutions and their methods of preservation and management was truly invaluable.” Ms. Pema Dema, Senior Technician, added, “This program allowed us to go beyond technical knowledge and provided us with a clear direction on how to manage digitized materials and connect them with an international platform.”

Building on this training, ICHCAP and the NLAB will further advance the digitization project. The goal is to complete the digital conversion of all 540 hours of analogue audiovisual materials by the end of 2025 and subsequently make them available through the ichLinks platform, thereby sharing them not only with the Asia-Pacific region but also with the international community. This effort is expected to safeguard Bhutan’s invaluable intangible heritage records from the risk of deterioration and to lay the foundation for their broader utilization.