GELUGOR, September 5 – Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) has been granted exclusive digital access rights to the Light Letters, a significant collection of Malay manuscripts, through a Memorandum of Agreement with the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London. This unprecedented agreement allows USM’s Centre for Policy Research and Hamzah Sendut Library to provide researchers and the public with online access to the digitized 1,200 letters, which include crucial historical correspondences from the Malay Archipelago, dated between 1768 and 1794.
USM Vice-Chancellor, Professor Dato’ Seri Ir. Dr. Abdul Rahman Mohamed, emphasized the collection’s importance, highlighting its potential to support extensive research in the Humanities, particularly in Nusantara history. The digitization project will preserve this valuable historical heritage, making it more accessible for scholars globally, while enhancing the understanding of Malaysia’s rich cultural past.
