Conservation and Preservation challenges of Palm Leaf Manuscripts in the Natinal Library and Documentation Centre of Sri Lanka

Abstract

The concept of the library goes back man began to make and keeP written to the origin of the lluman civilization' When records, library came into existence' .t After the renaissance and reformation in Europe, philosophy of the libraries underwent a change. The libraries wele considered as store houses of knowledge from ancient time to middle ages. A{ter the invention of printing and the dissemination of liberal thoughts, consequently the library became a dissemination centre of human knowledge. The concept of the National Library(Nl) atso emerged against this background. The origin of the NL concept goes back to ancient libraries of the world' According to some librarians and historians, the library of Alexandria was a NL. It performed some functions, which the present NLs are carrying out' However there is no agreement about the origin of the NL concePt' Sri Lanka is an Island situated in the Indian Ocean and is situated about 645 km north of the equator and is separated from india by the Gul{ of Mannar as well as the Palk strait. The total lanc1 area of the country is about 65610 square kilometers' The population of the country is about 20 miilion. The rnajority of Sri Lankans are the Si*halese and other cornmunities are Taurils, Muslims and Burghers. Literacy rate of the countr y is 94%.It is a multilingual and a rnulti cultural country' The main religion of the country is Buddhism.