Talk: 1-2pm, Thursday 28 November, John Rylands Research Institute and Library

Sikh Heritage in Colonial Collections: Conservation, digitisation and community engagement with contested collections at The John Rylands Research Institute and Library.

This talk introduces a recent collaborative project between Manchester’s Sikh community and the University of Manchester Library (UML). The talk will be given by Jamie Robinson, Imaging Manager at the John Rylands Research Institute and Library, and Gurtek Singh who works and leads community engagement projects nrelating to significant items of Sikh heritage held in special collections. This talk will reflect on what it means to care for a cultural treasure that is also understood as a living being, and how establishing dialogue with communities is crucial to framing decolonial acts of library collections.

The talk is for anyone interested in Sikh heritage and decolonial approaches to special collections. It is open to members of the public, students and researchers, and takes place online. You can register here.

UML has in its collections one of the oldest known copies of the Sri Guru Granth Sahib, one of the most sacred scriptures in the Shiki faith. The copy currently residing at the Rylands can trace its history back to 21 February 1849, when it was ‘wrested out of the hands of a Sikh Priest at the battle of Guzerat by an Officer of the 52nd Bengal Native Infantry’  It is regarded by Sikhs as the embodiment of the eleventh Guru and revered as a living person, as a result there are many acts of respect that must be considered when even consulting the text. Since 2021, UML has worked closely with the Sikh community in Manchester to conserve, digitise and respectfully care for the Sri Guru Granth Sahib. As well as this, UML have digitised other manuscripts relating to Sikh heritage in the collections and have worked with the community to digitise some of their personal material, adding to the rich history of Sikhi in Manchester. The manuscript has also been taken into the community and used during the Vaisakhi festival and a 70^th anniversary event at Manchester Gurdwara temples.

This is the first attempted decolonial act that the Rylands has undertaken. It has not been without its challenges and we are very much at the beginning of addressing colonial collections at UML. This paper will look at the work undertaken, reflect on our learning and consider future possibilities for decolonising the library.

 Biographies

Jamie Robinson is the Imaging Manager at The University of Manchester Library (UML). Working in the cultural heritage sector for over 17 years, he has wide experience digitising heritage material and has carried out many projects at UML as well as across a variety of UK institutions and further afield. He is currently studying for an MA in Library and Archive Studies with the University of Manchester.

Gurtek Singh works in Education and Public Relations. Apart from having a seat on the Council of Five Manchester Gurdwaras, which manages community relations and events, he has worked on various decolonisation projects with the University of Manchester over the last three years. Notable projects include Sikhs in the City, the Manchester Sikh Digital Heritage Exhibition, and community engagement with sensitive items of Sikh heritage. Gurtek is currently leading a project to exhibit historical items in community spaces and holds an honorary research position with JRRI.

•  Register for the event here.