::. ABOUT K@BORNEO


K@Borneo project is a collective effort to collaborate internationally on identification and preservation of Borneo materials with participating institutions/institutions from chosen countries like Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia and Malaysia. A special name was coined by the participating organizations to reflect the nature of this exciting project. The name k@Borneo, which means the key to knowledge on Borneo. It is vital to identify, acquire, maintain and make accessible all types of information resources about Borneo, particularly those that are held in various locations throughout Borneo. This is the first phase of the project, in the second phase items held throughout the world will also be recorded. The study of Borneo is becoming more important and popular in view of the island's strategic location in the middle of Southeast Asia, rich in fauna and flora and having a diverse population of many ethnic groups. Documentation of its rich culture has been carried out since before the era of colonization. Now a serious effort has been made to identify, preserve and make accessible all of these materials. Concerted effort to identify and preserve materials on Borneo is of significant importance in order to increase accessibility, ensure intellectual continuity, and to support research.


1. Compilation of Borneo Bibliography
All printed materials available in Borneo/Kalimantan shall be compiled
and listed in the Borneo Bibliography.

2. Digitization of selected Borneo materials
Materials treated in paper include prints and drawings as well as other works of art
on paper but not limited to archival materials, photographs, maps, architectural drawings
and parchments. Good selection policies ensure that resources are invested wisely
in digitizing the most significant and useful collections at the lowest cost.

3. Accessibility of Borneo materials
Digitised collections reach the world's largest and most diverse audience. The WEB audience
includes scholars, students, the general public, donors, collection creators, publishers
and discipline specialists. Having the digitised collection on the WEB and with the publication
of the Borneo Bibliography, access to the original collection and knowledge
of their location will be made possible.

PARTICIPATING ORGANISATIONS
1. Ministry of Community Development and Consumer Affairs, Sabah, Malaysia
2. Pustaka Negeri Sarawak (Sarawak State Library), Malaysia
3. Sabah Foundation, Sabah, Malaysia
4. Sarawak Museum Department, Sarawak, Malaysia
5. Universitas Tanjungpura (UNTAN), Kalimantan Barat, Indonesia
6. Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD), Negara Brunei Darussalam
7. Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS), Sabah, Malaysia
8. Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS), Sarawak, Malaysia

An MOU was signed on 12 August 2002 between all the eight participating organizations.
This MOU will be in force three years from the date of signing of the MOU
or until the completion of the digitization phase of the Project. Among others,
the participating organizations agreed on the following:

1. Collaborative training programmes
The parties are to collaborate on training initiatives for purpose of undertaking the various
stages in the Project. Deliberations on the scope, schedule, duration
and methods of financing the programmes and the terms and conditions are spelt out.

2. Workshops and Meetings
The parties are to collaborate on organizing workshops and meeting for the purpose of
meeting the Project objectives. These workshops and meetings are to be held
on a rotation basis.

3. Identification of Borneo Materials
The parties are responsible to identify Borneo materials in their own organization/country
and to assist each other in identifying such materials.

4. Compilation of Borneo Materials
The parties agreed to compile in the form of a Bibliography both in printed
as well as digital format. All information on Borneo so identified will contain a point
of access to the diverse collection on Borneo available in this region.

5. Digitization of Borneo Materials
The parties agreed to undertake selective digitization of materials on Borneo.

6. Sharing of Information
The parties agreed to share and give mutual access to their digitised materials,
taking into account limitations on access and confidentiality of materials concerned.