(TibetanReview.net, Sep12’25) – Representatives from the US Embassy, the National Library of Mongolia (NLM), and the Arizona-based nonprofit Asian Legacy Library (ALL) gathered in Mongolia’s capital Ulaanbaatar on Sep 12 to celebrate the successful completion of a three-year project on “Conservation of Ancient Tibetan Manuscripts and Woodblock Prints at the National Library of Mongolia,” said an embassy statement Sep 12.
The statement said the project, which ran from 2022 to 2025, preserved more than 77,000 titles of manuscripts and woodblock prints housed at NLM. ALL provided technical expertise, digitized manuscripts, and made them globally accessible through its partnership with the Buddhist Digital Resource Center.
The statement said that since its inception, the project had achieved remarkable milestones, including digital preservation of 4,383 volumes, scanning of 1,437,818 pages, and cataloging of 77,544 titles — exceeding the original target by 500%.
The manuscripts were stated to contain traditional knowledge, rituals, epic stories, treatises, and other forms of Mongolian heritage.
The project’s impact was stated to have extended beyond NLM, benefiting institutions such as Zanabazar University at Gandan Monastery and Erdene Zuu Monastery in Kharkhorin. NLM also hosted scholars, scientific conferences, and educational field trips for students, showcasing the initiative’s broader cultural and educational value, the statement said.
US Ambassador Richard L Buangan has said during remarks at the National Library of Mongolia that “the collaboration exemplifies the power of international cooperation in preserving our shared history.”
The initiative was stated to have been funded by the Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP) and ALL.