The Panjab Digital Library (PDL) Canada announced its fundraising campaign for 2014  - 2015 at an event hosted by Bernie Simpson of Simpson Thomas & Associates and Rosy Manhas of Cascade Insurance. 

Many South Asian community leaders attended the event, representing diverse cultural, religious and ethnic backgrounds. PDL is dedicated to safeguarding and digitizing the Panjabi heritage of 120 million Panjabis worldwide, with a large population in Metro Vancouver.

“This campaign is a signal to our community and the world about the importance of preserving Panjab’s artifacts,” says Baljinder Narang, president of PDL Canada. “We are asking the local South Asian community for their financial support.”

Since 2003, PDL has played a large part in preserving rare manuscripts and priceless pieces of Panjab’s history that were being destroyed. With more than 9 million pages digitized, PDL has become a cultural institution with the largest free online resource of Panjab’s heritage. The campaign will support the work of PDL by making digitized documents easier to find online via the Panjab Digital Library.

“The work done by PDL is of enormous benefit to students, teachers, scholars, and lifelong learners, and I am gratified to see that it continues to grow. Being a part of this historic project is a tremendous way to make some Panjab’s most significant treasures available alongside those of other great museums, libraries, and archives around the world," says Baljinder Narang.

To learn more, visit  www.panjabdigilib.org.