By Walter Ang
March 8, 2011
Philippine Daily Inquirer
Philippine Daily Inquirer
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| EMC President for Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand David Webster and CCP President Raul Sunico. |
The technology, worth P9 million, will be used in a digitization project that will involve storing, protecting, managing and providing access to the CCP library’s vast collection of national, cultural and historical materials.
The collection dates back to 1970 and consists of approximately 40,000 hours of audio, 30,000 hours of film, 6,500 photos, 28,000 slides and 56,000 manuscripts.
The donor, EMC Corp., is a developer and provider of information infrastructure technology with clients in the banking, telecommunications and transportation industries, among others.
“Poetry, film, music, visual arts and expressions of humanity are all part of a country’s national, cultural and historical heritage and, yet, many of these critical documents and cultural artifacts are at risk of disappearing without the right information infrastructure systems,” said David Webster, EMC president for Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand. “EMC recognizes and supports the protection of such important heritage of the Philippines for the enjoyment and appreciation of future generations of Filipinos,” he said.
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Here are additional notes that I made that were edited out of the published article for length:
The donation includes hardware equipment, the Celerra NS-120 Storage System, which has 18 terabytes of usable disk storage capacity that can eventually be expanded to 32 terabytes. The system is configured to allow storage expansion for future growth and additional storage requirements including additional IT applications such as CCP's email, finance, human resource and administration operations.
The system will run on the company’s proprietary ApplicationXtender Content Management Software. The software will allow users to browse and search the digitized files using desktop computers and even web browsers when the information will be made available on the Internet.
Hands-on training will be provided for the CCP’s designated IT and library digitization staff on the proper use and maintenance of the storage system.
“EMC's collaboration with CCP is a natural fit with our core business and expertise around storing, protecting and managing critical digital information assets," said Ronnie Latinazo, EMC Philippines country manager. “It has been a rewarding challenge to help CCP create a virtual and interactive environment to make information on Philippines' rich cultural past available and accessible to everyone. This is EMC's way of giving back to the community after having operated in the Philippines for the past ten years.”
The CCP was established in 1969 through Executive Order No. 30 to preserve Filipino arts and culture and to promote the development and appreciation of national arts and culture. The documentation of performances and other art forms were accumulated to provide entertainment and educational materials to the public.
"We commend EMC's generosity,” said Raul Sunico, CCP president. “The CCP is honored to be a beneficiary of this digital preservation initiative. It shows EMC's spirit and vision of making technology a vital tool in building a better Philippines and outstanding Filipinos. This partnership will benefit not only this generation but the youth of the future as well.”
Open Tuesdays through Fridays, 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 PM. For inquiries, call tel. no. 832-1125 local 1502 and 1503 or email at library@culturalcenter.gov.ph.