Evaluating the Effectiveness of Optical Character Recognition (OCR) in Preserving and Digitizing Nusantara Traditional Manuscripts
Keywords:
OCR, Nusantara manuscripts, Digital preservation, Cultural heritage, Script recognition.Abstract
The preservation of Nusantara traditional literary texts faces challenges due to the fragility of manuscripts and the complexity of local scripts such as Javanese, Lontara, Balinese, and Batak. While Optical Character Recognition (OCR) has been widely applied in global digitization projects, its effectiveness in recognizing Nusantara scripts remains underexplored. Previous studies highlight OCR’s role in cultural heritage preservation and accessibility but also note significant accuracy gaps in non-Latin scripts. This research aims to evaluate the usability and limitations of OCR in processing Nusantara manuscripts. A qualitative-descriptive approach was employed by testing OCR tools on selected digitized manuscripts, with analysis focusing on recognition accuracy, error patterns, and integration with digital library systems. The findings indicate that OCR can successfully convert texts into searchable formats, improving accessibility for researchers, educators, and the public. However, challenges remain in handling complex diacritics, script variations, and degraded texts. The study concludes that OCR, while not fully reliable as an automated solution, is a valuable tool for safeguarding Nusantara heritage when combined with manual verification and script-specific model development.
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