The Asian Legacy Library

What The Asian Legacy Library does

The Asian Legacy Library (ALL) is a U.S. 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in Sedona, Arizona, dedicated to locating, digitally preserving, and providing free global access to collections of Asian cultural wisdom literature. Formally established in 2021, ALL is the institutional successor to the Asian Classics Input Project (ACIP), which was founded at Princeton University in 1987 and has operated continuously for over 35 years. The organization serves scholars, translators, and Buddhist practitioners worldwide through a digital library platform (library.asianlegacylibrary.org) that provides full-text searchable access to 600,000+ pages of Tibetan Buddhist, Sanskrit, and Nepalese manuscripts.

ALL's core technology stack centers on a SQL database developed and maintained by Data Design Manager Phil Baker that houses full-text and cataloging information across the entire digital library. Preservation operations are conducted by trained teams who perform high-resolution scanning followed by character-by-character transcription with rigorous quality checks. A custom transliteration system converts Sanskrit, Tibetan, and Nepalese scripts (including Ranjana, Prachalit, and Bhujimol) into Roman characters. An offline-capable mobile preservation app extends the workflow to collection holders without internet access. The organization operates seven physical preservation centers across India (Bylakuppe, Hunsur, Tenzin Dickyi Larsoe, Varanasi), Mongolia (National Library of Mongolia, Erdene Zuu Monastery), and Nepal (Nagarjuna Institute of Buddhist Studies), employing approximately 25 staff across the three South India centers plus seven full-time professionals at NIBS.

The business model is entirely donation- and grant-funded with no commercial revenue. Individual donors contribute at preset amounts ($30, $50, $100, $500) via one-time or recurring gifts through the website, supplemented by planned giving instruments (bequests, stock, IRA, real estate, charitable trusts). Institutional funding comes from grants including a $300,000 three-year U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation award (2022), a British Library Endangered Archives Programme Major Project Grant (2022), and ongoing support from the Khyentse Foundation. Distribution occurs through the ALL digital library portal, direct data downloads (Kangyur, Tengyur, Sungbum), and partner platforms including the Buddhist Digital Resource Center (BDRC) BUDA and the Resources for Kanjur & Tanjur Studies (rKTs) at the University of Vienna. Leadership comprises President John C. Brady (a 20-year veteran executive) and Executive Director Emma Grace Lewis (Harvard-trained in Critical Conservation, formerly of BDRC).

Name

The Asian Legacy Library

Legal name

The Asian Legacy Library

Website

https://asianlegacylibrary.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Asian Legacy Library is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that digitally preserves and provides free global access to Asian cultural wisdom literature, operating seven preservation centers across India, Mongolia, and Nepal, and serving scholars, translators, and Buddhist practitioners through a searchable digital library of 600,000+ pages.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital cultural heritage preservation and manuscript digitization

NAICS

Libraries and Archives (51921), Libraries and Archives (519210), Web Search Portals, Libraries, Archives, and Other Information Services (5192)

SIC

Miscellaneous Publishing (2741), Services-Computer Processing & Data Preparation (7374)

akta.pro primary industry

Digital Library & Electronic Resources Operations (e-Resources, Repositories, Licensing) (EDAEAGAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Libraries, Archives & Special Collections (BPAGAHAF), Archives, Special Collections & Preservation Operations (Rare Materials, Conservation) (EDAEAGAJ)

Keywords

• Digital manuscript preservation
• Cultural heritage digitization
• Buddhist text library
• Tibetan manuscript scanning
• Sanskrit text transcription

Headquarters

HQ city

Sedona

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: The Asian Legacy Library is entirely funded by charitable donations from generous supporters around the globe. Donations can be made as one-time or monthly contributions through the website at preset amounts ($30, $50, $100, $500). All money raised is used solely for supporting the mission to locate, digitally preserve, and safeguard precious collections of cultural wisdom literature.
2. Institutional Grants: ALL receives funding from institutional partners and grant programs including the U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation ($300,000 over three years) and British Library Endangered Archives Programme. These grants support specific preservation projects and capacity building.
3. Planned Giving: The organization accepts various planned giving instruments including bequests, stock transfers, IRA/retirement plan donations, real estate, art, life insurance, and charitable trusts as ways to support the mission.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Asian Legacy Library digitally preserves rare Asian cultural wisdom literature, including Buddhist, Sanskrit, Tibetan, and Nepalese manuscripts, and makes the resulting collections freely searchable through its online Digital Library. The organization operates a network of seven preservation centers in India, Nepal, and Mongolia staffed by trained librarians who perform high-resolution scanning and character-by-character transcription, supported by an offline mobile preservation app and a custom SQL full-text database.

Product overview

The Asian Legacy Library operates a unified digital preservation and access platform centered on its core Digital Library, which integrates data from the Asian Classics Input Project (ACIP) and multiple specialized preservation initiatives. The product portfolio includes downloadable data packages (Kangyur, Tengyur, Sungbum), targeted preservation sub-products for specific manuscripts (Narthang Tengyur, Guṇakāraṇḍavyūha, Bhujimol scripts), a mobile preservation app for offline field work, and a network of seven physical preservation centers across Asia providing cataloging, scanning, and transcription services. The ecosystem distributes content through the ALL Digital Library platform, as well as through partner platforms including the Buddhist Digital Resource Center (BDRC) and the Resources for Kanjur & Tanjur Studies (rKTs) platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ALL Digital Library Searchable online digital library platform providing free global access to digitized Buddhist, Sanskrit, Tibetan, and Nepalese manuscripts with advanced full-text search; the flagship access point for ALL's preservation programs.
• Asian Classics Input Project (ACIP) Foundational data input project that has been digitizing Tibetan Buddhist classics for over three decades through manual character-by-character transcription, producing searchable e-texts of the Kangyur, Tengyur, and Sungbum collections.
• Data Downloads (Kangyur, Tengyur, Sungbum) Downloadable zip packages of digitized texts including the Kangyur (128 MB), Tengyur (254 MB), and Sungbum (270 MB) collections, made available for offline scholarly use.
• Narthang Tengyur Digitization Digitized edition of the Narthang Tengyur, a major collection of Tibetan Buddhist commentarial literature (shastras), comprising 226 volumes and 153,702 pages preserved through seven years of work by three South India centers.
• Guṇakāraṇḍavyūha Preservation Digitization and transcription of the Guṇakāraṇḍavyūha sutra, one of the most revered texts of Sanskrit Nepalese Buddhism, documenting the transformative tales of Avalokiteśvara.
• Bhujimol Script Preservation Preservation and transcription project for Nepal's oldest script (Bhujimol), enabling access to ancient Buddhist texts written in Sanskrit on fragile palm leaves.
• ALL Preservation App Offline-capable mobile application designed for cataloging, digitization, and archiving of manuscript collections; intended for collection holders lacking technical training or internet connectivity to preserve their own heritage.
• Preservation Services End-to-end manuscript preservation services for partner institutions, including locating vulnerable collections, digital cataloging, high-resolution scanning, character-by-character text inputting, and long-term digital archiving.
• Preservation Center Network Global network of seven preservation operations across Mongolia, Nepal, and India (Varanasi, Bylakuppe, Hunsur, Tenzin Dickyi Larsoe, National Library of Mongolia, Nagarjuna Institute, and Erdene Zuu), providing scanning, inputting, cataloguing, and distribution capabilities.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 600,000 pages of searchable Buddhist literature made freely accessible online
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and completed.

• Resources for Kanjur & Tanjur Studies (rKTs)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 January 2025ALL contributed its e-texts of the Narthang Tengyur to rKTs, enabling scholars to search this monumental collection. The rKTs platform developed by Tibetan Manuscript Project Vienna at University of Vienna serves as a hub for canonical literature research with online catalogs and searchable e-texts.
• Asha ArchivesmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2023ALL and NIBS partnered with Asha Archives in Kathmandu, which contains over 6,700 manuscripts and approximately 1,100 palm-leaf texts including ritual texts, medical texts, astrological materials, and Vedic, Puranic, and Tantric materials.
• Erdene Zuu MonasterymajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023ALL partnered with Erdene Zuu Monastery to digitally preserve the monastery's invaluable collection and create a network for Mongolian library collections through mobile digital preservation. The monastery, established in 1585, is the oldest surviving Buddhist monastery in Mongolia.
• Buddhist Digital Resource Center (BDRC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018BDRC and ALL share a mission to preserve and share literary heritage. BDRC's Buddhist Digital Archives (BUDA) provides digital research tools and access to millions of pages of Buddhist texts. ALL is both a beneficiary of and contributor to that work, using BDRC's texts for input work while contributing to joint projects like the National Library of Mongolia digitization.
• National Library of MongoliacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018In 2018, ALL and NLM initiated a formal partnership to digitally preserve NLM's Tibetan collection of over 40,000 manuscripts and woodblock prints. ALL provides technical support, training, and funding while facilitating secure storage and open accessibility through its digital library.
• Nagarjuna Institute of Buddhist Studies (NIBS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerALL collaborates with NIBS in Kathmandu, Nepal to digitally preserve significant and vulnerable Sanskrit Buddhist manuscripts. NIBS focuses on both Newar and Tibetan Buddhist traditions, with ALL providing training, tools, and support for scanning and transcription work.
• Ladakh Gonpa AssociationcompletedStrategic or Co-development PartnerAgreement signed in 2003 to digitally catalog monastic and private collections throughout Ladakh. The catalog data of 29 monastery manuscript collections is now safeguarded in the ALL digital library with over 19,000 searchable titles.
• Russian Academy of SciencescompletedStrategic or Co-development PartnerAgreement established in 1992 with Russian Academy of Sciences to create a joint catalog of Tibetan Buddhist manuscripts at the Oriental Library of St. Petersburg. After almost 20 years of work, the catalog of 141,000 volumes was completed.
• Kaivalyadhama InstitutecompletedStrategic or Co-development PartnerDigitally cataloged and scanned the Library of Kaivalyadhama during 2006-2009. Over 80,000 book titles in Sanskrit manuscripts and printed books were recorded, including Ayurveda medicine, yoga practices, and philosophical commentary.
• U.S. Embassy in MongoliacoreGTM or Marketing PartnerALL applied for and won AFCP grant with support and collaboration from the U.S. Embassy in Mongolia for the National Library of Mongolia preservation project.
• Ministry of Culture (Mongolia)majorGTM or Marketing PartnerJohn Brady and Emma Lewis met with the Ministry of Culture's Department of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation to discuss the Tibetan Books Cataloging and Digitization Project in partnership with the National Library of Mongolia.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• National Library of Mongolia: Direct partner and major source collection for ALL's Mongolian preservation work. Houses 40,000+ Tibetan manuscripts and 200,000+ estimated manuscripts, with overlapping mission of preservation and access. Functions as both a supplier of source materials and a parallel cultural heritage institution.
• Library of Tibetan Works and Archives: India-based repository and digitization organization preserving Tibetan Buddhist literary heritage. Operates a similar mission of cataloging and providing access to Tibetan manuscripts with comparable content scope, user base (scholars and practitioners), and preservation methodology.
• Buddhist Digital Resource Center (BDRC): Closest direct peer and active partner of ALL. BDRC operates the Buddhist Digital Archives (BUDA) hosting millions of pages of Buddhist texts with overlapping coverage of Tibetan, Sanskrit, and related Asian manuscripts. The two organizations are mutually reinforcing collaborators and serve the same scholarly and practitioner user base.
• Tibetan and Himalayan Library (THL), University of Virginia: Academic digital library at University of Virginia focused on Tibetan and Himalayan cultural heritage materials. Comparable in its digitization, cataloging, and free public access mission targeting scholars of Tibetan Buddhism and related fields, with overlapping collections.
• Resources for Kanjur & Tanjur Studies (rKTs), University of Vienna: Academic platform at University of Vienna hosting searchable e-texts of Tibetan canonical literature. ALL's Narthang Tengyur content is integrated into rKTs, making it a distribution partner and direct functional peer serving the same scholarly research workflow for Kangyur/Tengyur study.

Emerging players

• Wiener Tibetisches Archiv / Tibetan Manuscript Project Vienna: University of Vienna project that developed the rKTs platform. Smaller-scale but technically advanced peer with overlapping focus on Tibetan manuscript cataloging, e-text production, and scholarly access tools. Operates in a more research-academic context than ALL's preservation center model.

Broad incumbents

• Internet Archive: Massive nonprofit digital library providing free public access to digitized cultural materials. Operates a substantially broader scope than ALL but shares the free-access, grant/donation-funded nonprofit model and serves researchers and the general public seeking primary source materials.
• Endangered Archives Programme (British Library): Funder and broader operator of global cultural heritage digitization projects. ALL is a grant recipient of EAP; the program funds many similar preservation efforts worldwide, making it both a counterpart and an ecosystem enabler for ALL's preservation methodology.

Others

• Digital Preservation Coalition: International nonprofit organization supporting digital preservation across cultural heritage, science, and government sectors. Not a direct competitor but an ecosystem-level peer addressing overlapping concerns (long-term digital preservation methodology, standards, and capacity building) that informs ALL's preservation approach.

Regional players

• Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA): Indian government-affiliated cultural institution dedicated to preservation, research, and dissemination of Indian arts and cultural heritage including Sanskrit manuscripts. Operates with similar digitization and access mission but focused on the broader Indian cultural sphere rather than Buddhist-specific content.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@AsianLegacyLibrary
• Facebookfacebook.com/asianlegacylibrary
• Instagraminstagram.com/asianlegacylibrary
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/asian-legacy-library

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about The Asian Legacy Library