Guam Territorial Archives and Records Government of Guam

History and Background

The Government of Guam maintains its official archives and records across several agencies, with no single unified national archives institution. The function of a territorial archivist has historically been housed under the Department of Land Management (DLM), which manages land records and related historical documentation. Monica Guzman has served as Acting Territorial Archivist for Guam. The archives reflect Guam's layered history under Spanish (1668–1898), American (1898–1941 and 1944–present), and Japanese (1941–1944) rule.

Collections and Holdings

Guam's archival holdings are distributed across multiple repositories. The Department of Land Management's Division of Land Records, located at the ITC Building in Tamuning, holds land and property records. The Guam Public Library System maintains reference collections at 254 Martyr Street, Hagåtña. The University of Guam's Richard F. Taitano Micronesian Area Research Center (MARC), located in Mangilao, holds approximately 40,000 volumes on Guam, Micronesia, and the Pacific, including 800 dissertations and theses, and the Spanish Documents Collection (SDC) covering records from 1521 to 1898 drawn from archives in Seville, Manila, Mexico City, and Rome. Personal archives and manuscripts from prominent Guamanian politicians, educators, historians, and anthropologists are also held at MARC.

Access and Usage

The Division of Land Records at the DLM is open during normal business hours. The MARC reading room is open Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Superior Court of Guam records can be requested via scog.records@guamcourts.org. Vital records (births, marriages, deaths from October 26, 1901) are held by the Office of Vital Statistics in Mangilao.