Kiribati National Library and Archives

Overview

The Kiribati National Library and Archives is Kiribati's combined national library and archival repository, located in Bairiki, South Tarawa. It operates as a division of the Ministry of Education.

Collections, Holdings, and Publications

The archive holds civil registration records, including birth, death, and marriage records, some kept on microfilm and in ledgers dating to the early twentieth century and partially transferred to computer records, along with land records and genealogical information on chiefly families. Its holdings also include colonial-era correspondence files of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony (GEIC) administration relating to the Ellice Islands District, part of which has been digitized in cooperation with the Endangered Archives Programme alongside related material held at the Tuvalu National Library and Archives. The library's general collection includes educational books and documents relating to Kiribati and the wider Pacific region.

Access and Usage

The library serves students, researchers, and members of the public, including genealogical researchers tracing family connections to the former Gilbert Islands; access to the archive's secure records office typically requires a specific request, and visitors are generally advised to make an appointment in advance.