National Central Archives of Mongolia

Overview

The National Archives of Mongolia, whose central repository is known as the National Central Archives of Mongolia (NCAM) or Historical Archives, is based in Ulaanbaatar and operates under the General Authority for Archives of Mongolia.

History

The archive was established in 1927. In the mid-1920s, Mongolian authorities ordered local governments to move their archives to Ulaanbaatar under central control, meaning pre-1920s records are concentrated at the NCAM rather than in the countryside. Systematic collecting at the archive began in 1941, although materials had started being compiled less formally from 1930. The archive moved to its current building in 1957.

Collections, Holdings, and Publications

The NCAM preserves archival materials dating back to 1674, with holdings spanning the Qing Dynasty period (1644-1911) through the modern era. According to a survey conducted for the LALORC project, the archive contains more than 1,260,000 items of paper-based documents, plus audio recordings, videos, and newspapers in six languages: Mongolian, Russian, Tibetan, Chinese, English, and French.

Access and Usage

Non-Mongolian citizens must obtain a research permit, generally requiring a recommendation letter from a local collaborator at a public or academic institution, approval from the Director of the General Archival Authority, and a fee (as of a 2013-2014 visitor account, US$10 for 14 days, US$15 for one month, or US$20 for two months). Laptops are permitted in the reading room, but photography of documents is not allowed.