National Archives of Myanmar Archives Online (Catalog and Login Gateway)

Overview

The Archives Online portal of the National Archives of Myanmar is the catalog and login gateway of the Department of National Archives (NAD), the government agency responsible for collecting, safeguarding, and conserving Myanmar's national records. The portal provides registered researchers with access to the NAD's archival catalog and enables online ordering of documents from its holdings in Naypyidaw and Yangon.

History and Founding

The Department of National Archives (NAD) traces its institutional origins to the Library of Secretaries office, founded in 1972. The NAD was formally established under the National Records and Archive Law, first promulgated on 13 September 1990 and amended on 21 February 2007. The NAD is headquartered at Ottarathiri Township in Naypyidaw, the country's administrative capital, with a major facility at Dagon Township in Yangon. The NAD joined the International Council on Archives (ICA) in 1991 and the Southeast Asian Regional Branch of ICA (SARBICA) in 1993. Myanmar hosted the 11th SARBICA general conference in 1997. An online archival catalog was developed to improve international researcher access, particularly to the extensive digitized pre-independence holdings.

Collections and Holdings

The NAD holds colonial-era records from the British period (from the 1820s), pre–World War II administrative documents, wartime records (1939–1945), records of the British Military Administration (1945), and post-independence records through successive governments including the Union of Burma, the Revolutionary Council era (1962), and the State Law and Order Restoration Council period (1988). Holdings are organized under approximately 100 categories including Health, Land, Economy, Environment, Law and Constitution, and Foreign Relations. Pre-independence period materials have been widely digitized and are searchable via the intranet in the reading room.

Access and Usage

Foreign researchers on the colonial period must provide a letter of statement, two passport photos, and pay a registration fee (USD 30 per year or local equivalent). Researchers on the postcolonial period may require additional documentation, including a letter from a local Myanmar historian. Documents are ordered via archival intranet terminals in the reading room. Staff members are generally fluent in English and provide research assistance.