NLAB Archives and Collections Portal National Library and Archives of Bhutan

Overview

The NLAB Archives and Collections Portal is the online access gateway maintained by the National Library and Archives of Bhutan (NLAB), providing information about and partial access to NLAB's archival holdings, woodblock collections, and library resources. NLAB is Bhutan's national repository for literary and cultural heritage, located at Kawangjangtsa, Thimphu.

History and Founding

The National Library and Archives of Bhutan was established in 1967 under the patronage of Her Majesty Ashi Phuntso Choden (1911–2003), with the aim of safeguarding, preserving, and promoting the literary heritage of Bhutan. It operates under the Department of Culture and Dzongkha Development (now Department of Culture). The NLAB serves as the official repository for all documents deposited under Bhutan's Legal Deposit Act of 1999.

Collections and Holdings

NLAB's collections include Vajrayana Buddhist texts in Choekey (classical Tibetan-Dzongkha), manuscripts, pechas (traditional books), woodblocks for xylographic printing, microfilm records, digitized documents, photographs, maps, and Royal collections including Kasho (decrees of successive monarchs in scrolls). The National Archives section holds old and rare manuscripts, administrative documents including zhu-yig (applications), tang-yig (letters), gen-ja (agreements), and to-yig (inventories and registers). The library also holds approximately 600 photographs of Bhutan, 1,000 photo negatives, and more than 3,000 slides. A Print Heritage Museum was inaugurated on the premises in June 2021.

Notable Materials

NLAB's collections are particularly notable for their Buddhist textual heritage. Holdings span multiple traditions including Drukpa Kagyu, Sakya, Geluk, Kadam, Jonang, Zhalu, and Bon, and include the complete Kangyur and Tengyur collections. The library also holds replica archival records from Dunhuang Cave donated by the British Library.

Access and Services

The online portal provides information about archival collections and an OPAC hosted in Denmark. Physical consultation of materials is available at the Thimphu premises. NLAB provides reference services, manuscript conservation, fumigation, microfilming, and digitization services. Woodblock printing services using traditional techniques are also offered.