Sabah State Archives Arkib Negeri Sabah

Overview

The Sabah State Archives (Arkib Negeri Sabah, ANS) is the official state archival institution of Sabah, Malaysia, located in Kota Kinabalu. It is one of the oldest archival institutions in Southeast Asia, established on 15 July 1946 as the North Borneo Central Archives (NBCA) during the British Crown Colony period, making it the first modern archives established in Malaysia and the fifth oldest in Southeast Asia.

History and Founding

The genesis of the Sabah State Archives is traced to the British Military Administration (BMA) period following the Second World War. Brigadier General Charles Frederick Cunningham Macaskie ordered the search, acquisition, and preservation of North Borneo archival records — including some from Sarawak and Brunei — that had survived the war. On 15 July 1946, the British Crown Colony formally established the North Borneo Central Archives.

In 1957, a British Crown Colony Secretariat circular required all government departments to submit records to the NBCA. Physical holdings were moved to a new building at KM 4, Penampang Road in 1980. In 1984, ANS merged with the Sabah Museum to form the Department of Sabah Museum and State Archives. In 1992, the Sabah State Archives was separated and re-established as an independent department under the Chief Minister's Department, where it has operated since. In 2010, ANS was elevated from Category C to Category A membership in the International Council on Archives (ICA).

Collections and Holdings

The Sabah State Archives holds over 300 collections of government records, including colonial-era administrative documents from the British North Borneo Chartered Company and British Crown Colony periods, post-independence government records, maps, photographs, microfilms, and private donations. Holdings include records relating to the Confrontation (Konfrontasi) era and other significant periods of Sabah's history. The archives also holds records originating from government bodies at the state and district level.

Access and Usage

Research access is available by appointment. The archives website at archive.sabah.gov.my provides collection inventories, digitized documents, and institutional information. Physical access is at the KM 4, Penampang Road location in Kota Kinabalu.