Universities' Central Library Institutional Repository UCL Myanmar

History and Founding

The Universities' Central Library (UCL) of Myanmar is the country's oldest and largest academic library, with origins dating to 1929 when the University of Rangoon Library was established as one of the finest research and reference libraries in Southeast Asia. In 1964, the library was reorganized as the Universities' Central Library under the Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education. The current main building was completed in 1980. UCL developed its Institutional Repository as an extension of its longstanding role as custodian of Myanmar's academic and cultural heritage, offering digitized versions of rare and hard-to-find books, articles, photographs, manuscripts, and paintings. In 2016, UCL co-founded the Myanmar Academic Library Consortium to foster collaboration among academic libraries nationwide.

Collections and Holdings

The UCL Institutional Repository hosts three principal named scholar collections: the Dr. Thaw Kaung Collection, the Dr. Than Tun Collection, and the Dr. Htin Aung Collection—each dedicated to the writings of eminent Myanmar scholars. UCL continues to digitize its holdings of rare books, articles, photographs, manuscripts (palm-leaf and parabike paper), and paintings for inclusion in the repository. The broader UCL physical collections include approximately 300,000 Myanmar books, 300,000 English books, 17,000 palm-leaf manuscripts, 4,000 parabike manuscripts, 1,500 periodical titles, 5,500 microfilms, and 24,000 theses. Myanmar manuscripts cover subjects including Buddhism, history, literature, astronomy, astrology, indigenous medicine, jurisprudence, and ethnic literatures from Mon, Shan, Kachin, and Kayin traditions. Early printed Myanmar books dating back to 1872 and English books from the early 19th century are also held. UCL also initiated the Union Catalog of Myanmar Academic Libraries (UCMAL), offering details of over 312,000 book titles and 54,000 thesis titles from 26 major university libraries.

Access and Usage

The Institutional Repository is freely accessible online at uclmyanmar.org/institutional-repository/. Physical access to UCL is available to university staff, students, government researchers, scholars, and the public during library hours. The reading room accommodates over 100 readers. e-Library services and access to international databases are also available through UCL.