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University of Yangon Library

Background The University of Yangon Library was built in 1920, with money provided by private donors. The cost of the building was 330 000 Rupees (the currency used at the time - Burma was part of the English Colonial Indian Empire). Most of that (200,000) was donated by Rao Bahadur Sitanlera Reddier. This is acknowledged by a plaque placed at the entrance of the Library. The remaining was provided by a Fund Raising Committee, which also provided a book fund for 30,000 Rupees.

The Library Building Building of the Library started in 1927, seven years after the foundation of the University of Yangon. The library's foundation stone was laid on 8 December 1927 by Sir Harcourt Butler, the British Governor of Myanmar and Chancellor of the University. While the building was being built, the library temporarily opened in a room at the University College. The Honorary librarian at the time was B.R. Pearn, a Professor of History.

The building was designed by Thomas Oliphant Foster. T. O. Foster designed several of Yangon’s historic buildings, such as the Myanmar Port Authority Building and the The Law Court. Completed in 1931, the building was known as the most modern library building in Southeast Asia. The University of Yangon Library was to be the first modern library building in Myanmar. The building was designed as a two storey building in an L shape. The building hosted a stack room, a processing room, a reference room, offices, a librarian room, readings rooms and a basement for storage. The stack room was built on four levels, each built with perforated floors and iron book racks. To get the best ventilation the main stack room built with vertical windows and was provided with a silica gel pump machine to reduce humidity in the room. This was very modern for the 1920s. Later on, in 1939 air conditioning was installed. following advice of Professor Webster.

During the war from 1942 -1945, University of Yangon was occupied by Japanese forces and used as military hospital. In 1945, the library was dynamited by the Japanese army to destroy their medical supplies. The stacking room with its iron racks and library materials were badly damaged.

The Library was rebuilt after the war, while U Thein Han  was librarian.

Library focus

In 1964, the ‘new education system’ was introduced in Myanmar. Along with the new education system, the University of Yangon Library was reorganised as the Universities’ Central Library and central leading library for all academic libraries in Myanmar. A new modernized building adjacent to the old one was completed in 1980.

In 1986, the University of Yangon reopened in the old pre-war building. Special attention was given to documents relating to and suitable for research and reference rather than documents related to teaching. Consequently the library became famous for its various collections: documents concerned with Myanmar and neighbouring countries, palm-leaf bundles, paper manuscripts, old printed materials, e few ink stone inscriptions, cultural and literary records and books on social and political events relating to South-East Asia.

Open access

e-library

Access to e-resources is fairly recent. The Yangon University Library has been part of an EIFL project which has enabled access to e-sources.

University of Yangon Library Official website http://uy.edu.mm/library

University of Yangon Library on Facebook

References Kuchma, Iryna (2016) AN AMAZING YEAR FOR OPEN ACCESS IN MYANMAR Highlights from the University of Mandalay and University of Yangon. Blog by Iryna Kuchma Open Access Programme Manager, March 31, 2016 http://www.eifl.net/blogs/amazing-year-open-access-myanmar