Znt. Libr. Z&v. (1978) 10,279-282

Notes on Libraries in Burma, 19771 G. MILLER*

Despite the enormously difficult environment in which they have labored for the past decade and a half, Burmese librarians have main- tained an excellent standard of professionalism in most of their major institutions. To some extent at least they have overcome by tenacity and perseverance the main difficulties presented by inadequate financial resources, especially foreign currency, and a rather oppressive and cumbersome bureaucracy and are providing commendable library service to research workers and students. This professionalism prevails despite the non-existence of a library association in a country where apolitical professional associations are not permitted (the Medical Association is the only exception) and despite isolation from what Western librarians may regard as the mainstream of library science progress in the United States and Europe.

The libraries of the (Rangoon) Institute of Technology, the Institute of Economics and the Institute of Education are three libraries providing efficient service for students and staff in their respective tertiary educa- tional establishments. They all have similar problems due partly to a lack of overseas currency for monographs and serials and partly to their inability to order direct from overseas. Burma has a political system usually described as “Burmese socialism” and under the present government orders for foreign monographs must be placed through a state trading corporation. The disadvantage of such a procedure is that the trading corporation deals not only with publications, but with many general products as well and does not appear to have the specialized knowledge necessary for a satisfactory coverage of the book trade. The

* The Library (Asian Studies Division), The Australian National University, Canberra, A.C.T., Australia.

1 This article is not comprehensive and does not describe libraries mentioned in the following articles: Khin Thet Htar (1974), Medical Libraries in Burma. UJVESCO Bde6in for Libraries XXVIII (6), 32 I-1; Paul Bier (1970). Burma, Libraries in, Encyctopedia of Library and Information Science, vol. 3,494-508. N.Y. : Dekker; G. Raymond Nunn (1975). Libraries in Burma, h6ema6iona1 Library Review 7,475-8; and Andrew Eaton ( 1975). Repaving the road to Burma, librarian’s visit ends moratorium. Wilson Libra9 Bdetin 49,741-3. oom-7837/78/10034279 $01.00/0 (D 1978 Academic Press Inc. (London) Limited

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Corporation further appears to be unwilling to re-direct a title to the library which originally requested the work when it is finally received in Rangoon.

Subscriptions to overseas journals are placed centrally by most tertiary institution libraries through the Universities’ Central Library and in this case the processing works well. However, the allocation of the amount of foreign exchange made available for serial subscriptions may not be announced by the Department of Education until late in the year by which time subscriptions may have lapsed and numbers be missing.

Notwithstanding these drawbacks these three libraries are effective, well-used institutions, though they operate on a scale smaller than their counterparts in the West. The Rangoon Institute of Technology has a collection of 35 000 volumes and has an annual budget of Chats 60 000 (&A$10 0OO)i for books and provides a service for students of various branches of engineering and of architecture. During term the single reading room seating 150 people is invariably full with 150 loans per day being recorded at the “closed reserve” collection, with another 200 to 300 loans per week from the main collection. Staff borrowing is high. The library is run by only two professionals with two library assistants. It provides library orientation courses for first year students and in addition opens its services to graduate students and practising engineers and architects.

The Institute of Economics Library, the background history of which can be read in the stimulating works of Paul and Norma Bixler has only one fully professional librarian, aided by a Library Assistant and eight clerical staff. The collection has 42 000 volumes and the borrowing from it amounts to approximately 1000 per month. The strength of the collection would appear to lie in its rich primary research material for the study of Burmese economics. A superficial examination indicated the existence of virtually complete sets of essential statistical material on Burmese economics, Statistical Abstracts, Statistical Yearbooks, Reports to the government on economic conditions and statistics of trade, manufacturing and other accountable subjects. The Library is naturally well-stocked with the reports of the Institute itself and all in all is perhaps the most complete, accessible resource centre for the study of Burmese economics.

The Library of the Institute of Education appears to have a large proportion of English-language publications which is accounted for to some extent by the fact that students may read their B.A. and M.A. degree in English at this Institute. The collection totals 45 000 volumes,

1 A$l.OO = LO.62, at time of writing.

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and grows by approximately 5000 volumes annually, of which 1500 are in Burmese. There is no closed reserve at the Institute of Education, which may help to account for the high loan figures which the Library produces. Two fully-qualified librarians with seven clerical assistants service the collection, and, as is the case with the two libraries mentioned above, a valuable staff role is played by students from the Library School who are obliged to engage in in-service training as part of their curriculum requirements. One particularly valuable research collection of the Library for the study of education in Burma is the collection of papers and theses written by students at the Institute. The papers are not fully catalogued due to the limitation of staff, but they are typed and arranged into broad subject classifications.

Not strictly falling within the education network, but nevertheless providing an essential resource center for an aspect of education important in the social life of Burma is the Research Library of Buddhist Studies. The integral and harmonious role which Buddhism plays in the life of the common man in Burma and the vitality of Buddhism in the country today is obvious to even the superficial observer. The rich heritage of Buddhism may be assessed in terms of the vast collection of Buddhist mss. in the Library of the Department of Religious Affairs. The Library is housed in the Institute of Religious Affairs which has a wide-ranging programme of research, translation, compilation, ex- change of personnel and the co-ordination of monasteries and religious establishments. It now constitutes the most extensive collection of material on Burmese Buddhism in the country. The Library consists of 9000 published works on Buddhism in Burmese and 10 000 in other languages, a priceless collection of 8000 lontar mss. and 2000 parabaiks. In addition, there are 60 sacramental scriptures and 200 rubbings of inscriptions. Foreign scholars have access to the collection for research purposes, but applications to use the collection are, it is understood, slow to be processed.

Libraries devoted to the pure sciences are comparatively rare and relatively inactive in Burma, but the Library of the Central Research Institute is an exception. It is planned as a central library in a network of science libraries, including medical libraries, and is fulfilling this responsibility chiefly in two ways. A task of top priority is the compila- tion of sets of the leading scientific journals, chiefly by exchange with British libraries, especially the British Library Lending Division. Furthermore, it has a substantial book and serial vote by any Southeast Asian standards ($23 000 and $40 000 respectively) and one of the staff is compiling a Union List of scientific serials in 20 Burmese libraries. One factor which must account for the success of the library of the C.R.I.

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is the active personal support and involvement which the library receives from the Director of the Institute. He actively participates in the development of the library’s policy, supports it with funds and other resources and encourages it with his dynamic personality.

The development of a national depository for official archives has been of recent origin with the establishment in 1973 of the National Archives out of the library of the State Secretariat, now the Prime Minister’s Department. Despite the comparatively recent beginnings, the Archives have made rapid progress and they now house 7000 records from the Home and Foreign Ministries together with a reference library of 10 000 volumes including a full set of the Burma Gazette, 1901 to date. The archives are now the responsibility of the Ministry of Planning and Finance and are presently (April 1977) housed in a period building of great architectural charm, formerly owned by a wealthy trader, while a new functional building is being constructed to complement the present building and house the expanded collection. As part of a policy of establishing relations with corresponding institu- tions outside of Burma, the Archives have sent delegates to SARBICA conferences. They are anxious to develop further relations with other foreign archives from whom they feel they could gain valuable advice and experience. The Director and his staff are conscious of the need for an archives act to be passed in Burma, as well as the nurturing of a core of skilled professionals trained in archive management, organization and preservation. One of the important goals which the Archives has set itself is the gathering of archival material at present scattered throughout the Republic, as well as the collection in microform of documents now deposited in overseas collections, particularly in Britain.

Librarianship in Southeast Asian countries is in a state of flux. Situations and conditions change with great rapidity. A few short years ago, Indonesian libraries for example suffered from a chronic shortage of funds and progress there seemed impossible. Now, for a large number of libraries, the funding is more than adequate, and almost more than the limited number of trained personnel can handle.

Given a slight improvement in prevailing circumstances, the resource- ful professional librarians of Burma could see a rapid expansion in their presently restrained services building on the sound and solid foundations that have already been established.