Introduction to the Archives and Special Collections, PTSL
History of the Archives and Special Collections Unit
At the initial stage, UKM-related materials such as history, establishment and achievements were placed in the Document Collections Division because the role of this division was to collect materials published by the government and statutory bodies.
This section was created in 1974. As UKM grew older and more research was done on its establishment and achievements, management and researchers needed reference sources from the library. Finally, UKM-related materials were separated and named the Archive Collection. The most important sources at that time were UKM annual reports and Convocation Ceremony books. Efforts to collect these materials were further intensified to include faculty handbooks, faculty annual reports, photographs of UKM official activities, books published by UKM academics and lecturers' working papers.
The Special Collection was acquired in the early 1970s and consists of rare books, out of print, handwritten manuscripts and valuable classical publications. It is housed on level 5, Tun Seri Lanang Library. Adjacent to the Southeast Asian Collection and Document Collection. This collection is known as the “Special Collection of the Heritage of Knowledge”.
Timeline of the Establishment of the Archives
1974 – UKM's historical publication materials are placed under the Document Collection.
1978 – The Archive Collection was established.
1987 – The Archives Collection was merged with the Gifts and Exchange branch as archival materials were obtained free of charge.
1997 – Upgraded to the Archive Collections Division under the administration of the Research and Special Collections Management Department, located on level 4, PTSL (now cyber@PTSL).
1999 – Expansion of the scope of Special Collections and change of name to the Archives and Special Collections Division.
2005 – Name changed to Archives and Gallery Collections Division.
2006 – Moved location from level 4 (now siber@PTSL) to level 6, PTSL
2009 – Name changed to Archives, Galleries and Special Collections.
2011 – Name changed to Archives and Special Collections.
Pioneer Staff
The Archive Collection is under the leadership of Mrs. Thuraiyen Nadzrah Hj. Mohd Ghazal, Librarian (S2) with 2 staff members, namely Mr. Kamarudin Othman, Administrative Assistant (N9) and Mrs. Rosmarila Shariff, Junior Administrative Assistant (N11).
Collection Development
The Archive Collection started from 212 titles (books and serialized materials) (in 1999) increasing to 12,375 titles (in 2022) encompassing a variety of materials.
Source:
Library Annual Report
UKM Library: Charting Success, Pioneering Glory
Oral History: Rosmawati Hj Zainal
📚Archive Collection
This collection gathers materials on the history and development of UKM, including official publications and university records, works by academics published by the Faculty/Department, publications by UKM Publishers, and other publications by campus residents.
The Archive Collection is also an institutional memory collection created for the purpose of preserving materials and meeting reference and research needs. Several databases have been developed for the convenience of library patrons. Among the materials that have been digitized are Research Reports and Newspaper Clippings on UKM. The Archive Collection is managed as a Closed Collection and can be consulted during office hours on level 6.
📚Special Collection
The Special Collection was created simultaneously with the establishment of the National University of Malaysia Library in 1970. Efforts to acquire materials from this collection have been actively carried out since 1970, focusing on research materials.
The Special Collection gathers materials consisting of out-of-print materials (rare), high-value manuscripts and first printings of classic publications. Today, the Special Collection forms the backbone of the Research Collection which plays a role as a research resource for domestic and international researchers.
The Special Collection contains five small collections that have their own unique features:
🔰The Rare Collection contains 1,876 titles consisting of out-of-print, high-value materials published before 1950 for Southeast Asian materials and 1,900 for other materials.
🔰The Manuscript Collection contains 81 titles of manuscripts in Malay, Arabic and several other languages. Most of the Malay manuscripts are about the government of the Aceh Sultanate.
🔰The Peranakan Chinese Collection contains 1,343 titles and is the result of Indonesian Peranakan Chinese writings written in the early 1900s. This collection is one of the largest Indonesian Peranakan Chinese Collections in the world.
🔰The Schacht Collection is the personal collection of a German orientalist who wrote extensively on Islam, Joseph Schacht. It was purchased by the library in 1972. This collection contains 3,035 titles (1,400 of which are in Arabic) covering the fields of the Quran, hadith, Islamic law, history and Islamic civilization.
🔰The Donated Collection (Personal) consists of personal collections belonging to local and foreign figures that are relevant to UKM's academic programs. This collection has been donated to the library for researcher reference. The collection that has special features in this personal collection is the Harun Aminurrashid Collection.
🔰The Harun Aminurrashid collection contains 1,306 titles and is a personal collection donated by Harun Aminurrashid and his family.
