The National Archives of Singapore (NAS) (
Malay
Malay may refer to:
Languages
* Malay language or Bahasa Melayu, a major Austronesian language spoken in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore
** History of the Malay language, the Malay language from the 4th to the 14th century
** Indonesi ...
: ''Arkib Negara Singapura'',
Mandarin
Mandarin or The Mandarin may refer to:
Language
* Mandarin Chinese, branch of Chinese originally spoken in northern parts of the country
** Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Mandarin, the official language of China
** Taiwanese Mandarin, Stand ...
: 新加坡国家档案馆,
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
* Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia
**Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils
**Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia
* Tamil language, nativ ...
: சிங்கப்பூர் தேசிய காப்பகம்) is the
national archives of
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
. It was formed in August 1993 with the merging of the National Archives and the Oral History Department. The NAS is responsible for the collection and management of records relating to the nation's political, social and economic history. NAS also identifies and collects records of historical significance from local and overseas private sources. In 1993, both NAS and the
National Museum of Singapore
ms, Muzium Negara Singapura ta, சிங்கப்பூரின் தேசிய அருங்காட்சியகம்
, native_name_lang =
, logo =
, image = 2016 Singapur, Museum Planning Area, Narodowe Muzeum Singapuru (02) ...
were brought under the administration of the
National Heritage Board. Since 1 November 2012, the NAS was brought under the administration of the
National Library Board
The National Library Board (NLB) is a statutory board under the purview of the Ministry of Communications and Information of the government of Singapore. The board manages the public libraries throughout the country.
The national librari ...
(NLB).
The National Archives was originally established in 1968 for the preservation and administration of the nation's archives. It holds records as far back as 1800, 19 years before the arrival of Sir
Stamford Raffles
Sir Thomas Stamford Bingley Raffles (5 July 1781 – 5 July 1826) was a British statesman who served as the Lieutenant-Governor of the Dutch East Indies between 1811 and 1816, and Lieutenant-Governor of Bencoolen between 1818 and 1824. He is ...
and the founding of the modern nation. The Oral History Centre documents the history of Singapore through the use of oral history methodology. NAS has a selection of archival materials available for viewing by the public, including public records, building plans, oral history recordings, photographs, electronic records and an audio-visual collection of microfilms, films, videotapes, colour slides, negatives and maps. Nowadays, the NAS has improved access to archives by allowing researchers and history enthusiasts to access archives online. Requests for archives are made easier with a new online system replacing the need for forms.
Since then, the NAS building had undergone an 18-month revamp in 2017, the first time since it moved there in 1997. The revamp would fix wear and tear, including water-seepage and paint peeling, as well as enhance the look of the building with restorations to reflect the building's past. These changes will allow the building to blend with its surroundings.
The building reopened on 7 April 2019 with better facilities, with an expanded Oldham Theatre taking 132 people instead of 44 before, three new oral history recording studios, microfilm readers and expanded conservation labs, as well as lifts installed and levelled floors for the disabled.
References
External links
Official website of the National Archives of Singapore
{{Coord, 1.29332, 103.84856, display=title
Archives in Singapore
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
Government agencies established in 1968
Government agencies established in 1993
1968 establishments in Singapore
1993 establishments in Singapore
1993 mergers and acquisitions
Film archives in Asia
Television archives
Sound archives
Oral history