The National Library of Thailand ( th, หอสมุดแห่งชาติ) is the

legal deposit Legal deposit is a legal requirement that a person or group submit copies of their publications to a repository, usually a library. The number of copies required varies from country to country. Typically, the national library is the primary reposit ...

ary and copyright library for

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

. It was officially established on 12 October 1905, after the merger of the three existing royal libraries, and is one of the oldest national libraries in Asia. It operates under the jurisdiction of the

Fine Arts Department The Fine Arts Department ( th, กรมศิลปากร, ) is a government department of Thailand, under the Ministry of Culture. Its mission is managing the country's cultural heritage. History The department was originally established ...

of the

Ministry of Culture Ministry of Culture may refer to: *Ministry of Tourism, Cultural Affairs, Youth and Sports (Albania) * Ministry of Culture (Algeria) *Ministry of Culture (Argentina) *Minister for the Arts (Australia) *Ministry of Culture (Azerbaijan) * Ministry of ...

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estima ...

. , the library in Bangkok housed over three million items and had 11 provincial branches. Its budget was 87 million

baht The baht (; th, บาท, ; sign: ฿; code: THB) is the official currency of Thailand. It is divided into 100 ''satang'' (, ). The issuance of currency is the responsibility of the Bank of Thailand. SWIFT ranked the Thai baht as the 10th-m ...

and it employed about 200 staff.

Background

Bangkok National Library - 2017-05-05 (003)

The National Library of Thailand's main tasks are collecting, storing, preserving, and organizing all national intellectual property regardless of medium. Collections include Thai manuscripts, stone inscriptions, palm leaves, Thai traditional books, and printed publications as well as audio-visual materials and digital resources. The library is a national information resource serving citizens nationwide. The National Library has a long history. Its precursor was the Phra Vajirayana Royal Library ( th, หอสมุดพระวชิรญาณ) which was established in 1883, by sons and daughters of

King Mongkut Mongkut ( th, มงกุฏ; 18 October 18041 October 1868) was the fourth monarch of Siam (Thailand) under the House of Chakri, titled Rama IV. He ruled from 1851 to 1868. His full title in Thai was ''Phra Bat Somdet Phra Menthora Ramathibo ...

(Rama IV) to honor their royal father. Later in 1897, King

Chulalongkorn Chulalongkorn ( th, จุฬาลงกรณ์, 20 September 1853 – 23 October 1910) was the fifth monarch of Siam under the House of Chakri, titled Rama V. He was known to the Siamese of his time as ''Phra Phuttha Chao Luang'' (พร� ...

returned from his European visit and expressed his desire to dedicate the Vajirayana Library to the Capital. In 1905, three libraries, the Mandira Dharma Library, the Vajirañāṇa Library, and the Buddhasasana Sangaha Library, were amalgamated at the command of King

and renamed the "Vajirañāṇa Library for the Capital City". The library has remained under royal patronage since that date. In 1933, after democratic reforms, the Fine Arts Department was established and assumed administration of the Vajirañāṇa Library by royal degree. It was subsequently renamed the "National Library". In 1966, the National Library was relocated to

Samsen Road 350px, Samsen Road in the phase of Thewet Naruemit Bridge (view backward to Phra Nakhon side) Samsen or spelled Sam Sen ( th, สามเสน, ) is a road and neighbourhood in Bangkok considered to be one of Bangkok's oldest. Samsen road start ...

in Bangkok and is now administered by the Ministry of Culture.

Outline history

Mission statement

# Collect, catalog, and research national intellectual property. # Develop standards for the storage and preservation of national intellectual property. # Create and augment the value of national intellectual property. # Develop systems for rendering services to the diverse users of the library. # Develop systems to manage the nation's intellectual property heritage.

References

External links

Review and photographs inside the National Library, edited by Bangkok Library website
{{DEFAULTSORT:National Library Of Thailand 1905 establishments in Siam

Thai culture Sub-departmental government bodies of Thailand Buildings and structures in Bangkok Libraries established in 1905 Libraries in Thailand Deposit libraries Fine Arts Department (Thailand)