|
National Library of Thailand
Samsen / Si Ayutthaya Road intersection, Bangkok, Thailand
The library is open daily to the public from: 9.30 am to 7.30 pm, except for national holidays. Admission is free.
To contact the National Library, call (+66) 2 281-5313, 281-5212.
The largest and oldest library in Thailand is also the centre of library and information preservation in Thailand. Since the reign of King Chulalongkorn of Siam, the library has played an active role in the collection and preservation of reading material, as well as research.
The newest building was opened in May 1966, and here you find many unique collections, including stone inscriptions from the sixth century and manuscripts mostly on Buddha's teaching written on palm leaves. The national imprints collection contains books and periodicals published in Thailand from 1836 until the present time.
Background Information
The National Library of Thailand was first established by King Chulalongkorn (King Rama V, 1868-1910), in the reign of the Chakri Dynasty, on October 12, 1905 by combining three former libraries namely; Ho Phra Mandira Dharma, Ho Phra Samut Vajiranana and Ho Phra Buddhasasana Sangaha. It was named Ho Phra Samut Samrap Phra Nakhon, which was changed to the National Library after the revolution in 1932.
The National Library was housed within the precincts of the Royal Palace and administered by the committee appointed by the King under royal patronage. In 1915 the library was transferred to Thavaravathu Building, East of Wat Mahadhatu, opposite of the Phra Meru Ground. In 1925, King Rama VII (1925-1935) presented the manuscripts and books which were in the private collection of King Rama VI (1910-1925) to the National Library and named it the Vajiravudh Library.
Over the years, the National Library has played a major role both in education and culture. In implementing these roles, it has vigorously worked to increase the number of books and audio-visual materials in the library, as well as the users of the library. In recognition of the importance of its services to the population at large, the government allocated a budget to construct a new building for the National Library at Tha Vasukri, Samsen Road, in 1962. The new National Library building was officially declared open on May 5, 1966. Its architectural style is Thai, and its 5 stories command a total floor area of 16,000 square meters. It can accommodate over 1,000,000 volumes and has seating capacity of about 1,500 seats in 7 reading rooms.
|
