The National Archives of Malaysia launches a digital collection of British Colonial Office records, offering over 1.1 million pages for historical research.
KUALA LUMPUR: The National Unity Ministry has launched a digital collection of British Colonial Office records for public and researcher reference.
Minister Datuk Aaron Ago Dagang said the collection comprises official records created by the UK government department that managed its colonies from the 19th to mid-20th century.
“This collection of records stored at The National Archives of the United Kingdom in London is highly significant because it also contains information about Malaysia that will be a primary reference for the country’s historical research,“ he said.
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The digital archive contains materials related to Tanah Melayu, Singapore, Borneo, Brunei, the Straits Settlements, and the Federated and Unfederated Malay States.
It includes correspondence, documents, manuscripts, maps, plans, photographs, agreements, reports, newspapers and magazines.
The collection holds 8,507 files with 1,131,112 images or pages dating from 1759 to 1967.
It can be accessed at the National Archives using the international Gale Primary Sources Platform database.
Aaron said the archive will support high-impact research across history, social sciences, law and regional studies.
He added it will help address issues and disputes related to historical facts at national and international levels.
“I hope the achievements of this collection provided by the National Archives can attract and encourage researchers and scholars, from both within and outside the country,“ he said.
Copying of the materials is subject to the National Archives of Malaysia (Fees) Regulations 2015. – Bernama
