The Brunei History Centre (PSB; ) is a government institution which conducts research, documentation, publication and dissemination on matters pertaining to the
history of Brunei
The history of Brunei concerns the settlements and societies located on the north coast of the island of Borneo, which has been under the influence of Greater India, Indianised kingdoms and empires for much of its history. Local scholars assume ...
. It was established in 1982 by the consent of
Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah as an institute of historical research on Brunei for the benefit of the Bruneian people.
History
On 25 January 1982, the Brunei History Centre's building at Jalan Stoney, Bandar Seri Begawan, was officially opened. Afterwards, on 26 January 1982, the Brunei History Center was established with Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah's approval by a Memorandum of the
Menteri Besar of Brunei, Number: SUK.06/84/92, dated 26 January 1982. The purpose of the centre is to conduct research and dissemination on the history of Brunei for the benefit of the people in the country.
Initially, the Centre was housed in the
main branch of the
Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka Library at Jalan Elizabeth II,
Bandar Seri Begawan
Bandar Seri Begawan (BSB) is the capital and largest city of Brunei. It is officially a Municipalities of Brunei, municipal area () with an area of and an estimated population of 100,700 as of 2007. It is part of Brunei–Muara District, the s ...
.
In 1985, it was moved to the building at Jalan Stoney which was formerly the then
Department of Education
An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...
(). In 1988, the Centre finally moved to the present building at Jalan James Pearce.
Archives
Since its founding in 1982, the Brunei History Centre's Archives Division has been an essential research and reference resource for the public and government organisations. Its goal is to gather, arrange, and preserve historical and informational items, including official publications, government documents, historical photographs, manuscripts, and local newspapers. Valuable papers are made public after 25 years, and records are meticulously sorted and kept in a controlled atmosphere. To preserve materials, preservation methods include binding, microfilming, and fumigation. In order to increase the size of its collection on Brunei's history, the division also works with foreign archive organisations.
Library
In 1982, the Brunei History Centre Library was founded together with the History Centre Department, which subsequently became part of the Archives Division. The appointment of a senior library officer in 1984 marked the beginning of the library's official management, although cataloging, categorising, and methodically organising the collection started soon after. By purchasing literature published both domestically and abroad, the library sought to broaden its selection. The library's move to a new facility in July 1987 allowed for a more organised setting, with the Library Division placed on the ground level, apart from the Archives Division.
The library primarily serves as an internal library, offering reference materials only to officers and personnel. However, with prior permission from the principal, access may be granted to outside scholars. Only department employees may borrow materials for work-related study; all other materials are solely for in-library use. Historical literature covering national, cultural, and economic history, especially as it relates to Brunei,
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...
, and beyond, is the main emphasis of the library's collection. It provides thorough access to essential historical knowledge by containing a wide range of materials, including books, journals, magazines, pamphlets, newspapers, and manuscripts, all of which are methodically arranged into categories like Brunei Reference, Southeast Asia Reference, and General Reference.
Principals
The head of Brunei History Centre is a Principal (), which was held by
Jamil Al-Sufri until his death on 4 March 2021.
The current Principal of Brunei History Centre is Dr. Hadi Melayong, another well known historian and long time deputy and acting Principal of Brunei History Centre. It is a government department under the
Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports.
Gallery
File:Brunei History Centre 10 December 2024 37.jpg, The building's inauguration plaque
File:Brunei History Centre 10 December 2024 36.jpg, The main entrance
File:Brunei History Centre 10 December 2024 18.jpg, Borneo Manuscript Collection Gallery
File:Brunei History Centre 10 December 2024 12.jpg, Borneo Manuscript Collection Gallery
File:Brunei History Centre 10 December 2024 04.jpg, Tomb of Sultan Bolkiah
Bolkiah ibni Sulaiman (Jawi script, Jawi: ; died 17 July 1524) or commonly known as Nakhoda Ragam (Jawi script, Jawi: ), was the sixth List of sultans of Brunei, sultan of Brunei from 1485 until his death in 1524, he ascended the throne upon t ...
replica
File:Replica of Batu Tersilah 01.jpg, '' Batu Tarsilah'' replica
File:The 1959 Brunei Constitution Gallery 10 December 2024 11.jpg, The 1959 Brunei Constitution Gallery
File:Brunei History Centre 10 December 2024 02.jpg, Hundred Spices Room
File:Brunei History Centre 10 December 2024 30.jpg, The Genealogy Gallery
References
History Centre
1982 establishments in Brunei
*
History Centre
History institutes
Research institutes established in 1982
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