The University of Yangon Library has as mission to
University of Yangon Library book collection includes over 38,000 books in Myanmar language and over 68,000 books in English. There are also over 4,000 e-books that are available to Library users. Open access free books are also available in the Directory of Open Access Books
The University of Yangon Library provides access to over 76,000 e-journal titles and 48 titles in print (16 in English and 32 in Myanmar).
Open access free journals are also available in the Directory of Open Access Journal (DOAJ) which covers free, full text, quality controlled scientific and scholarly journals.
Library users can access the following special collections in digital form:
University of Yangon theses collection includes over 14,000 theses (print format), from 1970 to the present.
The University of Yangon collection of Myanmar manuscripts comprises 188 bundles. Some Rare Palm-leaf Manuscripts, in topics that include religion, traditional medicine, literature and others, have been digitized, and are available to Library users in digital format.
Dr. Htin Aung, also known as Maung Htin Aung, (1909 - 1978) was an author and scholar of Burmese culture and history. He wrote several books in both Burmese and English. His important works include A History of Burma, Folk Elements in Burmese Buddhism, Selections from Burmese Folk Tales, Thirty Burmese Tales and Burmese Drama.
Dr. Yi Yi (1929 - 1984), was Senior Research Officer of the Myanmar Historical Commission. Her main research area was the Konbaung period.
The University of Yangon Library Collection Development Policy sets out the principles which guide the development of a quality academic library collection that meets the information needs of a dynamic community. The policy ensures that the quality of the collection is maintained through consistency in selection and de-selection processes and a process of continuous evaluation. Click here to read the policy.
Book Purchase Request Form
Your suggestions will be considered as part of our regular selection process. Submitting your suggestion does not automatically guarantee that your request will be fulfilled
University of Yangon Library welcomes monetary donations and donations of books or journals.
We will be happy to accept donations that add value to the teaching and/or research needs of the university, and which will improve Library facilities and the physical condition of the Library’s collections.
Please contact the Library Director to discuss donations of a small number of physical materials that meet our current criteria or other giving opportunities.
Library users and staff should/ must interact with mutual respect and consideration.
Volunteers will assist the Library staff in the following:
The University of Yangon Library (UYL) - the first modern library building in Myanmar - was built in 1927. The two-storey building, in the shape of the letter ‘L’, was designed by the British architect T.O. Foster.
The base of the ‘L’ became the main stack room. To get the best ventilation vertical windows were used and a silica gel pump installed to reduce the humidity. The stack room floor was made of perforated iron, allowing the air to flow through. The building also contains a book processing room, reference room, offices, librarian's room, discussion room, reading rooms, and a basement for storage.
The first Librarian of the Library was U Khin Zaw, known for his books on Myanmar culture and history, which he authored under the pen-name K. At the time the Library was famous for its valuable collections of Myanmar Literature Manuscripts and Southeast Asian texts.
During the second world war, the University of Yangon was occupied by Japanese forces and used as a military hospital. At the end of the war, the university was badly damaged, as retreating Japanese destroyed their supplies. After the war, the Library was rebuilt, and the poet U Thein Han, well known as Zaw Gyi, became Head Librarian. The University of Yangon Library was re-organised in 1964, when the ‘new education system’ was introduced in Myanmar, and became part of the new Universities’ Central Library, a library for all academic libraries in Myanmar.
In 1986, the University of Yangon Library separated from the Universities’ Central Library, occupying the old pre-war building, while the Universities Central Library continued to operate from the new building.
The University of Yangon Library’s emphasis on collecting and making available research and reference materials has made it famous for its various collections: documents concerning Myanmar and neighbouring countries; cultural and literary records and books on Southeast Asian social and political events; palm-leaf bundles, paper manuscripts, old printed materials, ink stone inscriptions.
Today, the main aim of the Library is to support the teaching and research programmes of teaching staff, scholars, researchers, and students from the University of Yangon as well as other universities.
The following Librarians have managed the Library:
