Library

OUR LIBRARY

The Siam Society's collection of research manuscripts, books, rare books, photos, micro-film, tapes, videos, maps and traditional manuscripts on palm leaf, and other documents constitute the first non-privately owned library in Thailand.

The Siam Society library is noted for its outstanding rare books collection, most of which is related to Southeast Asia.

THE FOUNDING LIBRARY - 1904

The Siam Society was founded in 1904 in cooperation with Thai and foreign scholars. The Society quickly became a learned society whose members included many of the most illustrious historians, archaeologists and epigraphers of that period.

The primary purpose of the society's library was to make this information available to its membership and the research community. The library also supports investigation and background information for its many activities: local and international study trips; lectures by noted experts and scholars; art and artifact exhibitions of international standard; classical and contemporary cultural and musical performances; seminars, and publications by the Siam Society including, two international recognized periodicals, the Journal of the Siam Society (JSS) and the Natural History Bulletin (NHB).

From its inception, the Siam Society's objective was to encourage research and information gathering on art, history, culture and natural sciences of Thailand and neighboring countries. In 1924, "Knowledge gives rise to friendship" was adopted as the Siam Society's motto to convey the message that the search for knowledge is the bridge to friendship between nations.

THE PRESERVATION & MODERNIZATION OF THE SIAM SOCIETY'S LIBRARY 2002 - 2003

Acting to preserve the collection and assure future utilization of the Library's rich research and reference holdings, the Siam Society recently embarked on a three-year effort to systematically implement:

A restoration, conservation and preservation project
An information preservation program
An improved library management plan
A library automation system

The goals to preserve and modernize the Siam Society's library are to:

Restore and preserve the collection
Elevate the library to a first-rate research and reference library facility, and
Increase accessibility

The Siam Society hopes to better serve the community by adding an On-line Public Access Catalog (OPAC) and inter-library links to increase search and access capabilities, thereby facilitating access to external databases and web access linkages. An improved library management system combined with a staff training program will also significantly enhance the service levels provided to patrons.

The preservation and modernization of the Siam Society's Library has been made possible with the financial assistance of The John F. Kennedy Foundation.

GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE LIBRARY

Type of Library		Library specialized in the Fine Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences and Natural Sciences of Thailand and neighboring countries. Extensive collection on Buddhism
Library Hours		Tuesday - Saturday, 9:00am - 5:00pm
The Collection (Approximately 25,000 volumes in Thai, English German, Japanese, etc.)		General Circulating Section Reference Section Rare Books Collection Mainly history of Thailand and neighboring countries Journals and Periodicals Manuscripts Palm-leaf & Traditional Thai books Theses and Research Reports, Subsidized by the James H. W.Thompson Foundation Old Maps Historical Photographs Microfilms Cassette Tapes Video Tapes
Catalog		Author / Title / Subject Cards
Subject Headings		English Library of Congress Subject Headings Thai Subject Headings by Thai Higher Education Association
Classification System		Dewey Decimal Classification
Library Automation System		Softlink Alice