Its collection used to have about 618,000 books and periodicals as well as 15,800 rare and valuable manuscripts. However, in 2006, the military government announced a plan to move a large part of its collection to a new National Library in Nay Pyi Taw, and to auction off its 8-story building and 10-acre (4.0 ha) lot in Tamwe Township.[3] In October 2008, the National Library was moved to its current location.
The library's current collection of ancient Burmese texts includes 16,066 palm-leaf manuscripts, 1972 parabaik (folded writing tablets made of paper, cloth or metal), and 345 handwritten scripts of famous writers.[1] The library's preservation and conservation section, established in 1993, regularly maintains rare Burmese manuscripts.[4] The library plans to offer an online catalogue.[1]
The National Library originated from the Bernard Free Library, which opened in 1883 during the British colonial era. The Bernard Library was renamed the State Library under the management of the Ministry of Culture in 1952, and changed its name to the National Library in 1967. The library was first located in the Jubilee Hall building, then moved to Pansodan Road, then relocated to its penultimate home in Tamwe, and finally moved to its present location in Yankin in October 2008.[1]
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