The National Archives and Records Centre

“…No people can be deemed masters of their own history until their public archives, gathered, preserved and made available for public inspection and investigation, have been systematically studied and the importance of their contents determined.”

                                                                                                                               Dr. F. R. J. Verhoeven

                                                                                           Singapore: The National, Archives and

                                                                                                               Records Management  - 1967

The National Archives and Records Centre (NARC) was established ‘for the purpose of providing for the custody and preservation of public records of Singapore’ after the passing of the NARC Act by Parliament in September 1967.

Provisions of the Act include archives coming under the control of NARC instead of the National Library, a reduction from the initial 50-year term to a 25-year term before archives can be officially available for use by research workers and others, as well as the setting up of a NARC Committee.

A comprehensive report by Dr. F. R. J. Verhoeven, a UNESCO expert in Archives administration, which included recommendations on legislations, organisation and management of archives and records staffing, buildings and budget was approved and implemented by the Government after the passing of the NARC Act in 1967.

Dr. Verhoeven also pointed out in the report that the primary importance of the archival holdings laid in ‘their irreplaceable value’ as the principal source of most extensive and detailed data for the research on and study of Singapore history.

The NARC started functioning actively in late August 1968 with the appointment of a Senior Archives Officer.

Photograph from MICA collection, Courtesy of National Archives of Singapore

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