NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND RECORDS CENTRE (Preservation of public records)

Mr J. F. Conceicao asked the Minister for Culture (a) whether the public records which are preserved at the National Archives and Records Centre include items of any special monetary value; and (b) what safeguards are taken to ensure that there is no deterioration of the condition of those records.

Inche Sha'ari Bin Tadin (for the Minister for Culture): Mr Speaker, Sir, the public records of the National Archives and Records Centre include archives dating from 1800, some 20 years before the official founding of Singapore in 1819. The archives include not only Government publications and correspondence, but also maps, building plans, photographs and other types of public records. Many items in the archives may be considered unique and therefore priceless in that they are original documents of irreplaceable value. No estimate can be made of the monetary worth of such items, as in modern times, copies of these are generally made available through the medium of microfilm or other photocopying devices.

All archives are kept in air-conditioned stacks, the oldest and most important of these being in 24-hour air-conditioned storage. Such air-conditioning ensures that there is no deterioration in the condition of these records. One of the National Archives staff has also been sent to the National Archives and Records Centre of Malaysia for training in the binding and restoration of fragile archives. Training of additional staff will also be provided as necessary.