Burma Study Center Library 

The Burma Study Center Library now exists only as an online resource. For more than a decade it provided valuable resources on Burma to researchers and mainly foreign visitors to Chiang Mai. With the changing focus of the Study Center to facilitate English language learning, and with decreased demand for print material, the AV and print collection was disposed of in 2025. The records of these items remain in the catalog for reference purposes, clearly marked as NOT HELD. These records should serve as a “Recommended Reading” list for all those interested in the the peoples of Burma and their struggles for justice and freedom.

The Study Center Library continues to catalog and provide access to websites and other electronic resources such as e-books that are relevant to the Center's purpose.

For further information, please contact us via email or Facebook.

Contacts:

Phone: 0936524182

Facebook messages: www.facebook.com/BurmaLibrary

Together, we will be able to further the goal of using our privileges and resources to resist repression and support those struggling for freedom in Burma.

========================================

For more information on Burma Study Center, click here 

========================================

How to view Burmese or Shan language data in our catalog

Firstly, please ensure you have the appropriate fonts installed on your system. We work with Pyidaungsu.ttf for Burmese and Panglong for Shan. Secondly, you must set your browser to use one of these as its default according to the language desired.

========================================

Technical notes on catalog data

The Burma Study Center Chiang Mai library catalog began as a simple Author/Title/Category/Call Number table in Word document format. With the arrival of volunteer library expertise this data was imported unchanged via Excel into a custom-built FileMaker Pro database, and additional fields for multiple Subjects, Publisher, Date, and ISBN data were added. A limited subject authority list was developed and utilised, based on LOC headings, although some original Category headings used remained, e.g "Essays", "Fiction", etc. The additional data was then retrospectively added for each title.

The limitations of the FileMaker-based catalog led to research, adoption and implementation of the Open-Source software SLIMS. Data was transferred via the CSV file import system to the new Senayan catalog. Inconsistencies are being gradually rectified to bring the catalog into line with international standards.

NOTES on language

As we begin adding titles in Burmese, Shan and Thai to our catalog, we have faced many policy decisions. We have retained English language subject headings for all titles. Titles have been entered in their printed language. Authors have been entered in their printed language with Anglicised names appended in brackets to facilitate searches.