By: Norhazura Hamzah (Senior Librarian, Media, Archives and Conservation Division), Salmah Abdullah (Head, Media, Archives and Conservation Division) and Norfaezah Khomsan (Senior Librarian, Corporate and Staff Training Division)

Serdang, 27 June - Sultan Abdul Samad Library has celebrated International Archives Day on 11 May to 24 June 2022 with the theme ‘#ArchivesAreYou’ with various interesting activities organized.

Officiating speech of International Archives Day by Chief Librarian Mr. Muzaffar Shah Kassim

The opening ceremony of International Archives Day which was officiated by the Chief Librarian of UPM, Mr. Muzaffar Shah Kassim on 13th June 2022 was held lively with the aim of raising public awareness on the importance of records and archives management. The opening ceremony was also filled with an Expert Talk Session: Pulau Batu Puteh from the Perspective of Records Management which was presented by the Deputy Director General, Planning and Management Sector of the National Archives of Malaysia, Tuan Haji Zaidin Mohd Noor. Through his sharing, records that have administrative, legal, financial, research, historical and national values ​​need to be assessed whether they should be kept temporarily or permanently in the National Archives of Malaysia. This record evaluation process is important to ensure that valuable records can be preserved and become a source of reference for current and future researchers. In conjunction with the opening ceremony, the Putra Archives portal was launched to facilitate easy access to search materials in the UPM Archives. Presentation of prizes to the winners of the Essay Writing Competition which has been won by Puan Norhafizah Abdul Latif. By the end of the session, all the guest were invited to visit the ‘#ArchivesAreYou’ Exhibition at Level 1, PSAS.

Expert Talk Sharing Session from the Deputy Director General, Planning and Management Sector of the National Archives of Malaysia, Tuan Haji Zaidin Mohd Noor

A total of 99 participants were physically present and online were also informed of various activities that took place during the International Archives Day celebration, among them; Wayang Pacak, Material Donation Campaign Consultation Day, Records Management Awareness Campaign, History Trivia, Record Disposal Briefing and Book Repair Workshop.

Visit to the #ArchivesAreYou Exhibition

The screening of Wayang Pacak which showed the films of Sarjan Hassan, Bukit Kepong and Zaleha Ayam Patah was well received by UPM students and staff. Through this screening, participants can indulge the memories of watching wayang pacak and gain a high spirit and value of patriotism through watching historical films. Meanwhile, the Book Repair Workshop which was held on 15 June 2022 has also received response not only from the UPM community but also from external organizations such as Bank Negara Malaysia and Universiti Selangor (UNISEL). Workshop participants were exposed to theory and practical training for damaged book repair techniques guided by skilled facilitators.

Wayang Pacak slot for all UPM community

Practical session for participants of the Book Repair Workshop in the Media, Archives and Conservation Division, PSAS

According to the Chairman of the UPM International Archives Day Committee, Puan Salmah Abdullah, the International Archives Day celebration which was held for the first time has achieved the expected objective of highlighting the diversity of archival materials and increasing the visibility of the role of archives widely. It is hoped that such a program can be implemented continuously as a library initiative as a provider of the latest information to the university community and the general public.

Date of Input: 05/07/2022 | Updated: 05/07/2022 | j_mohdshahril