Indonesian Collection

• Collection Details
• Description of Collection
• Subjects of the Collection
• Collection Material and Size of Collection
• Collection Management Information
• Collection Catalogue Information
• Collection Printed Catalogues

Collection Details

Indonesian Collection held at Asia, Pacific and Africa Collections [Institution record]

• Collection home page
• Opening hours
• Access regulations
• Contact details
• Contact e-mail
• Catalogue
• British Library Public Catalogue

Description of Collection

Content description

Approx. 450 manuscripts in Javanese (250), Malay (120), Batak (20), Bugis (30), Makasarese (2), Balinese (15), Old Javanese (10), covering a wide range of topics including history, literature, law, divination and theology. There is a large collection of printed books and a limited selection of periodicals in modern Indonesian, with smaller collections in regional Indonesian languages. There are extensive holdings in Dutch, English and other western languages on Indonesia in OIOC's European Printed Books section and in the general RS&CD collections, including a special collection on the period of the Indonesian revolution (1945-1950). There is also a large collection of Indonesian archaeological drawings in OIOC's Prints & Drawings section, and western-language records relating to the British administration of Java (1811-1816) and the EIC factories at Banten (1602-1684) and Bengkulu (1685-1824) in the India Office Records.

History and development

A few Indonesian manuscripts were acquired in 1753 in the Sloane, Harley and Egerton foundation collections of the British Museum, but most were acquired in the first half of the 19th century from the collections of John Crawfurd and Colin Mackenzie, who had both served with the East India Company in Southeast Asia. The important collection of 150 early Malay mission imprints formed by H.C.Millies was acquired from the estate of the Abbé Favre in 1888. From the early 20th century onwards acquisition has been through purchase.

Strengths

The strengths of the manuscripts collections include finely illuminated and illustrated Javanese manuscripts from the early 19th century, and royal Bugis diaries from the court of Bone in Sulawesi. There is a substantial collection of some 300 19th-century educational tracts published by the Dutch government in Malay, Javanese, Sundanese and other minor Indonesian languages.

General arrangement and access regulations

The collection is organised into the following sections: manuscripts, printed books and periodicals.

Subjects of the Collection

Regions of Asia

South East Asia.

Countries

East Timor, Indonesia.

Languages of material

Achinese, Balinese, Batak (Indonesia), Buginese, Dayak, Dutch, Gayo, Gorontalo, Indonesian, Javanese, Kawi, Madurese, Makasar, Malayalam, Minangkabau, Miscellaneous languages, Nias, Sasak, Sundanese.

Subjects

Agriculture, Anthropology, Archaeology, Arts, Communication and media, Development, Economics, Education, Environmental sciences, Geography, History, Human rights, International relations, Language, Law, Literature, Music, Philosophy, Politics and government, Recreation, Religion, Sociology, Travel, Women.

Collection Material and Size of Collection

Material Types

Archival materials (includes non-published & mixed material), Books, Manuscripts, Maps (includes all types of cartographic material), Newspapers (includes microfilm editions), Official publications, Public records, Serials, Visual materials (includes photographs, prints, drawings, videos & films).

Total size of collection

-

Size of collection - vernacular

450 manuscripts, 7000 monographs, 100 periodical titles

Size of collection - western

It is impossible to esitmate the size of this part of the collection.

Collection Management Information

Annual intake

Approx. figure: 200 monographs

Content date range

0 to 0 AD

Co-operative agreements

• Since 1999 the British Library had joined the National Library of Australia's Acquisitions Programme for Indonesian publications

Collection policy

Collection Catalogue Information

Catalogue

All monographs and periodicals in Indonesian and regional Indonesian languages catalogued since 1982 can be accessed through the BLPC. Earlier acquisitions are accessed through card catalogues for Indonesian, Javanese, Sundanese and Balinese in the OIOC Reading Room, with author, title and subject sequences.

• British Library Public Catalogue

Catalogue transliteration schemes

Library of Congress transliteration for Jawi script.

Collection printed catalogues

Indonesian manuscripts in Great Britain: a catalogue of manuscripts in Indonesian languages in British public collections.
Ricklefs, M.C. and Voorhoeve, P.
Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1977.

Indonesian manuscripts in Great Britain: addenda et corrigenda.
Ricklefs, M.C. and Voorhoeve, P.
In: Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, Vol.XLV, 1982, Part 2, pp.300-322.

Golden Letters: writing traditions of Indonesia = Surat Emas: budaya tulis di Indonesia.
Gallop, Annabel Teh, with Bernard Arps.
London: British Library; Jakarta: Yayasan Lontar, 1991.

British drawings in the India Office Library.
Archer, Mildred.
London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office, 1969
Vols.1-2.

British drawings in the India Office Library.
Kattenhorn, Patricia.
London: The British Library, 1994.
Vol.3.

Prints of Southeast Asia in the India Office Library: the East India Company in Malaysia and Indonesia, 1786-1824.
Bastin, John and Rohatgi, Pauline.
London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office, 1979.

Early views of Indonesia = Pemandangan Indonesia di masa lampau.
Gallop, Annabel Teh.
London: British Library; Jakarta: Yayasan Lontar, 1995.

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