The primary mission of the Library of Congress (LC), Kuala Lumpur
representative office is to support the informational needs of Congress and
the American people with regard to Malaysia and Brunei.
The routine work of
this office is the collection and processing of print and non-print
materials for the Library of Congress, other U.S. governmental agencies,
research institutions and universities in North America, Australia and Asia.
This office annually collects about 1000 monographs and about 800
serials and periodicals. The office has also found a new source to supply
newspaper in microfilm. Materials are collected in English, Malay, Chinese
and Tamil on a variety of subjects including sociology, government/politics
and geography. Of particular note is unique material we have been able to
collect from governmental organizations, the private sector, and NGOs about
political issues in Malaysia.
Once a preliminary bibliographic record is
made, the materials are sent to Jakarta and other LC centers to be
cataloged, bound if necessary, and shipped to LC-Washington and participant
institutions. In addition to the normal methods of processing, some
publications are also scanned for electronic transfer to the United States
on a special requirement basis.
The Library of Congress Kuala Lumpur section is staffed by two Malaysian
nationals and located in the American Embassy building.