Leong (fifth from left) presenting a memento to Fatimah during the IDS-State Library meeting recently.
KOTA KINABALU: The Institute for Development Studies (Sabah) (IDS) think tank is seeking a collaboration with the State Library to build up data for the North Borneo History Research Centre.
IDS chairman Datuk Adeline Leong said the centre would eventually house data on Sabah's history.
"The centre will be a dedicated repository to compile, collect, source, secure, keep and maintain all documents and books of antiquity with regards to North Borneo.
"The process of digitising all documentation related to the history of North Borneo has to be done meticulously, to preserve and narrate Sabah's history.
"We need the support and cooperation of the state library to realise this vision which is valued by IDS and the community," she said Wednesday (July 6) after a courtesy call on Sabah State Library director Fatimah Abdillah.
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Leong, who was the library's first director, said the process of finding books, documents and references had become much easier through digitalisation and technological advancements adopted by the library in the past decade.
"The library is more than just a place to store books. The world is in the digital era now and it is our duty to also upgrade ourselves and our amenities to remain relevant and move forward," she said.
The centre would be under IDS and headed by historical researcher Shari Jeffri.
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The need for a factual narrative of Sabah's history was seen especially in relation to the Sulu Sultanate claim after self-proclaimed heirs to the defunct sultanate obtained an order from a Paris arbitration court requiring Malaysia to pay them RM64bil.
Malaysia is challenging the decision.
Local historians have since disputed the claim based on various historical documents obtained from Brunei and other sources.
IDS chief executive officer Dr Ramzah Dambul in an interview earlier said the centre would not be a "mere repository" of documents but also a platform for all activities leading to the issue of the Sulu claim through research and exchange of ideas among experts.
