Introduction of Central Biomedical Library

The Burma Medical Research Institute (BMRI) library was established in the year 1963. First librarian was Daw Khin Thet Htar. In 1980, the name of library changed to Central Biomedical Library (CBL), Department of Medical Research.

   CBL is a major research library in the field of health and allied sciences. The library primarily serves the staff of the Department of Medical Research.

It also caters the needs of health information to the researchers, scientists, postgraduate students and health personnel under the Ministry of Health and Sports and researchers from other ministries.

It also provides health literature and related information with online access to local as well as global. CBL is the National Focal Point Library for HEalth Literature Library and Information Services (HELLIS) Network being established by World Health Organization/South East Asia Regional Office (WHO/SEARO). CBL also serves WHO HELLIS Resource Centre and Depository Library since 1995.

   The library collection consists of mainly materials on health and biomedical sciences. It emphasizes the collection of current medical literature in the form of periodicals, journals and bibliographic sources in printed and soft, journals and other periodicals. If necessary, interlibrary loan facility was also provided with other medical libraries.

   Fugitive literature, such as documents and reports of Government departments and Institutions were also collected. Regarding newspaper clip compilation service, as news and articles related to health and medicine in Myanmar were clipped and compiled into three groups, as news, articles and editorials. Three Myanmar newspapers (one in English language and two in Myanmar language) in pdf format have been compiled since June 2009.

   CBL established subject bibliographies and development of Research Information System. CBL is collaborated with other medical libraries under the Ministry of Health and Sports; SEARO; WHO and WR (Myanmar) office library.