Background: From a Library Division to the Central Library of Chiang Mai University
His Excellency M. L. Pin Malakun, founder of Chiang Mai University wrote about the establishment of the CMU, saying, the Central Library Building is very necessary. It must be large enough since a regional library is not able to rely on any library outside its premises like those in Bangkok or Thonburi. Thus, this central library has to be at the heart of the university with many roads going past it for students to have convenient access (M. L. Pin Malakun, 1962, 18-19). The statement reflects his sharp vision about the location specified for the library building. He also included it in the plan for the establishment of CMU from the beginning. Thus, the opening day when CMU was in operation was the opening day of the library service as well, which was June 19, 1964. At that time it temporarily used rooms 123, 311 and 312 of the Faculty of Science.
Later, on August 15, 1968, ti was moved to an individual building of the Central Library, Chiang Mai University situated between the Faculty of Social Science and the former Student Union. It was a one-story steel reinforced concrete building of 3, 684 m.2 It comprised four hexagon forms put together or a Hyperbolic Paraboloid with glass in all sides and was equipped with air conditioners. At the time the university had 51 divisions and 250 instructors and 3, 281 students.
In the earlier period, it was operated as a Library Division under the Presidents Office. The first Chief of the Division was Asst. Prof. Vilai Panphloi. Besides the library work it, had to handle other work such as teaching library use to students of the Humanities and Educational Faculties, public relations work of the University, the CMU Newsletter (Mo Cho Parithat), collecting activity news related to CMU to present to the President, receiving guest visitors to CMU, telephone operatior of the University. It was a pilot library work and university public relations facility mainly.
As time passed CMU has also grown rapidly. The Library Building began to be crowded and the Library needed to develop itself to be a place for academic research of the university and the community in the north. Therefore, the Chief of the Library Division at that time, Asst. Prof. Suphap Suchinda, proposed for upgrading the Library to the status of an office and in 1976, it was granted the budget to build a new building of five stories covering an area of 8,430 m.2 The Library invited HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn to preside over the opening ceremony on February 9, 1980. It can be said the Asst. Prof. Suphap Suchinda played a great role in improving the library administrative system and the expansion of the new building. Asst. Prof. Supahp was the first Director of the Central Library.
In the meeting of the University Presidents No. 531, 1976, came the consent to house the Central Library and adopt the Centralization system of administration by incorporating the administration of the Central Library and the faculty libraries together as well as the personnel. However, the CMU University Act 1969, has not stipulated the work division of the Central Library so they were not able to pull all the personnel of the central part. In 1990, they were able to do so when Dr. M. R. Rujaya Abhakon was Director. It divided it into 6 divisions according to the Royal Gazette book 107, Section 167 dated September 6, 1990.
In 1997, the Library space became inadequate again since it had approximately 3,000 users per day. so, the Library came up with the policy to expand its service to the modern mode of an e-Library. It extended the area to 6, 944 m.2 and opened for use on June 4, 2001. Now, the total area is 15,768 m.2, with the capacity of 1,577 seats for readers and it has served the public as the best information source of Chiang Mai University in the Northern Community.
By 2008, Chiang Mai University had changed its status to that of an autonomous university and the Central Library had divided its organization accordingly based on the University Announcement on internal decision of the academic/technical part and other parts (Second Issue) dated February 28, 2009. It has been divided into six sections. Its administration follows the Library Education Development Plan, CMU, Phase 10, (2007-2008) and the guidelines for the Central Library Development with seven operational targets Best practice, Research Library, Resources Center, Learning Center, Learning Organization, Living Library and Happy Staff. All this is to support the University to be CMU: University of Excellence.
Reference
Chiang Mai University Library. (2011). 47 pi haeng
khuam mungman phatthanaborikanthipenloet
wansthapana samnak hosamut mahawithayalai
Chiang Mai. Chiang Mai: Chiang Mai University Library.
(in Thai).
Chiang Mai University Library
Chiang Mai
ntic@lib.cmu.ac.th
Chiang Mai University. Information Technology Service Center
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