Sabah State Library
library department in Malaysia
Sabah State Library (Malay: Perpustakaan Negeri Sabah) is a state department under the State Ministry of Education and Innovation Sabah which manages each of the public library branches in Sabah state of Malaysia which is in turn a constituent feeder library of the National Library of Malaysia. The headquarters and the main state library are located on Tasik Road, off Maktab Gaya Road in Luyang of Kota Kinabalu since June 2004.
History
The first library of North Borneo was established as a section of the Broadcasting and Information Department in 1953. In 1966 through the newly formed federation of Malaysia, the library was merged with the Sabah Museum to form the Libraries and Museum Department before it was separated in 1972 with the formation of a Library Department under the Ministry of Social Welfare. The department administration was then passed to the State Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports and the name began to be changed into Sabah State Library in 1976. Jurisdiction of the state library returned to the Ministry of Social Services in 1982.
Headquarters and main library
The main state library consists of the following facilities and collections:
Branch libraries
This is a list of branch libraries under the Sabah State Library Department:
Rural libraries
There are 67 rural libraries in 25 districts as of 2022.
The public source identifies “Sabah State Library” as library department in Malaysia. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Sabah, State and Library.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Sabah State Library”, the useful work is to connect “library department in Malaysia” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
The strongest evidence will usually combine a dated visual record with documents produced by the authority responsible for the place. The source revision retrieved here is dated Mar 13, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q15126776. VIAF identifies the subject as 157081362. The Library of Congress control number is n77004374. Authority coordinates are 5.958, 116.079. 3 of 4 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2004, 1953, 1966 and 1972.
A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
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Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Sabah State Library”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Sabah State Library primary sources, Sabah State Library archive and Sabah research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Sabah State Library”?
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- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Sabah State Library” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.