MYANMAR Writers and Journalists Association has unveiled plans to open a digital research library devoted to the history of Myanmar literature by the end of the year.

The library will be named in honour of writer and journalist U Htin Gyi (U Tin Maung), who died in January 2004 after devoting his life to studying Myanmar literature, said U Myo Thant (Maung Hsu Shin), a member of the association’s executive committee and an advisor to the Ministry of Information.

He said the library, estimated to cost K3 million, would be opened on the second floor of the Sarpay Beikman Literary Bureau on Merchant Street.

U Myo Thant said U Htin Gyi’s family donated K600,000 in initial funding for the project.

“We would welcome further donations to help fund the installation of computers at the library,” said U Myo Thant.

“The idea for the library came from U Htin Gyi’s hobby of collecting information about the history of our literature,” he said.

The Tekkatho Htin Gyi research library will help association members to gather information about Myanmar literature from the 20th century to the present time, U Myo Thant said.

The library would also benefit other researchers, such as students studying for a Diploma of Library Sciences who wanted to write a biography of a prominent author.

Information on the library’s computer database would comprise U Htin Gyi’s extensive collection of material and include biographies and photographs of writers, journalists, poets and cartoonists as well as newspaper and magazine clippings.

U Htin Gyi (U Tin Maung) received a National Literary Award in 1992 for his book on the history of the press in Myanmar. It was one of many literary honours he received that included a SEA Write Award in 2001.

He also compiled examples of English usage and published them in a bilingual book which is a commonly used reference by Myanmar journalists and translators.

During his career, U Htin Gyi served as the director of the Sarpay Beikan Literary Bureau from 1964 to 1976 and as secretary of the Literary Workers’ Association from 1976 to 1981. He was appointed a full-time member of the Myanmar Language Commission in 1985 and became a part-time member of the Myanmar Historical Commission in 1991.

The decision to establish the library was made at a meeting of the association held at Traders hotel on September 19.

After the library has been established, the association plans to use its database to compile a reference work on Myanmar’s literary history which will be published in Myanmar and English.