The National Archives of Singapore was first established as the National Archives and Records Centre (NARC) in 1968 by the passing of the NARC Act by Parliament in September 1967 for the purpose of providing for the custody and preservation of public records of Singapore. In November 1979, the Oral History Unit (OHU) was set up with the primary function of tape recording the reminiscences of people on important historical events in Singapore. The NARC was renamed as the Archives and Oral History Department in December 1981 with the merger of NARC and OHU. In August 1985, the OHU of the Department was established as a separate department, i.e. the Oral History Department, independent of the National Archives. On 1 August 1993, the National Archives and Oral History Department were merged to form the National Archives of Singapore (NAS). NAS is the official custodian of Singapore Government's corporate memory. Ranging from government files, private memoirs, historical maps and photographs to oral history interviews and audio-visual materials, NAS is responsible for collection, preservation and management of Singapore's public and private archival records, some of which date back to the early 19th century.
