Thaw Kaung

Sithu Thaw Kaung (; 17 December 1937 – 29 July 2026) was a Burmese university librarian, historian and leading authority in Asian library studies. He specialized in the preservation and archiving of traditional documents, including palm leaf manuscripts. His parents were of Hokkien descent, with ancestors from Quanzhou, Fujian. He won the U Po Hnit Gold Medal, which was awarded by Rangoon University to the highest-standing student in the B.A. examination for Honours English. He was selected in 1960 as a Burma State Scholar to obtain a Postgraduate Diploma in Librarianship, specializing in Oriental Bibliography, from the University of London's University College London in 1962.

Personal life and death Thaw Kaung married Khin Than in 1964.

Awards Thaw was conferred an Honorary Doctor of Letters by the University of Western Sydney in 1999. In 2005, he won the Fukuoka Asian Culture Prize in the Academic Prize category for his professional contributions. (2004) From the Librarian’s Window: Views of Library and Manuscript Studies and Myanmar Literature (2008) The Aspects of Myanmar History and Culture (2010)

Details of U Thaw Kaung's articles and publications are as follows:

(1) Library Manual (the first handbook in Myanmar) Compiler and chapters on cataloguing. Two versions. Two editions. (2) On Reference Books (in Myanmar). (3) On Translations (also in Myanmar). (4) Several articles on books and librarianship in Myanmar and in English. (5) Have published several research papers in Myanmar Historical Research Journal; also Jt. Editor and Jt. Secretary to the Editorial Board. Have read papers at annual Conferencesa and published in Proceedings of Conferences, Universities Historical Research Centre, Yangon. (6) Have read and published some papers in Journal of the Siam Society; elected Honorary Corresponding Member of the Siam Society since 1993 to present. (7) Have submitted some of my papers for publication to the National University of Singapore. (8) Recent articles (i) “Preservation microfilming of Myanmar manuscripts” (ii) “Microfilming of the Myanmar newspaper Suriya (the Sun)” (iii) “Japanese microfilming team in Myanmar, 1973-1974” (all three articles in Southeast Asia Microfilms Newsletter, issue no. 21, 1991. Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Singapore) (iv) “Myanmar National Library”, Kekal Abadi, jil 10, bil 2, June 1991, University of Malaya Library Journal, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. (v) “Myanmar Traditional Manuscripts and their Preservation and Conservation”, Myanmar Historical Research Journal, no.1 (Nov. 1995) p. 241-273. (vi) “Sithu Gamani Thingyan and his Zinme Yazawin, the Myanmar Version of the Chiang Mai Chronicle” in Proceedings of the 6th International (vii) “On the Myanmar Ramayana and Thai Connections”. Paper read at Chulalongkorn University 1998. Two research papers. (viii) “On Myanmar Ceramics”. Paper read at International Conference in Singapore, 1998. (ix) “Post-colonial Society and Culture : reflections in Myanmar novels of the last 50 years”, (jt-author with U Than Htut). Proceedings of the Conference on Post Colonial Society and Culture in South East Asia. Yangon: UHRC, 1999. (x) “Bibliographies Compiled in Myanmar,” Etudes Birmanes en hommage a Denise Bernot. Paris: EFEO, 1998. (xi) “The Myanmar Library Association and Endeavours for its Formation”. Paper read at IFLA General Conference, August 1999, Bangkok. (xii) “Myanmar Biographical Writings in the 20th century”(jt-author with U Than Htut), Proceedings of the Views and Visions Conference. Yangon: UHRC, 2001. (xiii) “Some Myanmar Historical Fiction and their Historical Context”,(jt-author wU Than Htut). (xiv) Two research papers on King Bayinnaung (1551-1581)for Conferences with Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok-2001; Yangon-2003. (xv) “Ethnographical Studies on the Ethnic Groups of Myanmar,” Minpaku Anthropology Newsletter, Osaka, no.14 (June 2002). (xvi) About 50 articles on Places of Historical Interest in Myanmar, for Myanmar Perspectives monthly Internet magazine (1995 to date). In English language.

Bibliographies and Indexes (1) Index to Periodical Articles in English on Burma, 1948 to 1962. (2) Bibliography of the Works of U Pe Maung Tin (Eminent Pali Scholar and former Chairman, Myanmar Historical Commission). Abstract published in Ngwe-tar-yi, a local Myanmar monthly magazine; later published in a monograph, 2001. (3) Bibliography of Works on Myanmar Literature. Compiled jointly with U Than Htut and Daw San San May (British Library) Published in Myanmar, Yangon: Sarpay Beikman (the Institute of Literature), 1983.392 items with index. (4) Bibliography of Myanmar Art and Archaeology. Compiled jointly with Dr. Elizabeth Moore (SOAS, Univ. of London) and Daw San San Maw (former Librarian, Archaeology Dept., Yangon). 1993. Unpublished. Available on computer. (5) Bibliography of Early Printed Books in Myanmar, 1819-1885. Compiled in 1992. Available on computer. (6) Index to Papers of Gordon H. Luce. Compiled for the National Library of Australia, 1999. Available on the Internet.