Center for Khmer Studies (CKS), Siem Reap, Cambodia

Founded in 1999, the Center for Khmer Studies (CKS) is an international, non-governmental, not-for-profit membership-based consortium of universities, organizations and individuals dedicated to study, teaching and research on Khmer civilization and the cultures of the Mekong region.

The Center for Khmer Studies has now entered its third year of activity, and its fifth year of existence. Incorporated under U.S. and Cambodian law, the Center's goal is to promote scholarly interest in the region and to bring Khmer scholars into contact with their international counterparts for the purpose of fostering understanding of Cambodia and its place within Southeast Asian. Its programs aim to support Cambodian students, scholars and artists in the social sciences and humanities.

The CKS library is the largest public academic library in Cambodia outside the capital Phnom Penh. It provides the essential service of ensuring access to materials on Cambodian history and culture. Its large book collection serves as an invaluable information resource to local and foreign readers including scholars and researchers in Khmer and Southeast Asian Studies.

In just two years, the library has developed a large collection of documents: over 3000 volumes and titles, and more than 20 journals such as Kampuja Suriya NewsletterBulletin de l'EFEOAsianieAsian Perspectives and journals of SPAFA and Siam Society. The collection also contains unique out-of-print publications from local and overseas libraries, a wide selection of M.A. and Ph.D. dissertations from overseas universities and research papers from Cambodian students at the Universities of Phnom Penh. All disciplines focus on Cambodia and the Southeast Asia region in the fields of history, archaeology, arts, linguistics, religion, literature, and politics. Dictionaries, encyclopedias, bibliographies, directories, maps and guidebooks, as well as 3 national newspapers (in English, French and Khmer languages) are also available for reference.

The CKS library is in process of building up its extensive on-line catalogue soon to be accessible.