The Repositories of Historical Sources

Philippine Depositories. The foremost depository where students

of history can go to is the National Library of the Philippines (NLP).
Holding a wide array of general and rare collections on Philippine
history, it includes the following units: (1) Filipiniana Division and
(2) Microfilm Section. These units, indeed, are very helpful to
students in their academic pursuits and research endeavors.
Important documents such as the Historical Data Papers and the
Philippine Revolutionary Records are housed in this library.
The Archives of the University of Santo Tomas contains rich
Spanish-era collection, especially with regards to education-related
records during the Spanish Period. The National Archives of the
Philippines (NAP) also contains rich Spanish-era collection, more
particularly when it comes to government-related records of the
Spanish regime. If the students wish to conduct researches on
ecclesiastical-related topics, they can go and visit the
Archdiocesan Archives of Manila which is located in Arzobispado,
Intramuros. This depository contains vast information on Church
affairs. It is also here where the infamous Retraction Letter of Rizal
was found. Moreover, the Manila Observatory Archives contains
pertinent data regarding the various weather disturbances and
conditions. This is due to the fact that the Observatorio served as
the weather forecasting bureau of the Spanish colonial government.

Other institutions of higher learning boast their rich collections of

both primary and secondary sources. Among them are the
University of the Philippines Main Library in Diliman Quezon City;
the Ateneo de Manila University’s Rizal Library and Historical
Collection of the United States Embassy in Loyola Heights, Quezon
City; and, the De La Salle University Libraries in Ermita, Manila.
Students who wish to conduct researches on ethnic groups can
visit the SIL Philippines in Horseshoe Drive, Quezon City. The said
archives offer almost 2,000 titles relating to the languages of the
Philippines. The archives of the Congregation of the Immaculate
Heart of Mary (CICM), also in Quezon City, offers collections on
documents written by CICM missionaries who were posted in the
northern parts of Luzon. Other depositories are the centers
established by local historical networks. These centers provide
helpful sources about the history of their towns or provinces, thus
the study of local history becomes easier.