The JSW Law Archive
The JSW Law Archive preserves the legal, historical and institutional records of the JSW School of Law and of Bhutan. It is a curated collection: each item reflects a decision about which documents, records, images and texts are important enough to keep for future generations of scholars, students, lawyers, judges and citizens. As a central repository of legal heritage within Bhutan’s academic sector, the Archive carries a responsibility that reaches well beyond the law school. It operates under chapter 9 of the JSW Law Library Guideline 2026 until a RALS Archives Guideline is approved by the Library Committee.
Archive
What the Archive collects
Legal documents: legislation, court decisions, treaties and legal agreements of Bhutan.
Institutional records: publications, reports, faculty and student research, and documents on the establishment and history of JSW Law, including the Royal Charter and founding records.
Historical texts: books, manuscripts and documents of historical significance to Bhutan’s legal system.
Photographs and visual records: images of key legal events and personalities.
Digital assets: digitised copies of physical materials and born-digital records.
Materials are selected for their legal, historical and educational significance, and each item is appraised for condition, authenticity, provenance and relevance before inclusion.
Legal heritage collections
Bhutan’s legal heritage includes legislation and judgments, historical legal texts, records of traditional dispute resolution, photographs and the memories of those who built the country’s legal institutions. Much of this material is fragile, scattered or held only in private hands. The Archives Division collects, preserves and digitises it so that it can be studied and shared. The Archive accepts gifts, transfers and deposits of materials that document the development of Bhutanese law and legal institutions; offers are appraised for significance, condition, authenticity and provenance.
Institutional records and memory
An institution remembers only what it keeps. The Archives Division, working with the Registrar, is preparing one file plan and retention schedule for governance, academic and administrative records across the law school. Records of permanent value, such as minutes of the Governing Council and Academic Council, policies, academic programme records, institutional publications and records of significant events, are transferred to the Archive, ideally at the end of each semester, through trained focal persons in each unit. Faculty, staff, students and alumni are encouraged to offer professional papers, manuscripts, teaching materials, photographs and records of student organisations.
Research records and data
Under the Research Centre Guideline 2026, research proposals, ethical clearances, publication agreements and financial records are kept for at least seven years in secure physical and digital repositories. Anonymised raw data from ethically cleared projects is deposited securely with the Archive with the Completion or Abandonment Report (Annexure E5). The Division keeps a research asset register recording the location, ownership, access conditions and retention period of research records and datasets, so that earlier work can be found and findings verified.
Oral histories
From 2029, the Archives Division will record oral histories with judges, lawyers, legislators, officials and others who shaped Bhutan’s legal system. The programme is cleared by the RERC before recording begins, archives-stream volunteers are trained to record and transcribe the interviews, and interviewees agree in writing how their recordings may be used. The aim is at least ten oral histories accessioned by 2031.
Preservation
Storage: climate-controlled storage at 16 to 21°C with controlled humidity, in acid-free enclosures where needed.
Security: controlled entry, surveillance and regular audits.
Conservation: deteriorating items are restored or digitised to archival standards.
Digital preservation: encryption, secure servers, routine software updates, regular backups and format migration.
Review: an annual archival stocktake alongside the library stocktake, and an annual review by the Library Committee.
The JSW Law Museum of Law
The JSW Law Museum of Law is a planned public space that will tell the story of law in Bhutan: from customary practice and historical codes to the Constitution of the Kingdom of Bhutan, the courts and the institutions of a constitutional democracy. Drawing on the Archive, the K4 Corner and the legal heritage collections, it will show visitors, students and school groups how law has shaped Bhutanese society. The first exhibition is planned for the end of 2029, with at least two exhibitions by 2030 and an annual programme by 2031.
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