 The National Library of Cambodia was inaugurated by the French colonial administration on 24 December 1924, with an initial collection of just 2,879 books, mainly in French.Thereafter it was successively managed by French staff until the appointment of the first Khmer Director, Mr Pach Chhoeun, in 1951.After independence in 1954 there was a steady growth in Cambodian publishing, which was reflected in the increased number of Khmer language books in the National Library.