Preservation, documentation, research, promotion, development and augmentation of arts and culture in the State continue to be the important objectives of the Arts & Culture Department. For achieving these objectives, a separate Department of Arts and Culture was created on 1st August 1988 to deal exclusively with the preservation of ancient arts, culture and heritage including promotion and expansion of cultural activities in the State of Meghalaya. The function of the newly created department is divided into three broad objectives namely, Performing Arts, Research and Library services. Under the Performing Arts we have the Institute of Arts & Culture. While Research includes Anthropological Research (Tribal Research Institute), Gazetteers, Historical and Antiquarian Studies, Museum, Archaeology and Archives. And Library Services include the State Central Library and the District Libraries etc. Since the department will soon be reaching fourteen years of its existence, it is, therefore, felt that important events and activities should not go unrecorded in this Chronicle.