Phnom penh: The Preah Srey I§anavarman Museum of Economy and Currency, commonly known as SOSORO, has launched the Khmerica database, a French-language digital library dedicated to Cambodia. This initiative was unveiled on June 16 and is now accessible via the museum's website at www.sosoro-khmerica.org.
According to Agence Kampuchea Presse, Khmerica offers a growing collection of books, journals, newspapers, and historical documents in French about Cambodia. Many of these resources are rare, out of print, or hard to find in digital format elsewhere. The platform's dedicated search engine allows users to search the full text of thousands of digitized pages, making it easier for researchers, students, journalists, and the general public to locate specific names, places, events, or topics within a vast collection of documents.
The development of the Khmerica database began in 2005 with the help of French cooperation programs, notably through contributions from Jean-Jacques Donard, the former director of the Priority Solidarity Fund for the Promotion of Writing in Southeast Asia (FSP VALEASE), and support from the International Organization of the Francophonie (OIF). Since 2025, the SOSORO Museum of the National Bank of Cambodia has been responsible for preserving, enriching, and improving the platform as part of its mission to promote Cambodian documentary heritage.
The initial collections feature more than twenty books and several major French-language publications produced in Phnom Penh since the 1950s, including titles like Cambodge d'aujourd'hui, R©alit©s cambodgiennes, Cambodge, Le M©kong, Cambodge Soir, and Cambodge Soir Hebdo. The content of the platform is set to be progressively enriched in the coming years and may also include photographs, maps, postcards, audiovisual archives, and other documentary resources related to Cambodia's cultural heritage.
By making these rare and often difficult-to-access publications available online, Khmerica aims to support academic research, education, cultural discovery, and the preservation of Cambodia's documentary memory.