Tun Haji Mohd. Fuad Stephens Borneo Research Library

The Tun Haji Mohd. Fuad Stephens Borneo Research Library was officially opened on 6 June 1980 by the then Head of State, Tun Haji Mohd. Adnan Robert to commemorate the contributions of former Head of State, Tun Haji Mohd. Fuad Stephens and his struggles to develop and raise the quality of life of all Malaysians in Sabah, especially in improving the quality of education and knowledge.

Envisioned so as not to duplicate the role of Sabah State Library and other academic libraries in Sabah, the establishment of this research library was the result of collaboration within a temporary committee, tasked with overseeing the establishment of the research library, consisting of the Yayasan Sabah Research Department, Chief Librarians of MARA Institute of Technology (now MARA University of Technology), National Library of Malaysia, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Library, the Sabah State Library and Sabah State Museum.

The library functions as a unique resource centre in Southeast Asia by providing and disseminating Borneo related information on various fields of research both directly from its resources and other libraries. It also serves as a reference, information and research source primarily for Yayasan Sabah Group, government policymakers and planners, professional groups as well as students of various levels of education.

The library continuously strives to improve its services to meet the demands of its users, and together with well-trained staff, modern equipment and a welcoming environment, the library provides diverse and organised information collection for everyone.

In 2023, the library transitioned its Integrated Library System (ILS) from Virtua ILS to KOHA ILS, achieving a 90 per cent success rate. With this upgrade, the library is dedicated to reaching a balanced 50:50 ratio across collection distribution, floor space allocation, collection formats, and acquisition expenditures. This strategic commitment aligns seamlessly with the library's vision of establishing itself as one of Borneo's premier resource centres.

The library is open free to the public, and a minimal membership fee for registration is required to borrow books.