The NIKH searches for and collects historically valuable materials which are scattered in various localities in Korea. The materials thus collected are categorized, collated, and registered before they are released online or published as sourcebooks. It further collects and organizes oral histories of select personages in order to supplement the limitations of textual sources. In an effort to search out valuable source materials and relics scattered in localities, it has developed a system of appointing special NIKH commissioners in major cities and counties.