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ISSN: 0219-8126biblioasiaVol 1, Issue 1, Nov 200506A-Z Guide to theNational LibraryGet to know the new librarywith this handy guide.12Continuities andChangesRead about Singapore’shistory as a Port-city18Gems inthe LibraryExplore the Rare MaterialsCollectionNational Library BoardSingapore

Editorial/ProductionEditorPublishing and ResearchServices, National Library BoardContributorsDr Derek Heng, MakeswaryPeriasamy, Wong Tack Wai,Hameedah Ibrahim, Vicky Gao,Veronica Chee, Sharon Foo, WanWee Pin and Eunice LowProduction CoordinatorsVeronica Chee, Lynn FongDesignerThe Press RoomPhotographyKelley Cheng, © Kelley Cheng©National Library BoardSingapore 2005ISSN: 0219-8126All rights reserved. No part of this publication may bereproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmittedin any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,photocopying, recording or otherwise, without priorpermission of the publisher, the National Library BoardSingapore.Whilst the National Library Board Singapore has usedreasonable endeavours to ensure that the informationprovided in the publication is accurate and up to date as atthe time of issue, it reserves the right to make correctionsand does not warrant that it is complete.The National Library Board disclaims all liability andresponsibility for any loss caused to any person by anyact or omission, due to the material contained in thispublication.If you have any comments,questions or suggestions aboutthis publication, please directthem to:Publishing & Research ServicesNational Library Board100 Victoria Street, #07-02Singapore 188064Tel: +65 6333 7977Fax: +65 6333 7990Email: cis@nlb.gov.sgWebsite: http://www.nlb.gov.sgContentsChief Executive’s MessageNovember 12, 2005 marks a majormilestone in the learning journeyof Singapore in its 40 th year as anation. The National Library Boardis pleased to announce that the newNational Library building will beofficially opened by the President ofSingapore, Mr S R Nathan. I wouldlike to thank all Singaporeans fortheir patience and support duringthe period of construction. You arethe reason for us to celebrate thisauspicious occasion.We have entered into a new phaseof global competition. Economieshave progressively becomeknowledge-based, with knowledgeand services replacing capital andcommodities as the main drivers ofeconomic growth. The knowledgebasedeconomy, together with newinfo-communications technologiesheralds the death of distance andseparation. It has created an ondemandand “Inform-me” culturewhere information needs to be madeaffordable and available. With that,patrons now want us to help themfind and validate information fromdisparate sources. Successfuleconomies of the future will bedetermined by ‘Knowmatics’or ‘Knowledge Science’ and‘Knowledge Technology’. Theyprovide the tools for the effectiveprocessing and application ofknowledge for the common manand the experts alike.The National Library will supportSingapore’s aspiration to becomethe global brain reserve of thetwenty-first century. As a premierinformation institution and anational knowledge manager, wehave repositioned ourselves tosupport research and development.We will function as a gateway toknowledge experts and resources.We will also coordinate resourcesharing between research institutionsand build-up strengths in areasthat power the competitiveness ofSingapore’s economy. The NationalLibrary recognises its role inaggregating Singapore’s knowledgeassets and we will continue to ensureeasy access to them. We will make itpossible to bring all the knowledgespread across domains or disciplinesinto a single or unified system ofconglomerated or embedded systemso that the average Singaporean canattain expertise in several domainswithin a short span of time. Whilstwe facilitate knowledge creation,we need to simultaneously equipSingaporeans with the necessaryskills to make productive use ofknowledge. Encouraging life-longliteracy and self-improvementwould be a major initiative of theNational Library in going forward.This library will be home to anoutstanding Asian and SoutheastAsian collection network, thelargest of any in Asia. The NationalLibrary will be a dynamic, resourcerich,downtown destination– an essential gathering place thatinspires learning, invites interaction,collaboration and improves accessto knowledge for everyone. Apublic-private partnership willensure the excellence and financialviability of the National Library andits services.Finally, we would like to encourageyou to continue learning andexploring, for Knowledge ignitesImagination, and with imagination,we create endless Possibility.N Varaprasad (Dr)Chief ExecutiveNational Library Board, Singapore03

Director’s ColumnIt has been more than three monthssince the National Library reopenedits doors and your response tothe new library has been veryencouraging indeed. With ourwide variety of exhibitions andcollections, a record breaking of150,000 library users like yourselfvisited us. In the first two weeks,the daily number of visits averaged7,000 on a weekday, and 9,000 on aweekend.As much as we welcome the floodof visitors and reading enthusiasts,we have enjoyed and appreciatedyour feedback and suggestions.Many of you have complimentedus on the extensive selection ofmaterials and the excellent servicegiven by the staff. For that, wethank you and we want to say it hasbeen a real pleasure serving you.Your compliments, feedback andsuggestions will spur us on to newand greater heights in providing foryour needs. The National Library willcontinue to build on our collectionsand services so as to enrich yourlibrary experience.Meanwhile, do take note in yourdiaries a very special date – ourofficial opening on 12 November2005. In conjunction with thismomentous event, the NationalLibrary Board is organising a majorlibrary conference from 13 to 15November 2005 on the theme“Celebrating Knowledge: The Powerand Potential”. Join us in celebratingknowledge with internationallibrarians and knowledge experts,who will gather to discuss topics ofcommon interests. This knowledgesharingopportunity will allowparticipants to learn from each otherand bring home with them a wealthof information and experience. Weare privileged to have Paul Saffo,Director of the Institute for theFuture, to shed light on the futureof the library. Joining him is DrSusan Whitfield, who will speakon the International DunhuangProject, a collaborative internationaldigitisation project between theBritish Library, the National Libraryof China and a few other libraries.Dr Whitfield has also kindly agreedto speak to the public on Sunday,13 November, 2005. Please look outfor the details of this interesting talk,and sign up for it.In this quarter, the NationalLibrary will also be launching twoexhibitions to mark its officialopening. As the nation’s NationalLibrary, we want to promote thelove for reading and writing.Therefore, in the Singapore LiteraryPioneers Gallery, we celebrate thelives and times of our early literarypioneers where the likes of ProfEdwin Thumboo, Mr MuhammadAriff Ahmad, Mr P Krishnan andYao Zi will be featured. Throughthis insightful exhibition, we hopeto encourage budding writers topen their thoughts and words. Inanother exhibition, From Books toBytes, we chronicle the story of howthe National Library has evolvedand grown over the years. Comeand join us as we take a walk downthe memory lane of the NationalLibrary.Speaking of memory lanes, Dr DerekHeng from the History Departmentat the National University ofSingapore will share on the storyof Singapore’s port in this issue ofBiblioAsia. Read about the littleknownactivities and the role ofthe port in early Singapore. Also, aspecial feature on the Rare MaterialsCollection will present to you thetreasure trove of historical books,journals and manuscripts foundin the Lee Kong Chian ReferenceLibrary. Explore the new NationalLibrary with our in-depth layout ofthe building and catch a glimpseof our Lee Kong Chian ReferenceLibrarians through a specialmontage of pictures. In addition,familiarise yourself with ourreference and audio-visual servicesat the Lee Kong Chian ReferenceLibrary by reading the detailedwrite-ups. Finally, enjoy the bookreviews and our forthcoming eventsand programmes.We look forward to seeing you atthe library, and happy reading!Ms Ngian Lek ChohDirectorNational LibraryYour Say...On the Zheng He & MaritimeAsia Exhibition“The free booklet and bookmarkare very beautifully presented assouvenirs. However, I found therecorded music being played ratheroff-putting especially when there areother ‘talking’ exhibits. Otherwise,this exhibition is really good!”Mrs J Popp Claremont, WesternAustraliaOn StaffMr Alex Ong deserved my heartycompliments. Because of therelevent information provided,I managed to trace a press report,published in Nanyang Siang Pau, onthe then Prime Minister Lee KuanYew’s visit to the Lim Tai See Gongtemple on 16 June 1963 during hisconstituency tour in Ulu Pandancarried. That was 42 years ago. Nowthat the new Library is openingsoon, I look forward to visiting yourstaff in the Reference section tothank them personally.Mr Ong Chuan Kim…For Eng Ann Alexander OngI would like to thank the wonderfullady from the Reference Librarywho helped me identify literally allpossible sources of parliamentaryspeeches. She was incrediblyresourceful and even knew aboutthose archived online by ParliamentHouse. My boss was very pleasedwith the Legal Workbench hostedby Lawnet and I will be one of thefirst in line to visit the new NationalLibrary when it opens next week.Ms Cheng Yew Kuann…For Yashodha Devi NadarajanI wish there were more staff likethis young lady who left animpression of courtesy, care,diligence and helpfulness, not toforget knowledgeable. Employmore staff of her nature.Mr Kashmir Singh…For Celestine Carissa Yu LiHe is a good customer service staffand a good listener. A staff withpatience and good attitude. Keep upthe good work.Ms Loo Hoe Ann…For Anwar Hadi RamliThanks so much for the two articlesas well as the references that youemailed me after my visit to thelibrary. Thanks for the efforts inhelping me retrieve the articles.Mr James…For Seow Leng AngThank you for your great effort.The information has been veryuseful indeed!Mr Dan Lee…For Haslinda Md YusofMs Yeo is very helpful andcourteous. Excellent service.She helped me to retrive theinformation that I needed.Ms Ng Lee Cheng…For Alicia Kay Ling YeoThank you for your help whenI was searching for informationon any possible auroral sightingsin Singapore in August/September1859. This is useful informationfor our research. I very muchappreciated your assistance.Dr J. E. Humble…For Bonny Muliani TanYes, I am very satisfied withthe service! Ms Gao is highlyprofessional and very competentin her duties. She has guided mequickly to the location of the booksand information I was looking for.I have saved a lot of my precioustime getting what I wanted. I amalso very glad that she is able tohelp me locate further information,which were not available at thereference books, from the database.Many thanks, Ms Gao!Mr Koh Guan Keng…For Vicky Xiaohang GaoThank you so much! The informationthat you have provided me isvery useful for my presentation.2 Thumbs UP!!Ms Suzanna Lim R…For Leng Leng Pek, SaraWe would like to hear fromyou! Please email yourfeedback, suggestions andcompliments to:Quality Service Manager (QSM)Telephone: 1800-332 3370Fax: +65 6332 3611Email: qsm@nlb.gov.sg0405

A-Z - Guide to the newNational LibraryA spanking new tower bordered on three sides by busy roads, the NationalLibrary Board’s (NLB) new headquarters at Victoria Street looms large amidthe backpacker hostels, Housing Board blocks and the two-century-oldbuildings of North Bridge Road.Staring up its 16 floors of glass walls, bespectacled bookworms wouldbestumped - whither the scholarly dust, the bookish stuffiness?The slick, state-of-the-art facade of the headquarters is a sure sign that somechange is afoot at the National Library, a much-loved institution in a countrywhich has a literacy rate of 94 per cent.This bumper guide – including tips – will tell you what to look out for inthe new National Library.AtmosphereNix your images of stuffy librarieswhere absent-minded academicspore over small print. On all sevenstoreys of its reference library, thereis mood lighting which – get this– changes colour from red to greento blue to cyan and magenta – every15 minutes. Open-air gardensscattered all over the buildings arealso lit by romantic warm light. Butno hanky-panky, please.BlockbusterThis building has a $203 millionprice tag, including interior design.That is about a third of what itcost to build the $600 millionEsplanade.Command centreNo idle chit-chats around the watercooler at this new hub of knowledge.NLB’s head honchos have theiroffices on Level 14 of the building.Drama mamaYou will get more than just theatrescripts here as the National ArtsCouncil’s Drama Centre has movedhere from Fort Canning. OccupyingLevels 3 to 6 are a 614-seat theatre,a 120-seat black box and a longbar on Level 3. The theatre hasair-conditioning vents under everyseat. But worry not about havinga Marilyn Monroe Seven-Year Itchmoment – these vents produce avery gentle draft.EclecticThe library’s climate-controlledRare Materials Collection onLevel 13 is a showcase of antiques,housing its oldest publication,The History Of Trauayle In TheWest And East Indies, from 1577.There is also a letter written bySir Stamford Raffles in 1819.Readers must write to NLB toseek permission to view the rarematerials – and handle them gently,with gloved hands.FreebiesNLB organises free talks andprogrammes for the publicregularly. All in the name ofenticing bookworms to drop bymore often.GreenThere are 14 gardens in thisbuilding, where lush foliage coversa third of its total area. You cancurl up in one of its two huge Zengardens at Levels 5 and 10 and sinkyour teeth into that great read youjust borrowed. Everything here isso eco-friendly that the Building andConstruction Authority has awarded theNLB top green honours: the PlatinumAward for the Green Mark Scheme.HappeningIf you thought the slick andclassy library@esplanade andlibrary@orchard were hip, you havenot seen nothing yet. Swop literarygossip with a friend over coffee atHans cafe. Or just cool your heelswhile waiting for a poetry recital ormini-concert to begin at one of themany exhibition venues. Plus, thereis the gorgeous rooftop Pod, a glassbubble with a 360-degree view. Ona clear day, look southwards andyou will see Indonesia.IntergalacticWander about the massive, pristinewhitestructures at the events plazaon the ground floor and feel like anextra in a Star Wars installment. Afar cry, certainly, from its red-brickpredecessor at Stamford Roadwhich was, sadly, demolished lastMarch after 44 years.JumboSpace, space everywhere. Thisnew 58,000 sq m head-quarters isfive times the size of the old one atStamford Road, or the size of about600 four-room HDB flats.K-shapedIf you were flying by in a helicopter,you would see that this building isactually K-shaped from the top -thanks to two main blocks connectedby covered walkways. The largerlibrary block houses the Lee KongChian Reference Library. The curvedsecond block, which houses thegardens and commercial tenants,forms the arc of the ‘K’.Look-seeIf this guide has whetted your appetitefor more, surf www.nlb.gov.sg fora virtual preview of the buildingat Virtual Flythrough, created bySingapore Polytechnic students.My preciousDubbed NLB’s crown jewel, theseven-storey Lee Kong Chian ReferenceLibrary – spanning from Level 7 toLevel 13 - is a treasure trove of 500,000items ranging from country marketreports to ultra-rare books onMalayan flora from the 19th century.NostalgiaThe St Andrew’s Cross was literallyripped from the Stamford Road libraryentrance and recast in the new plazaon the side facing Victoria Street.O Captain, My CaptainAhoy! Sail the South Seas with China’sAdmiral Zheng He, the gallant Muslimmaritime hero, on the 600th anniversaryof his maiden voyage to theseparts. NLB’s Zheng He and MaritimeAsia Exhibition on Level 10 willshowcase his contributions toeconomy, religion and technologyin the region from August 2005 toFebruary 2006.PostersRemember those ‘Small Family,Happy Family’, ‘Be a GraciousSingaporean’ and anti-spittinggovernment posters of yore? Theseretro slogans are all on displayin its Singapore and South-eastAsian collections for you to betterunderstand public policy changesover the years (or just for a giggle).The collection includes politicalmanifestoes, videos of past politicalrallies and records of election results.Quiet alarmsOn top of the screaming ones, thatis. There are strobe-lighting fire alarmsfor readers who are deaf, thanks tothe input of seven focus groups whichsuggested that NLB should installthem. Vox populi rules – on this count.RecycleIn its basement nestled amidbamboo trees is a 5,000-brick wallbuilt from the remnants of the oldStamford Road library. Companiescan buy a piece of history bycommissioning sculptures fromother salvaged bricks. Those withcash to spare can also bag acommemorative bookmark and achunk of the Stamford Road HQ brickfor $10 each, which goes to charity.Click on www.comchest.org.sgSunscreenGiant intelligent window blindsscroll down automatically whenthe sun is low enough in the skyto sneak past the fixed shades,usually around 4.30pm. The building’slights also switch off automaticallywhenever there is enough daylightfor one to read without squinting.Triple joyTalk about a study to die for. AtLevel 11, there is a triple volumelibrary floor with a book wall almost6m high housing the Singapore andSouth-east Asian collections.UndergroundYou can now get your readingfix at the Central Lending Libraryin the basement, where 134,000books, ranging from the arts tobusiness management, are yoursfor the picking. Remember to checkout its collection of award-winningliterature in all four languages.VertigoStand at the Pod’s edge on Level 16and peer down a dizzying height of102.8m to road level. Aiiiee! Eventhe toilets have this killer view —they have glass walls so you canscan the horizon. But you will get todo so by invitation only.WiredCheck out NLB’s enlargedDigital Library at www.nlb.gov.sgfor digitised rare material.Coming soon: An expanded listof more than 70 online databases,such as the Bibliography of AsianStudies, Factiva and NLB-ownedSingapore Infopedia, which tellsyou all about the nation’s roots.Log on at the NLB’s computerterminals for 3 cents a minuteor bring your laptop and surfwirelessly for free.X-treme shelvingThere is a total of 15km ofbookshelves in this building, whichis roughly the length of the CentralExpressway (15.5km).YesteryearReading in Singapore goes back along way, if you go by the exhibitionof library heritage from the 1800s,From Books to Bytes, on Level 5.ZephyrHang on to your hats - its groundfloor plaza is designed to be awind trap, channelling air betweenthe building’s two blocks so that itis replete with zephyrs, or gentlebreezes.Adapted from The Straits Times,July 2, 200506 07

OurReferenceLibrariansChin ChuanHameedahJaniceNor-AfidahSaraTiong SengChrisHaslindaLay LekNoryatiSeow LengAlexVickyAzizahEng ChuanHui PhengLin MuiPei JiunSharon TengAliciaWun HanBalbinderFauziahIvyMagesPuay EngSue ChueinAmbikaYian LiangBonnyGracieJaneMiaw MiinRobertaSunardi10 11

Continuitiesand Changes:Singapore as a Port-Cityover 700 YearsBy Dr Derek Heng, Asst. Professor,National University of Singapore,History DepartmentSituated at the southern tip of theMalay Peninsula, the waters aroundSingapore have, as early as the 14 thcentury AD, been recognised bymaritime navigators as strategic ininternational navigation, markingthe access point between the SouthChina Sea and the Indian Ocean.The key factor that underpinnedthis strategic significance was thedevelopment of a direct IndianOcean-South China Sea trade,linking the economies of the West,the Indian Ocean littoral and theSouth China Sea.Less known, however, is Singapore’slong historical legacy as a port.Although the history of Singaporein the 19 th and 20 th centuries, first asa colonial port-city and then as anindependent state that has managedto maintain its position as one of thebusiest ports in the world, is wellrepresented by a significant amountof literature, its historical legacy as aport prior to the 19 th century has notbeen sufficiently explored.Singapore’s port functions,especially those of the last twocenturies, had largely beengeneralised into those of anentrepot and staple port servicingthe Malay Peninsula hinterland,when in fact, the port played amyriad of roles that were quitedifferent from these. These roleshave also remained fairly consistentdespite the evolving nature of theregional and international forcesthat had swept through Singaporeover the course of more than sevenhundred years. What were they, andhow did they define Singapore as aport in the longue durée of history?Singapore as an IndigenousPort before 1819Some time in the late 13 th century,an autonomous settlement wasestablished on the north bank ofthe Singapore River. Known asSingapore, the settlement dependedalmost entirely on external sourcesfor both its wealth and provisions.It was the only port in the SouthernMalacca Straits region, and servicedships and traders peddling in theregion. It competed against rivalFor further reading on Singaporebefore 1819, Early Singapore 1300s– 1819 is an excellent source ofmaterial.All Rights Reserved, Singapore HistoryMuseum, 2004.ports along the Malacca Straitscoast, such as Palembang, Jambi,Tamiang, Kota Cina, South Kedah,Lambri and Semudra, for a slice ofthe maritime trade pie.Singapore’s port functions weretwo-fold. Firstly, by making availableseveral products that were in demandby the international markets, itattracted foreign traders to its port.According to the Daoyi ZhilueJiaoshi, a Chinese account ofThe Daoyi Zhilue Jiaoshi also providesa list of ports that functioned duringthe late 13 th and 14 th centuries in theMalacca Straits region.All Rights Reserved, Zhonghua Shu Ju, 1981.the ports in Southeast Asia and theIndian Ocean littoral, written by theChinese trader Wang Dayuan sometime in the mid-14 th century, thesewere namely top quality hornbillcasques, middle quality lakawoodand cotton. The niche market wassuccessfully established as theseproducts, which were commonlyfound at other Southeast Asianports, were unique in terms of theirquality.Secondly, it established itself as thegateway into the international andregional economic system for itsimmediate peripheral region. Theimmediate region, particularly SouthJohor and the Riau Archipelago,was a catchment area for Singapore’sexport products. In return, Singaporewas the key source of foreignproducts to this region. Singaporewas at the apex of this relationship,exerting a significant economicinfluence over the immediate region.This is substantiated byarchaeological artifacts such asceramics and glassware recoveredfrom the Riau Archipelago.During this period, Singaporeplayed only a minor role as atransshipment hub in internationaltrade. Only one transshipmentproduct was known to have beenmade available for export by Singapore– cotton – which could have originatedeither from Java or India.By the 15 th century, Singapore haddeclined as an international tradingport in the face of the ascendanceof the Malacca Sultanate. However,evidence revealed that internationaltrade continued to be conductedon the island. A map of Singapore,drawn by the PortugueseMathematician Manuel Godinhod’Eredia, shows the location of asharbandar’s office (the office ofthe Malay official responsible forinternational trade). Shards of Thaiceramics of the 15 th century, andlate 16 th or early 17 th centuryChinese blue and white porcelainshards, were also recoveredat the Singapore River andKallang River.Besides trading internationally,Singapore also provided other12 13

ports in the region with indigenousproducts that were demandedby the international markets.Blackwood (a generic termused by Europeans to indicaterosewood timber) was exportedby Singapore to Malacca, whichwas in turn purchased by Chinesetraders and shipped to Chinafor use by the furniture-makingindustry.Pre-1819 Singapore’s role asan international trading port,which lasted for more than threehundred years since the late 13 thcentury, came to an abrupt endin the early 17 th century, whenthe island’s main settlement andits port was destroyed by apunitive force from Aceh. Thereafter, Singapore was devoid of anysignificant settlement or port until1819, when Sir Thomas StamfordRaffles founded Singapore and reestablishedan international port onthe island.The Junk Trade of Southeast Asiaincludes translations of Japanesesource materials of trade betweenChina and Southeast Asia in the17 th and early 18 th century. The bookconsist mainly of letters by Chinesejunk captains visiting various ports inSoutheast Asia.All Rights Reserved, Institute of SoutheastAsian Stuides, 1998.Singapore as a ColonialPort-city (1819 to 1963)Upon creating a strategic presencein Singapore, one of the first issuesthat Raffles dealt with was theestablishment of a commercialport on the island. Identifyingthe Singapore River basin as thenascent location of internationaltrade, Raffles was keen to attractboth Asian and European tradersto the new port. Land along theriverbanks, particularly alongthe south banks of the river, wasreclaimed where necessarily, andallotted to Chinese and Englishcountry traders to encourage thesecapitalists to establish a stake inthe newly founded port-settlement.While the Chinese traders, becauseof their frequent commercialinteractions with Southeast Asiantraders through the course of theyear, set up their trading housesalong the lower reaches of theSingapore River, the Englishcountry traders, who dependedon the annual arrival of trade fromIndia for their livelihood, set uptheir warehouses along the upperreaches of the river.The nature of Singapore’s port trade,at least up until the late 19 th century,was very much the same as thatof coastal Southeast Asia. The portrelied on three main networks oftrade that were existent in SoutheastAsia during that time for itseconomic viability: 1) the Chinesenetwork, which linked SoutheastAsia with the southern Chinesecoastal ports of Guangdong andFujian; 2) the Southeast Asiannetwork, which linked the islandsof the Indonesian Archipelago; and3) the European and Indian Oceannetwork, which linked Singaporeto the markets of Europe andthe Indian Ocean littoral. Thesenetworks complemented eachother, positioning Singapore as thetransshipment point of the regionaland international trade. By the1830s, Singapore had overtakenBatavia (present-day Jakarta) as theMaritime Southeast Asian centre ofChinese junk trade, even as it veryquickly became the key centre ofEnglish country trade in SoutheastAsia. These developmentswere supported by the growthof Southeast Asian shipping inSingapore. Southeast Asian traderspreferred the free port of Singaporeto the cumbersome restrictions thatwere imposed by the authorities ofthe other major international portsof the region.Singapore also served as theregional economic gateway for theimmediate region. By the 1830s,Singapore supplanted TanjungPinang to become the exportgateway for the gambier andpepper industry of the Riau-LinggaArchipelago, and by the 1840s, ofSouth Johor as well. Singapore alsobecame the centre of the Teochewtrade in marine produce and rice.The range of products that weremade available for export waslimited but unique, mirroring thestate of affairs in the late 13 th toearly 17 th centuries.Prince of Pirates discusses, in detail,the gambier and pepper trade in theStraits Settlement.All Rights Reserved, Singapore UniversityPress, 1979.As the volume of Singapore’smaritime trade increased throughthe course of the 19 th century,Singapore also began to developadditional port functions. Singapore’sposition as an increasingly importanttrading port in Southeast Asia,coupled with its strategic location,enabled it to develop into a vitalnodal point in the network of Asianand international shipping. Sailingvessels, and in the mid-19 th century,steam vessels, used Singaporeas a key port-of-call in their passagealong the Asian sea routes. Thus,from the 1840s onwards, Singaporebecame an important coalingstation for the steam shippingnetworks that were beginningto develop.A History of Straits SettlementsForeign Trade 1870 – 1915 offersan insight into the growth of StraitsSettlements foreign trade during thatperiod, and discusses the changes inits regional distribution.All Rights Reserved, National Museum,Singapore and Dr Chiang Hai Ding, 1978.Towards the late 19 th century,Singapore as a port developedanother important economicfunction – that of a stapleport servicing a geographicalhinterland. Following the institutingof the British Forward Movementin the Malay Peninsula in late19 th century, Singapore becamethe administrative capital ofBritish Malaya. The MalayPeninsula began to be systematicallyexploited for its natural resources,and Singapore, because of its roleas a nodal point in the regional andinternational shipping networks,was developed to be the stapleport and international exportgateway of the Malayan hinterland.Transportation networks, bothroads and railways, were developedto transport primary products,such as tin, rubber and crude oil,from different parts of the MalayPeninsula to Singapore to beprocessed into staple products, andthen shipped to Britain and otherinternational markets. This role,which was never played by any ofthe previous ports of Singapore,quickly became the most importantone that came to characterisethe port of Singapore during thecolonial period.Back to Our Roots:Singapore as an IndigenousPort Once Again (1963 – )In 1963, Singapore merged withMalaysia, ending approximatelyone hundred and fifty years ofBritish colonial rule in Singapore.Although Singapore remained partof the Malay Peninsula, Singaporewas no longer its administrativeor economic capital. In addition,the processing of raw materialsextracted in the Malay Peninsula,which was a vital aspect ofSingapore’s colonial port function,was severely curtailed by theabsence of a common marketbetween Singapore and the MalayPeninsula states. Singapore onceagain became a port-city devoid ofa geographical hinterland.Today, Singapore continues tofunction as an important nodalpoint in the network of regional andinternational shipping. In an ageof shipping conglomerates withinternational networks, however,Singapore is no longer a crucialport-of-call. Neighbouring regionscould, and have established,comparable ports-of-call. Singaporetherefore has had to compete,as it did historically, against otherports in the region to attract tradeand shipping to call at its port. Thishas been done by making a rangeof products available for export toattract trade to the island. WhileSingapore does not possess anyindigenous natural resourcesor products that are demandedby the international markets,the global consumer economyand globalisation have enabledSingapore to develop an exportorientedeconomy that is based onvalue-added manufacturing.Devoid of a geographical hinterlandsince 1963, Singapore hassuccessfully co-opted the regionaland global markets as its virtualeconomic hinterland, successfullyobtaining the raw or partiallymanufactured products needed forits value-added processing activitiesfrom these economies, andexporting the value-added productsback into them through marketaccess agreements such as theWorld Trade Organization directivesand Free Trade Agreements. Thesemanufacturing activities are notsupported by domestic demand,but by external markets. The portacts as the gateway through whichgoods flow into the internationalmarkets. More recently, it hasprogressed to include activities suchas the provision of financial andlegal services as well as researchand development, facilitating thealready well-established port-relatedservices conducted in Singapore.The success of Singapore’seconomic activities has led it toexpand its economic space overtime. Presently, Singapore hasmanaged to build up an enlargedeconomic sphere along the lines ofthe Extended Metropolitan Region.In this structure, Singapore is thecentre of an integrated system ofeconomic activities. The centreserves as the gateway to theinternational economy, and wherethere is the highest concentrationof human and money capital. Theperipheral region, namely Johorand the Riau Archipelago, supportsSingapore by providing completedproducts that can be made availablefor export via the port of Singapore.This relationship mirrors that of thelate 13 th to early 17 th centuries whenSingapore was a classical Malacca14 15

Straits region port-settlement, andin the 19 th and 20 th centuries whenSingapore was a colonial port-city.Singapore as a Port Throughthe Agesinclude the making of unique productsavailable for export through its port,building the port to be a maritimegateway of the immediateperipheral regions around Singapore,and attracting passing mercantileshipping to call at the port.Gems in the Library: The Rare MaterialsCollections at the Lee Kong ChianReference LibraryBy Makeswary Periasamy, Senior Reference Librarian,Lee Kong Chian Reference LibraryIt is evident from the overview ofSingapore’s history as a port overthe last seven hundred years thatthe phases of Singapore as a portwere highly similar to each other.The roles they played and thefunctions that they performed tokeep the settlements economicallyviable – roles and functions thattranscend the course of time.This is due, almost entirely, tothe similarities in the externalcircumstances Singapore has hadto face over the years. The absenceof a geographical hinterland, andthe absence of a land-based society,had compelled Singapore, in thepast, to develop key characteristicsthat would enable it to surmount theconstraints imposed on the viabilityof its ports. These characteristicsIn the process, Singapore haschanged the concept of “hinterland”to complement the uniquecharacteristics of its ports - fromthat of a geographical land massproviding the urban centre andmaritime gateway to the externalworld with natural resources thatmay be demanded by externalmarkets, to a virtual economichinterland based on marketaccess for the procurement of rawmaterials and the export of valueaddedproducts. Particularly in thepresent-day context, Singapore asa port is no longer merely an outletof a larger economic entity, as it wasbetween the late 19 th and mid-20 thcenturies, but a port-city that isintegrated into, and dependent upon,the economic nexus of the regionaland international economic world.Beyond the Port City takes a lookat modern Singapore, tracing itsbeginnings as a colonial port and itsgrowth today, particularly as a socialstructure made up of immigrantsbrought in by the port.All Rights Reserved, Pearson/Prentice Hall,2004.BackgroundThe Rare Materials Collection at theLee Kong Chian Reference Library(LKCRL) is a prime collection thatreflects Singapore’s literary andsocial heritage and contains valuablehistorical research materials onSingapore and Southeast Asia.Through these rare titles, we areoffered a glimpse of the history ofan island that is home to people ofmany races, persevering to make aliving and to forge an identity. Wealso get a view of the scenes andlandscapes of historical Singapore.Most of the titles in the collection werepassed down from our earlier libraries,the Singapore Library and theRaffles Library. Some were purchaseddirectly from antiquarian bookshopsor acquired through donations.ScopeThe Journal of the Indian Archipelago andEastern Asia, edited by J.R. Logan, 1847-1855 is the first scientific journal publishedin Singapore with valuable information forresearch on the region.countries before 1900, and containinformation (the people, theirlanguages, customs, lifestyles, etc.)on Singapore and the region,particularly those countries thathave historical/cultural links.Some Rare Titles...The oldest book held by thecollection is a travel account, TheHistory of Trauayle in the West andEast Indies, and Other CountreysLying Eyher Way, Towards theFruitful and Ryche Moluccaes,that makes several references tothis region, then known as theEast Indies. Published in Londonin 1577, it was noted as the firstcomprehensive travel account ofAsia to be published in English.Some sources mention it is oneof the earliest travel narrativesin English.Further Reading:1. Pre-modern Commerceand Society in Southern Asia:An Inaugural Lecture Deliveredat the University of Malayaon December 21 by SinnappahArasaratnam. Publisher: University ofMalaya, 1972. [RSING 382.095 ARA]A slim volume based on theinaugural lecture at the University.It reviews trade between South andSoutheast Asia between the 17 thand 18 th century and its relation withincoming European trade.2. A Study of Ancient Times in theMalay Peninsula and the Straitsof Malacca and Notes on AncientTimes in Malaya by Roland St. JohnBraddell. Publisher: Malaysian Branchof the Royal Asiatic Society, 1989.[RSING 959.01 BRA]Reprints from the MBRAS byBraddell on Malaya’s early maritimehistories. The articles includereprints of ancient maps anddetailed analysis of routes fromChina and India.3. Maritime Trade and StateDevelopment in Early SoutheastAsia by Kenneth R. Hall. Publisher:University of Hawaii Press, 1985.[RSING/R 382.0959 HAL]An attempt to look at earlytrade and the developmentof Southeast Asia as a whole.It begins with a conceptualevaluation of statecraft andtrade in Southeast Asia, thenelaborates further on theinfluence of Southern Chinaon the northern Southeast Asiancoastal states, with therest of the book studying theinfluence of Srivijaya andMajapahit kingdoms on thepolitical development of theSoutheast Asian states.4. Archaeological Research on the“Forbidden Hill” of Singapore:Excavations at Fort Canning, 1984by John N. Miksic. Publisher: NationalMuseum, 1985. [RSING 959.57 MIK]Describes the archeological findsat Fort Canning which reveal detailsof the influence of early HinduKingdoms on Temasek.5. Maritime Southeast Asia to 1500by Lynda Shaffer. Publisher: M. E.Sharpe, 1996. [RSING 959.01 SHA]An introductory overview ofthe early maritime experiencesin Southeast Asia including theinfluences from first centuryFunan and the Srivijaya andMajapahit kingdoms in pre-colonialtimes.Currently the collection numbersabout 5,000 items. Majority of thetitles are 19 th and early 20 th centurypublications and were issued bySingapore’s earliest printingpresses. Mission presses featureprominently as many Christianmissionaries arrived at the thrivingBritish trading post together withtraders, administrators and otherimmigrant settlers. The “MissionPress” and the “MethodistPublishing House” imprints appearnot only in religious literature butalso in secular publications of thepioneer period such as almanacs,newspapers and school textbooks.The collection comprises Jawimanuscripts, Malay and SoutheastAsian dictionaries, travel accounts(both serious & anecdotal) of the MalayArchipelago and Southeast Asia,Chinese classics and romancestranslated into Baba Malay, almanacs,directories, academic journals and maps.Pages from The Journal of the IndianArchipelago and Eastern Asia. All RightsReserved. J. R. Logan, 1847 – 1855.Definition of RareUsually a book achieves somedegree of rarity based on its demandbeing greater than its supply. Howeversuch a broad definition can be verysubjective. What constitutes a rarebook is essentially the intrinsicimportance of the book itself. In thecontext of Singapore, a rare book isone that is published in Singaporeor the Straits Settlements beforeWorld War II. It has intrinsic valueand is unique as most pre-1945materials published in Singaporeor the Straits Settlements have fewextant copies. Books are also treatedas rare if they are published in otherPages from The History of Trauayle in theWest and East Indies, and Other CountreysLying Eyher Way, Towards the Fruitful andRyche Moluccaes. All Rights Reserved,R. Iugge, 1577.1617

Scene of Raffles Square in the 1920s from Sunny Singapore. All Rights Reserved,Kelly & Walsh, [192- ].The collection also contains titles,which depict the old scenes andlandscapes of Singapore. Publishedin the 1920s in Singapore, the bookSunny Singapore illustrates thescenery and images of Singapore,which are now non-existent. Thebook is testimony to the changesand developments that Singaporehas gone through.One fascinating book is The GoldenChersonese and the Way Thither,written by the famous womantraveller of that time, Isabella Bird.Published in 1883, it contains herdescriptions and observations of theplaces she visited, which includedthe Far East and the Malay Peninsula,including Singapore. The book is acompilation of letters she wrote toher sister, and describes amongstothers, local manners and customsand the flora and fauna of the placesshe visited as well as the growthof Singapore.“The Author’s First Ride in Perak” from thebook The Golden Chersonese and the WayThither. All Rights Reserved, Murray, 1883.Another interesting title is Cermin Mata,a Malay journal compiled by BenjaminPeach Keaseberry, a missionary from1859. Containing a mixture ofChristian tracts, general knowledge andoriginal writings of Munshi Abdullah,it is one of the first Malay journalsto be published in Singapore.First issue of Cermin Mata Bagi SegalaOrang yang Menuntut Pengetahuan. AllRights Reserved, Singapura, 1859.An important source of Singapore’searly history is the Hikayat Abdullah,the lithographed autobiography ofMunshi Abdullah bin Abdul Kadir. Itwas written in Jawi, between 1840 and1843, and published in 1849. MunshiAbdullah was the interpreter and scribeto Singapore’s founder, Sir StamfordRaffles. Abdullah wrote about the eventsof his life relating to the activitiesin Singapore, which was slowlytransforming from a sleepy fishingvillage into a major centre of worldtrade. He also described prominentBritish personalities and offered hisobservations on political and culturalevents of that time. He is considered tobe the father of modern Malay literature.Frontispiece of Hikayat Abdullah. All RightsReserved, Mission Press, 1849.Chrita dahulu-kala is a series ofPeranakan literature written forthe Peranakan Chinese. The firstseries was published in 1890s. Theyare actually old Chinese classicstranslated into Baba Malay and wellillustrated with the characters fromthe Chinese classics.The directory entitled SingaporeAlmanack and Directory is anexcellent source of referencesif research is being done onpast residents of Singapore.First published in 1846 andpopularly called the StraitsDirectory, this is the earliestSingapore directory. It liststhe names and addresses ofresidents on the island as wellas their professions. It alsoincludes brief informationon Singapore.Pages from the Singapore Almanack andDirectory. All Rights Reserved, StraitsTimes Press, 1846-69.In addition, newspapers publishedduring the times of the StraitsSettlements can also provide insightinto life in historical Singapore.The Singapore Free Press was thesettlement’s second paper, publishedin competition with the existing tabloid,the Singapore Chronicle. Whilst thelatter faced demise by 1837, theSingapore Free Press survived into thenext century. Its genesis marked theend of the “Gagging Act” – a censorshiprule that required that publicationsbe reviewed so that all criticismagainst the East India Companyor the British Government couldbe removed prior to publishing.Thus the paper’s name symbolisedthe newfound press freedom inthe Settlements.Donated by Mr Raymond Wurtzburgto the Lee Kong Chian ReferenceLibrary – through Mrs Yvonne Wurtzburg– the 8 October 1935 Singapore FreePress edition is a commemorativecentenary publication. Its value is notonly that it reviews the history of thepast 100 years of the newspaper andof Singapore, but that it also givesinsights into the life and activities inpre-war Singapore as vividly depictedin the advertisements. Divided intofive sections, the commemorativeissue includes a historical overviewof the Straits Settlements Police,the Harbour and companiessuch as Cold Storage. Aspectsand personalities in the localcommunities are also described,with photographs of buildings,people and places illustrating thecolonial times of Singapore.Pages from the Singapore Free Press.All Rights Reserved, Singapore FreePress, 1935Care and StorageDue to preservation purposes, alltitles in the Rare Materials Collectionare microfilmed and some digitised.Originals are no longer handled, asfrequent handling will hasten theirwear and tear. If the materials are everhandled for maintenance purposes,it is done so with gloved hands.Gloves are used when handlingRare MaterialsThe rare materials are kept ina special climate controlled roomwith a stable temperature of 18°Celsius, a relative humidity of 50%and reduced light intensity. Tofurther protect the rare materialsfrom environmental deterioration,the books are placed in archivalboxes while maps are encapsulated.Proper and stable environmentalconditions are necessary to prolongthe shelf life of rare materials.Rare Books in Archival BoxesAccessTitles in the Rare MaterialsCollection are listed as “RRARE” inthe library’s online catalogue. Forthese materials, only the surrogatemicrofilm copy or the digital copy isto be consulted. All microfilmsare housed at the Singapore andSoutheast Asia Collections, whichis at Level 11 of the Lee Kong ChianReference Library. The digitisedversions of the rare books areavailable on Singapore Pages,which is accessible via the NationalLibrary Board’s Digital Library(www.nlb.gov.sg). In the event thephysical copy is required to beconsulted for research purposes,permission may be granted ona need basis by writing to theDeputy Director, Lee Kong ChianReference Library.ConclusionThe Rare Materials Collection isa historical collection that revealsmuch of how Singapore, after itsfounding, grew into a leading portand its development from a colonyto a sovereign nation. Researchinginto this wealth of information shouldhelp our generation to betterappreciate their heritage and understandthe present state of being.Picture of Newton Railway Station fromSouvenir of Singapore: A Descriptive andIllustrated Guide Book of Singapore.All Rights Reserved, The Straits TimesPress, 1905.Advertisement page from Souvenir ofSingapore: A Descriptive and IllustratedGuide Book of Singapore. All RightsReserved, The Straits Times Press, 1905.18 19

By Vicky Gao, Reference Librarian, Lee Kong Chian Reference Library20 21

http://www.nlb.gov.sgThe Library OnlineBy Wong Tack Wai, Senior Manager, Digital Library ServicesThe revamped National LibraryBoard’s Digital Library (NLB DL) atwww.nlb.gov.sg was soft launchedon 22 July 2005, the same day thatthe new National Library Buildingwas opened to the public. NLB DLcomplements the strengths of thephysical collections with its onlineand digital resources.Previously, library users had toaccess separate web portals tosearch for corporate informationand carry out library transactions.Now, there is one seamless interfacefor all their information needs.Therevamped website is more userfriendlyand provides a wider plethoraof electronic resources for theinformation seeker. These includea greater selection of unpublishedlocal works, digitised rare materialson Singapore content, as well as anexpanded list of databases.This development of hosting bothcorporate information and digitallibrary can also be found at theBritish Library’s website (www.bl.uk)as well as the National Library ofAustralia’s (www.nla.gov.au) website.Ease Of NavigationAt the home page, the top horizontalnavigation facilitates easy access todifferent areas of interest, such as“About NLB”, “Catalogue”, “PublicLibraries”, “Reference Libraries”,“National Library”, “Services”, and“News and Events”.The left vertical navigation bar iscontext sensitive and the links willchange as the user navigates throughthe site to reveal related links.The following examples highlightsome of the contents that can befound in various parts of NLB DL.The Home page of NLB DL givesan update on the latest happeningsboth in the physical library as wellas the digital library. Togetherwith the “What’s New” and“New Arrivals” on the right of thewebpage, the attractive banners inthe centre are designed to captureusers’ attention. For example,when the Zheng He Exhibitionwas launched on 13 Aug 2005,a banner was a put up to raiseawareness of, and also to guidethe user to the online Zheng HeVirtual Exhibition.The highlight here is the Library2010 Report, which sets out theNational Library Board’s strategicdirection for the next 5 years.In this next phase of ourdevelopment, the National LibraryBoard aims “to bring the world’sknowledge to Singapore to createa positive social and economicimpact”. The Library 2010 Reportaddresses the key challengesfor the Singapore society andeconomy, and provides a strategicresponse. Read all about it atwww.nlb.gov.sg/L2010/L2010.pdfIf you think that all public librariesdo is to open their doors for librarypatrons to borrow materials, youwill be amazed to learn a lot moreabout public library services in thissection. As you navigate throughthe links, you will encounter a wholeslew of activities and programmestailored to suit the needs of librarypatrons from all ages with variousinterests. The links contained in thesection will give you a clue to whatyou can learn about public libraries.The links are:• Advisory & Enquiry• Library Enrichment Activities• Outreach Activities• Storytelling• Verging All Teens• Reading Groups• Programmes• Community Partnership &OutreachFor the details, go online and startsurfing!The Reference Libraries section isa treasure trove of information! Thenavigation bar as shown above listsand describes the various collectionheld at the Lee Kong ChianReference Library.Within the Singapore and SoutheastAsia section, unpublished artisticworks can be found in NORA(NLB Online Repository for ArtisticWorks) and digitised collections ofrare materials in Singapore Pages.Information on other interestingcollections such as the Gibson-HillCollection and the Rare MaterialsCollection can be accessed fromthe left vertical navigation bar asshown below.If you are looking for reliable andauthoritative information, doaccess the many databases thatthe National Library Board hassubscribed for public consumption.These databases are provided byGrolier, EBSCOhost, Factiva, andxreferplus, just to name a few. In all,there are 78 databases for librarypatrons to search for information.To make it convenient for ourcustomers, these databases aregroup by subject as shown.The NLB DL is available sevendays a week, 24 hours a day. Newcontents, features and services areconstantly added to the site. Beyou a child, a student, a concernedparent, an educator, an avid reader,or a researcher, there will definitelybe some useful information youcan take away from NLB DL. Theuser-friendly interface will makeyour visit to NLB DL informative,interesting and worthwhile.Go ahead and start exploringwww.nlb.gov.sg today!22 23

Programmes @ the LibraryKnowledge – The New Currency of the Future By Wan Wee Pin, Acting Manager, INVENTA noun that seems so nebulousthat it defies definition and yet it isthe holy grail of all who seek theriches that come with its possession.If the temple is the architecturalicon for religion, then it can besaid that the library is its equivalentfor knowledge.So what exactly is knowledge?Is it a mere bunch of facts andfigures? Or is it the understandingof these numerical codes thatenables one to unlock thehidden recesses of our minds?No one knows what knowledgereally is. Yet, to know something(or not know anything) amountsto knowledge in its fundamentalterms.In the month of November, theNational Library will attempt toshed some light on what exactlyconstitutes knowledge. We willnot be bringing in any linguistto give a dissertation on whatknowledge as a term consist of;instead we will be dwelling intothe different dimensions of theprotection, exchange and collectionof knowledge.In conjunction with the CelebratingKnowledge: The Power andPotential conference which willbe held at the InterContinental Hotelfrom 13 to 15 November, we willbe inviting several of the luminariesto the library to give their viewsand opinions about whatexactly they understand by theterm “knowledge”.The Historical and ComparativeStudy of Religion in a ChineseContextProfessor Anthony C. YuDate : Thursday, November 10, 2005Time : 6.30pm - 8.00pmVenue: Level 5 - Imagination andPossibility RoomsAdmission is free but registrationrequired. Please emailaspi@nlb.gov.sg or call +65 6332 1828To further the exchange of viewsand ideas across cultures, worldrenownedProfessor Anthony Yufrom Chicago University made suchan attempt when he translated theChinese classic Journey to the Westfor a vastly different audience. Hehas always been at the forefront ofcross-cultural studies and he willbe giving a talk at our premises on10 November on the topic of TheHistorical and Comparative Study ofReligion in a Chinese Context. Thistalk is especially timely in the lightof the revived practice of religion inChina and diaspora communities,and the escalating study of religionin the Chinese academy itself.The attempt to gain knowledge ofthe past is also a journey into theworld of the deadThe past is a treasure trove ofknowledge awaiting our efforts todig deeper and rediscover what ourancestors may have left behind forus. This is an effort that has beenchampioned by Dr Susan Whitfield,a historian of Tang China and theSilk Road as well as a director withthe British Library.In 1994, she started the InternationalDunhuang Project (IDP), a collaborationto make manuscripts, artifacts,textiles and paintings from theeastern Silk Road and dispersedin library and museum collectionsworldwide fully accessible onmultilingual websites. Her effortshave opened up a whole new worldof knowledge for us to explore.Unearthing Treasures of the Silk Road:The International Dunhuang ProjectDr Susan Whitfield, Director ofThe International Dunhuang ProjectDate : Sunday, November 13, 2005Time : 3.00pm - 5.00pmVenue: Level 5 – Imagination andPossibility RoomsAdmission is freeCome and listen as she shares,on 13 November, her experiences aswell as the motivations and purposeof the project in the pursuit andpreservation of “new” knowledge atthe National Library.Finally, in the new millennium, it hasbeen said that knowledge is the newcurrency and the one who hoardsknowledge is the one who would beking. Do you then know about theprotection of knowledge and theimplications and issues that comewith these practices?Mr Tan Loke Khoon is an expert inthis area with Baker & McKenzie andhe has recently published a bookentitled Pirates in the Middle Kingdom:The Art of the Trademark War. He willbe in Singapore on a short visit andwill be touching upon this increasinglyimportant and relevant topic.These are just some highlights ofthe programmes, which have beenlined-up in the month of November,that will attempt to put some kind offramework to what is still essentiallya hazy concept.As you participate and listen to someof these speakers, you will begin towonder if you have understood andgained a little more. And if you do,is that considered becoming moreknowledgeable?For more information, please logonto www.nlb.gov.sg for the detailsabout timing and venues of theseprogrammes.Pirates of the Middle Kingdom:The Art of Trademark WarMr. Tan Loke Khoon, Partner, Baker& McKenzie HK/ ChinaDate : Saturday, November 19, 2005Time : 3.00pm - 6.00pmVenue: Level 16 - The PodAdmission is free but registrationrequired. Please email aspi@nlb.gov.sgor damien_wang@nlb.gov.sg orcall +65 6332 1828 / +65 6332 1814Design – More Than Just Graphics and Prints By Wan Wee Pin, Acting Manager, INVENTDesign is a recognition of the relation between various things, various elements in the creative flux. You can’t invent a design.You recognize it, in the fourth dimension. That is, with your blood and your bones, as well as with your eyes. – D. H. LawrenceWe have heard so much about thenew economy and the new realitythat we now live amongst. And inthis new reality, design as a conceptand as an industry has been identifiedas one of the new wave of developmentsthat is sweeping away old structuresand mindsets. No longer just a questionof prints and lines, design as the newcatchphrase encompasses so much more.It is for these reasons and a wholelot more that the National Libraryis devoting the entire month ofDecember to the subject of design.As usual, the entire breadth of this topicwill be presented so as to give a morecomprehensive and well-roundedunderstanding of the possibilities ofwhat design can bring.One of the foremost efforts ineducating our young in this area isthe setting up of the new SingaporeArts School. As their opening salvo,they will be launching an exhibitionat the Promenade using the themeHow Singapore’s Award WinningArchitecture Firms Use PhysicalSpace and Architecture to SupportLearning and Creativity.Singapore Literary Pioneers GalleryBy Eunice Low, Manager, Heritage & AsiaAs part of the efforts to preservethe nation’s literary heritage, theNational Library Board is launchingthe Singapore Literary PioneersGallery at the Lee Kong ChianReference Library in the newNational Library building. Thisproject seeks to create a greaterawareness of Singapore literatureamongst the library’s users and togive recognition to these writers. Itwill also aid in developing the LeeKong Chian Reference Library’srich repository of local heritagecollection, both physical and digital.A permanent exhibition area of180 sq m, the gallery occupiesthe concourse area of Level11 (Singapore and SoutheastCollections) of the Lee Kong Chianincludes print, digital and interactivemultimedia facilities, featuresliterary pioneers including ProfessorEdwin Thumboo, Mr Lim Thean Soo,Miao Xiu, Mr Se Ve Shanmugamand Mr Suratman Markasan.They will also provide assortedprogrammes like workshops forarchitects, educators and childrenthat will educate the public towardswhat is meant by design and thevarious other strands that can comefrom this vast and rich topic.In conjunction with the promotionof design to the youth, the NationalLibrary will also be showcasing theYoung Asian Designers Award 2005exhibition as part of the programmeline-up for the Singapore DesignFestival. See what some of thebrightest young minds of Asia haveto offer as you look at the awardwinning works and concepts that havebeen created from their fertile minds.Lest the impression sets in thatdesign pertains to just art andgraphics, the National Library isalso working with our partner,the Institute of EngineeringSingapore, to come up witha series of activities to highlightthe various aspects of industrialdesign. The use of design inengineering will be showcasedat a fair while tours to localShowcasing special collectionsof the literary pioneers, the itemson display include books, letters,photographs and portraits of thewriters, personal items related towriting and authorship such aspens, typewriters and notepads,the original manuscripts of theirworks, calligraphic works, literaryawards and trophies. Copies of thewriters’ works are also availabledigitally for visitors to browsethrough or for research. Inaddition, a gallery guide hasbeen produced to assist visitorsand researchers.engineering showpieces will beconducted for participants.The National Library is alsoattempting to bring a part of the WorldExpo held in Aich, Japan to Singaporethrough an exhibition known asLibrary of 2005 Memories. The exhibitionconsists of more than 2000 storiesthat are manifested in a fascinatingthree-dimensional display.Singaporeans will get a chance tolook at a piece of installation workthat has wowed visitors from allaround Japan as well as overseas.With such a full and packed lineup,December promises to be anexciting one. For the initiated, this isa time to fully explore and developyour interest; for the amateur orthose hearing about design forthe first time, this is an excellentopportunity to know, in a greaterdepth, the possibilities and wondersthat this subject has to offer bothprofessionally as well as personally.For more information, please log onto www.nlb.gov.sg for the detailsabout time and venue.The National Library Board wouldlike to take this opportunity to thankthe different agencies such as theNational Arts Council (NAC) and theNational Book Development Councilof Singapore (NBDCS), as wellas literary associations, industrypartners, writers and individuals fortheir assistance, views and supportfor this gallery.It is our hope that through thisgallery, all library patrons will bebetter acquainted with our writersand even perhaps, be inspired intojoining their ranks as literary artists!24 25

Book ReviewsNext Generation Business Handbook: New Strategies fromTomorrow’s Thought Leaders by Subir ChowdhuryPublisher: Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley & Sons, c2004. Call No.: RBUS 658 CHOThis handbook offers the best thoughts and business strategies of renowned nextgenerationthinkers from the top 25 global business schools. They believe that to stayahead in today’s rapidly changing business environment, successful business leadersmust forecast the future and efficiently employ new concepts and methods to drivetheir competitive edge.Using the New Generation Business (NGB) Model of Subir Chowdhury, a topbusiness thinker and author, this book examines six key areas of business, such asleadership, strategy, customer management, entrepreneurship, people managementand networked business. It serves as a valuable tool for managers, consultants andresearchers to address emerging global leadership, cultures and people.Dinamika Bangsa Melayu: Menongkah Arus Globalisasi by Mohamed Anwar Omar DinPublisher: Bangi, Selangor: Penerbit Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Call No.: R 899.89928 DINBuku ini mengupas persoalan kecergasan atau kedinamikan bangsa Melayu dalammenghadapi cabaran dan tuntutan era globalisasi kurun ke 21. Ia merupakanhimpunan makalah terpilih oleh tokoh-tokoh berwibawa dalam bidang masing-masingyang dibentangkan di Seminar Peradaban Melayu: Menjana Abad Ke-21 anjuran JabatanPersuratan Melayu, Fakulti Sains Kemasyarakatan dan Kemanusiaan, Universiti KebangsaanMalaysia, dengan kerjasama Berita Harian (Malaysia), pada 19 Februari 1997.Sesuai sebagai bahan rujukan untuk semua lapisan masyarakat yang ingin memahamiserta mentelaah tentang kedinamikan bangsa Melayu. Walaupun lebih berbentukilmiah, Dinamika Bangsa Melayu – Menongkah Arus Globalisasi boleh dianggapsumbangan awalan untuk meneruskan kajian secara lebih mendalam lagi berkaitanisu-isu teras dalam dinamika bangsa Melayu.Maximum City: Bombay Lost and Found by Suketu MehtaPublisher: New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2004. Call no.: R 954.79205 MEHSuketu Mehta tries to recapture the memories of the Bombay of his youth aftermigrating to the US, only to find that the place he knew has changed beyondrecognition. He takes the reader into the violent world of the Muslim and Hindu gangsas he investigates the tragic 1993 Mumbai bombings.Written with the combined flair of a journalist’s observatory skills and a novelist’sempathy for each subject, Mehta’s encounters with a super-cop, Bombay’s “Godfather”,a bar dancer, a cross-dresser, Bollywood stars and struggling actors, are alltransformed into unforgettable real-life stories that are at times comical but mostlybitter-sweet.Portraiture by Shearer West.Publisher: Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004. Call number: RART 704.942 WESbyPublisher: Call No.: R 894.811371 RAM RAMPortraiture is an accessible and concise treatment of the history and influence of theportrait, which invites readers to delve further into this genre of painting.The book explores the history of the portrait in Western art from ancient to moderntimes. Ranging from iconic representations of the powerful to group portraits ineveryday settings, the author draws commonalities of meaning in the relationshipof portraiture to society and self-image of subjects, observers and artists. Chapterson portraits in different life stages, from children to old age, as well as issues ofgender in both the subject and the artist are explored. Lastly, the author gives anintroduction to the complex arena of self-portraiture and its journey into modernistand contemporary art.26 27

Library patrons may choose tobrowse the open shelves or checkthe online catalogue to select the titlethey want. Thereafter, they may seekthe help of trained Library Assistantsat the Audio Room who will assignthem a station for viewing or listening.However, some audiovisual materialssuch as audiocassettes for languagelearning, slides for historical topics andLPs for classical music are housed in theRepository Used Collection and maybe reserved at the Information Counterat a nominal fee of $1.55 per item.JustAsk!By Wan Wee Pin, Acting Manager,INVENTAudiovisual Servicesat the Lee Kong ChianReference LibraryBy Hameedah Ibrahim, Reference Librarian,Lee Kong Chian Reference LibraryBackgroundThe fields of library and informationscience are changing and growingrapidly especially in the past thirtyyears. Technological advancementhas created a new wave ofaudiovisual products in the marketsuch as videocassette discs (VCDs)and digital video discs (DVDs).Started in 1983 when the Arts ResourceCentre was set up at the ReferenceServices Division, National Library,the Audiovisual Collection in the LeeKong Chian Reference Library hasgrown to about 20,000 items in thefour official languages. It has becomean important research resource thatcomplements the print collectionsto meet the informational andreference needs of library patrons.Materials in the Audiovisual Collectionare available for browsing at theSingapore and Southeast AsianCollections on Level 11. Librarypatrons may use any of the 10dedicated stations in the AudiovisualRoom on a first come first servedbasis. The Audiovisual Service isavailable from 10.00 am to 9.00 pmdaily except public holidays.Service ProvidedThe service is categorised into:Heritage Audiovisual Service,Audiovisual for Learning and Trainingand Audiovisual Service On-demand. Awide and diverse range of audiovisualmaterials such as videotapes, compactdiscs, VCDs, DVDs, laserdiscs,audiocassettes, slides and long playersrecords (LPs) are available. Librarypatrons with a strong interest inSingapore, heritage, current affairs,visual arts documentaries, business,management, history, languageand social science should definitelymake use of the collection.Challenges and OpportunitiesIn order to meet the challengesand service standards in providinggreater choice of format, the LeeKong Chian Reference will:• continuously acknowledge andrespond to customer demandsin addition to closely monitoringcustomer preferences, trends intechnology and publishing, and• review the collection developmentpolicy regularly to respond to a newand continuously changing informationservices marketplace.ConclusionIn today’s digital information age, wherea greater choice of format competeswith content diverstiy, the Lee KongChian Reference Library will continueto balance the needs of its librarypatrons against content selection anddevelopment. To avoid sacrificing thequality and depth of the collection,the Lee Kong Chian Reference Librarywill be acutely aware of customer needs,be sure that the library has a clear andfiscally realistic focus of purposeand cooperate with other communitylibraries to share resources. At thesame time it will focus on safeguardingthe available materials andintellectual contents for future use.So, visit the Audiovisual Room today foran enriching and fulfilling experience.Singapore has been in the throesof a burgeoning new beginningfor the last few years with wordslike “innovation”, “re-training” and“creativity” being bandied aroundalmost on a monthly basis throughall stratum of society. Many seemtotally caught up with the need tosee things with new eyes or to thinkout of the box as they chase thelatest fad theory or thinking.However, they fail to realise thatthe elixir they are looking for is justright in front of them if only theypay a little attention? How do youto get people to think differently?You get them to ask questions. It’sthat simple. More than just a questfor answers, the act of askinga question enforces a changephysiologically and mentallybecause it is a reflection of one’sdesire to know more and one’sadmittance of one’s inadequacies.The latter is crucial; only until weare able to admit we do not knowsomething, will we be able to geton the path of finding the answer.If we know it all, what else isthere to intrigue and stimulate ourcuriosity? Human progress andgrowth cannot be possible withoutthe desire to search for alternativesor to discover the new. With nocuriosity, the human race will ceaseto exist.For a long time, we always claimthat Singaporean students do notlike or do not want to ask questions;they are too quiet and keep theirviews to themselves. Checkourselves this instance and ponder:Do we ask questions? Do we try tofind out more?A story relates that a group ofteachers, wanting to find theimpetus to get their students toask questions, went to Japan fora study trip. However, when theywere there, not a single one ofthem asked their Japanese hostsany questions!That is the basic premise of thenew campaign that the NationalLibrary Board (NLB) is introducing.A multifaceted campaign, JustAsk aims to educate, cultivate andencourage library patrons to askany questions they may have andto inculcate in them a questioningmind and culture.Just Ask has three major components:Skills, Services and ContentOver the next six months, patronswill be exposed to workshops andprogrammes that will teach themhow to ask questions and how tofind the answers for themselves. Theskills they learn will equip them todeal with questions and questioningtechniques throughout their lifetime.NLB will also be introducing newresearch and enquiry services thatwill allow participants who havequestions to easily gain accessto the answers through differentmediums. The newest kid on theblock will be the SMS ReferenceService where patrons can merelypunch a few buttons to send in theirquestions.Finally, NLB will be showcasingthe databases and resources thatwe possess. For a start, we willbe targeting the three sectorsof Business, Arts and Educationand show how we can becomea valuable information supportsystem for these professionals.To raise the profile of the campaignand to spread the need to askquestions, Just Ask has also createdwhat we call Just Ask Ambassadors.Our line-up of interesting Ambassadorsincludes the likes of Dr Woffles Wu,cartoonist Colin Goh, Dr William Tanand the NUS Everest team.Look out in the coming monthsahead for many related activities,promotions and workshops allgeared towards getting people toask more questions and to developa more innate enquiring character.We are not trying to “evangelise”but simply reminding everyone ofthe truth they may have forgotten;to get them to reflect, dramatise andgrossly magnify what we alreadyhold true. If the Just Ask campaigncan plant the seed of a questioningculture amongst the people, wewould have succeeded, for the realquest for knowledge begins not withinformation but with inquisitiveness.For more details of the series ofactivities related to Just Ask, visitour website www.nlb.gov.sg or pickup a brochure at a library near you.28 29

Publishing & Research ServicesBy Veronica Chee, Senior Librarian, and Sharon Foo, Senior Executive, Publishing & Research ServicesKnowledge is the new currencyof the future. Whether for policymaking,research initiatives orbusiness decisions, knowledge isabout accessibility, speed, relevanceand interaction.The National Library Board’sPublishing & Research ServicesDivision (PRS) provides professionalresearch services to meet the needsof the industry and the community.PRS is the research and knowledgegateway to a wide range of subjectareas focusing on creative media,health and defence, education andemployment, and library leadership.The main objectives of itspublishing initiatives are1. to publish and archive importantresearch and writings in the libraryand information field2. to capture knowledge andexpertise within the NationalLibrary and providing an avenuefor the sharing and distribution ofsuch knowledge and expertise.Services• Research Support/ConsultancyA dedicated enquiry service forcorporate clients aimed at providinginformation search and retrievalassistance services. Our assignedresearcher/s are able to provideinformation support for corporateinitiatives and planning exercises.• Industry DigestsTrack the latest trends and updatesthat are relevant to corporate decisionmakersand industry specialists.• Industry Trend AlertsA summary of new developmentsin specific subject areas related to anorganisation’s needs. It tracks thelatest developments across a broadrange of subjects for any industry.Delivered at scheduled intervals,these updates provide informationthat is current and timely. Each Alertconsists of 20-25 annotated citations.• Media MonitoringTracking of relevant newspapers andbroadcast media (print and online)to retrieve articles and web pages thatreport on any organisation’s activities.• Research ReportsCustomised reports written withanalysis on a specific topic and mayinclude the use of tools such asSWOT, Scenario Planning, ValueInnovation and Balance Scorecard.They comprise trends, statistics,charts, graphs and news-sourcesthat are presented in a concisemanner for decision-making.• Document Delivery ServiceHard copies of the articles listedin the Industry Digests, IndustryTrend Alerts and Research Reportswill be supplied if these are notavailable online. NLB will makearrangements to purchase, uponrequest, articles from the relevantlibraries, including overseaslibraries such as the British Library.• PublishingAll National Library publications willdeal with the professional content,capabilities and functions of theNational Library. Our focus is onSingapore, Southeast Asia andAsian content in three key areas:National and Heritage CollectionTo showcase and undertake researchon the National Library’s rare, donor,historical and other special collections.Library Science and PublishingTo advance knowledge on libraryscience, librarianship and steerfuture directions of libraries throughcase studies and thought leadershippublishing.Co-publishingTo collaboratively work oncommercially viable publicationsthat will position Singapore asa research services hub for Asia.ResourcesPRS’ research librarians andspecialists will make use of a richarray of library resources available,both print and non-print, to providethe most relevant and authoritativeinformation:• More than 600,00 items in theNational Library’s collections onvarious subjects and disciplinesfocusing on Singapore and SoutheastAsia, including the donors’ and rarematerials collections. Items comprisebooks, journals, manuscripts,newspapers, audio-visual materials,microfilms, maps, posters and ephemera.• More than 70 online databases andelectronic journals available through theNLB Digital Library at www.nlb.gov.sg.Highlights of databases include ProQuest,EBSCOhost, Euromonitor, GlobalMarket Information Database,Factiva, Global Insight - WorldMarkets Research Centre, SourceOECDand Emerald Intelligence.• The collections and resources ofNLB’s MOU partners, which includethe British Library, National Libraryof China, Shanghai Library andNational Library of Australia.Benefits• We will collect, verify, analyse, evaluateand package the most relevant andauthoritative information based on theclient’s requirements, saving time and effortin sourcing, integrating and monitoringcontents from different sources.• We will offer enhanced searchskills, subject knowledge and accessto the latest information from NLB’srich collection of resources.• We will do an environmental auditof the client’s research topic andrecommend suitable sources ofinformation to be used, thus ensuringthat the outcomes of the researchproject are met. We will engagein several rounds of consultationand discussion before, and duringthe course of the project to ensureprofessional service is rendered.• We will present information in a userfriendlymanner, i.e. using statistics,tables, charts and graphs. Newsannouncements, trends updates andindustry developments are presentedin a concise manner for easy reading.Costs• Research Support/Consultancy -$67 per hour or $1,700 for 3 days• Industry Digests - $1,200 per unit• Industry Trend Alerts - $1,500 per unit• Media Monitoring - $1,500 per unit• Research Reports - $5,700 onwards foreach or a bundle of 4 reports at $5,700 each• Document Delivery Service -$1,000 depositContactPublishing & Research ServicesNational Library Board, 100 Victoria St,#07-02, Singapore 188064Tel: +65 6333 7977 Fax: +65 6333 7990Email: cis@nlb.gov.sg30

For library enquires, please call:T +65 6332 3255Operating hours: Mon - Sun 8am - 9pmFor reference enquires, please visit:W www.nlb.gov.sgFor loan status and renewal, please call:24-hour Library Automated ServiceT +65 6774 7178All rights reserved. National Library Board 2005National Library Board,100 Victoria Street #14-01Singapore 188064