Singapore Pages: National Library Board’s Online Heritage Collection

Background

When NLB planned to showcase its heritage collection online in 2003, they thought of an appropriate name to give to the portal - a name that would instantly invite people to thumb through Singapore’s history and culture. A myriad of interesting names were thrown up, but one stuck as it was at once a simple yet consummate description of how the Singapore experience gets documented - through our pages. Singapore Pages, NLB’s gateway to online and print resources on Singapore was thus born and officially launched on 31 October 2003.

Prelude to Singapore Pages

Among the treasures at the Lee Kong Chian Reference Library are our rare books and manuscripts. The need to preserve these older and valuable items for future generations meant that they have to be kept under restricted access. At the same time, there are other older and valuable collections on Singapore that reside in overseas institutions. By virtue of distance and restricted access policy, these collections are out of reach for most Singaporeans. One such collection resides at the world-renowned British Library - the Oriental & India Office Collection. From this collection, of most significance to Singapore are the early printed books and periodicals from Malaysia and Singapore that include works from mission presses, lithographed works from early Muslim presses, Peranakan books in Malay, and a wide range of government and official records.

To bridge the gap between these rare gems and their potential users, NLB started an initiative to identify and digitise them, a task that would take the Library through several phases. The initial phase involved a collaboration with the British Library that led to a trial digitisation of 38 of their rare items. From the NLB’s heritage collection residing at the Lee Kong Chian Reference Library, another 38 rare items were identified and digitised. Needing a platform to showcase these 76 items, NLB created* Singapore Pages*. Thus began NLB’s journey to bring to Singaporeans and to the world written words and images that tell the Singapore story.

Highlights of Singapore Pages

Digitised Collection and The Singapore Story

Arising from NLB’s digitisation of the rare imprints, more than 13,000 digital images documenting Singapore’s history and culture are now available in Singapore Pages’ Digitised Collection. These include early Singapore imprints and primary sources such as government records and manuscripts that are commonly referred to by researchers. They have significantly augmented the Lee Kong Chian Reference Library’s Singapore and Southeast Asian Collections, for many a story can be told when the age-old printed books are supplemented by the new-age online materials. Whether they tell of the challenges and triumphs that shaped the remarkable lives of our forefathers or of the milestones that punctuated Singapore’s growing up years, these stories are weaved from the lines of the printed as well as the online pages. Singapore Pages have captured and displayed these stories under its researched articles section called The Singapore Story.

The Singapore Story is an attempt at sifting out interesting details about Singapore’s history from the digitised pages. Our Singapore and Southeast Asian librarians then re-enact the past by combining these details and other nuggets that they have unearthed from the Singapore and Southeast Asian Collections. Applying the adage, “a picture is worth a thousand words”, The Singapore Story write-ups are peppered with images taken from the digitised pages.

(Right) Sample of Raffles' Handwriting

One such story is The Life and Times of Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, Singapore’s founder. The writing of this article made use of old imprints that form part of Singapore Pages’ Digitised Collection, specifically on Raffles. They are:

1. Demetrius Charles Boulger, The Life of Sir Stamford Raffles (London: Horace Marshall & Son, 1897). (Call no. RRARE 959.5703 BOU)

2. Sophia Raffles, Memoir of the Life and Public Services of Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, Particularly in the Government of Java, 1811–1816, and of Bencoolen and Its Dependencies, 1817–1824: With Details of the Commerce and Resources of the Eastern Archipelago and Selections From His Correspondence (London: J. Murray, 1830). (From BookSG; call no. RRARE 959.570092 RAF-[LKL]; microfilm NL3280)

3. T. S. Raffles, Statement of the Services of Sir Stamford Raffles [To the Honourable the Court of Directors of the East-India Company] (London: Cox and Baylis, 1824). (From BookSG; call no. RRARE 959.503 RAF; microfilm NL7610)

4. Singapore Local Laws and Institutions, 1823 (London: Printed by Cox and Baylis, 1824). (From BookSG; call no. RRARE 348.595702 SIN; microfilm NL7979, NL21295)

Pictures from First Impressions Matter...(Centre) Ladies’ Lawn Tennis Club(RIght) The Esplanade

Another story that tapped on the wealth of Singapore Pages’ Digitised Collection is First Impressions Matter..., an article that visits some of the popular notions about early Singapore. Using classic texts like the works of Munshi Abdullah and Makepeace, the article has several imagery of landscape in colonial Singapore. Altogether, the article made references to 15 digitised titles, including:

1. Abdullah Abdul Kadir, Munshi, The Autobiography of Munshi Abdullah, trans. W. G. Shellabear (Singapore: Methodist Publishing House, 1918). (From BookSG; call no. RRARE 959.503 ABD; microfilm NL5080, NL8761)

2. Abdullah Abdul Kadir, Munshi, Hakayit Abdulla: Translations From the Hakayit Abdulla (Bin Abdulkadar), Munshi (London: Henry S. King, 1874). (From BookSG: call no. RRARE 959.5 ABD; microfilm NL2905, NL9904, NL25434)

3. George Bennett, Wanderings in New South Wales, Batavia, Pedir Coast, Singapore, and China, vol. 1 and vol. 2 (London: R. Bentley, 1834). (From BookSG; call no. RRARE 910.4 BEN; microfilm NL7979)

4. John Cameron, Our Tropical Possessions in Malayan India: Being a Descriptive Account of Singapore, Penang, Province Wellesley, and Malacca; Their Peoples, Products, Commerce, and Government (London: Smith, Elder, 1865). (From BookSG; call no. RRARE 959.5 CAM; NL11224)

5. Walter Makepeace, Gilbert E. Brooke and Roland St. J. Braddell, eds., One Hundred Years of Singapore: Being Some Account of the Capital of the Straits Settlements From Its Foundation by Sir Stamford Raffles on the 6th February 1819 to the 6th February 1919 (London: J. Murray, 1921). (Call no. RCLOS 959.51 MAK)

First Impressions Matter...: Old Transport in Carts and Wheels

NORA (NLB Online Repository of Artistic Works)

More recently, to the delight of creative writing enthusiasts, NLB launched NORA on 27 January 2005. NORA is a compendium of works by renowned and aspiring writers who contribute to a repository of drama, fiction, poetry and other writings. Comprising mostly unpublished as well as out-of-print works, the who’s who of NORA include Madeline Lee, Eleanor Wong, Alvin Pang (these three are the pioneers of NORA), Edwin Thumboo, Ovidia Yu, Haresh Sharma, Goh Poh Seng and the late Kuo Pao Kun.

In the Works

Come November, or when the new National Library officially opens, Singapore Pages will be bringing out more of the old stuff and the not so old ones. Look out for another exciting list of digitised titles and more stories about Singapore. The new addition to the digitised rare works include:

1. Travels in South-Eastern Asia: Compiled From the Most Authentic and Recent Sources  (London: C.J.G. & F. Rivington, 1831). (From BookSG; call no. RRARE 959 TRA; microfilm NL24031)

2. John Turnbull Thomson, Sequel to Some Glimpses Into Life in the Far East (London: Richardson, 1865). (From BookSG; call no. RRARE 959 THO; microfilm NL8371)

3. Caddy Florence, To Siam and Malaya in the Duke of Sutherland’s Yacht ‘Sans Peur’ (London: Hurst and Blackett, 1889). (From BookSG; RRARE 915 CAD; microfilm NL27434)

4. Photographic Views of Singapore (Singapore: H.P. Cork, 1930). (From BookSG; call no. RRARE 959.5700222 PHO; microfilm NL15859)

5. Nakhoda Muda, Memoirs of a Malayan Family (London: Oriental Translation Fund, 1830). (From BookSG; call no. RRARE 959.5 MAR)

6. Malaya in Monochrome: [A Souvenir of the British Empire Exhibition] (Singapore: Published for the Malayan Govt. by Houghton-Butcher (Eastern), 1924). (Call no. RRARE 959.504 BRI; microfilm NL8024, NL25426)

These will definitely provide the fodder necessary for churning out more interesting stories about old Singapore. NORA will also grow and will include contemporary nonEnglish works. Visit us at https://www.nlb.gov.sg/main/home.

Author:
Nor-Afidah A. Rahman
Senior Reference Librarian
Lee Kong Chian Reference Library