Jan 2007

Director's Column

Of Towchangs and the 'Republic Beard': Dr Lim Boon Keng's Life and Achievements
A prominent pioneer of early Singapore, Dr Lim Boon Keng was an accomplished businessman and doctor. He also contributed his time and efforts to resolve various issues faced by the Chinese community during the colonial times. (PDF)

'Reading' Contemporary Art: The Singapore Biennale
Much has been written about the Singapore Biennale in the press and on the internet. The Biennale aims to bring the “world” to Singapore as well as showcase Singaporean artists to their global counterparts.(PDF)

சிங்கப்பூர் இலக்கிய முன்னோடி திரு ந. பழநிவேல
Award-winning novelist, playwright and poet N. Palanivelu was an active and prolific writer. His poems, short stories and plays were published in newspapers and magazines and broadcast over radio. His writings centred on the themes of community, family, love and literature. (PDF)

走近传统中医药 – 李光前参考图书馆 "医药保健” 专题
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has a long history, going back more than 2,000 years to China. TCM has since evolved and developed into an all-encompassing medical science. The TCM Collection – comprising, books, journals and databases – is found on Level 9 of the Lee Kong Chian Reference Library.(PDF)

Babas and Nonyas: The Peranakan Chinese in Singapore
The local Baba community has a social history that is as fascinating as their material culture is colourful. Known as Peranakan (or Peranakan Cina), the Babas are an acculturated community of Southern Chinese domiciled in the Straits Settlements since they first settled in Melaka in the 16th century. (PDF)

News
Visit by Mrs Laura Bush, First Lady of the United States of America, to the National Library; a conference on digital terrorism jointly organised by the Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies, Nanyang Technological University, and the Simon Wiesenthal Center, Los Angeles; collaboration with the General Sciences Library in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, to establish a reference service delivery workflow; and the first Heritage Roadshow. (PDF)