Jul 2008

Director's Column

Resonating with Youths in Singapore: Managing Cultural Identity in Web Design
Media and entertainment websites were used as an empirical resource for the investigation and understanding of the definition of Chinese youths in Singapore. An understanding of “youth cultural identity” is fundamental in analysing their response to global cultural influences: it would resonate with their consumption of information from the web medium. (PDF)

Destined to be an Entrepreneur and a Philanthropist to be Remembered
Lee Kong Chian built a business empire that stretched beyond the boundaries of Malaya into Thailand, Indonesia, and even to the United States and the United Kingdom. Today, his name and reputation live on, as his business and philanthropy continue to thrive. (PDF)

Sacred Dance in Singapore
Dance is a powerful form of communication. Odissi is often considered the oldest form of classical dance still surviving. Originating more than 2,000 years ago in India’s Orissa state, it evolved purely as a devotional dance form performed daily as part of temple rituals by highly trained dancers called Maharis.(PDF)

பல துறை நுண்ணறிவுகள் அணுகுமுறை வழிப் (Multiple Intelligences Approach) பேச்சுத்திறனை மேம்படுத்துவோம்!
In Singapore, English is taught as the first language, while Chinese, Malay and Tamil are taught as second languages from preschools to junior colleges. Describes different teaching methods and approaches, and how the teachers get the students involved in learning languages.(PDF)

The “Earliest” and “Firsts”: A Selection from the Treasures of the National Library of Singapore
The Rare Materials Collection at the Lee Kong Chian Reference Library forms part of the National Library’s invaluable research materials on Singapore and Southeast Asia. Featured in this essay is a selection of early and significant titles in the history of books and printing in Singapore.(PDF)

Excerpts from Hikayat Abdullah
Hikayat Abdullah (The Story of Abdullah) by Munshi Abdullah Abdul Kadir provides glimpses of life in early Singapore. Abdullah arrived in Singapore from Melaka about four months after Stamford Raffles established a trading post on the island in February 1819. (PDF)

Masuri S N
Born Masuri Bin Salikun, Masuri was a prolific poet, composing more than 1,000 poems in his lifetime. He was a founding member of Angkatan Sasterawan ’50 (Asas ’50), a leading Malay literary organisation in Singapore, and is regarded as a pioneer in modern Malay poetry. (PDF)

Singapore as a Centre for Asian Children’s Books: The Asian Children’s Collection at the Lee Kong Chian Reference Library
The Asian Children’s Writers and Illustrators Conference aims to celebrate children’s books, provide access to children’s literature with Asian content, and promote writing and publication of Asian children’s books. (PDF)

The Legacy of Tan Kah Kee and Lee Kong Chian
“The Legacy of Tan Kah Kee and Lee Kong Chian” exhibition is initiated by the National Library of Singapore and jointly organised with the Tan Kah Kee Foundation, and with the participation of Xiamen Library. The exhibition highlights the contributions of the two men to Singapore. (PDF)

The Percy R Hill Collection
The collection comprises 60 glass plate negatives (8cm x 8cm) taken by Percy Reginald Hill, a chartered accountant who worked in Singapore and Malaya between 1906 and 1919. (PDF)

Launch of “Screen to Print”
The National Library Board and the National Book Development Council of Singapore jointly launched “Screen to Print” on 20 June 2008, marking the first time that local films were reproduced into books. The three films are 12 Storeys, Eating Air and 4.30, which were selected from 12 shortlisted films. (PDF)

Research Fellows 2008: Lee Kong Chian Research Fellowship Series
The Lee Kong Chian Research Fellowship welcomes three new research fellows in March and April 2008: Milallos Ma Theresa (the Philippines), Zhang Liyan (China) and Phoon Kwee Hian (Singapore). (PDF)

Digital A to Z Databases: D is for Dance, E is for EBSCO, Economics, Education and Engineering
A highlight of some digital databases available at the National Library.(PDF)