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BiblioAsia

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Discover stories from across our collection

1185 articles

The Italian Merchant and Lexicographer Who Once Owned Pulau Bukom

3 April 2026

The Italian Merchant and Lexicographer Who Once Owned Pulau Bukom

Topics

People

Giovanni Gaggino came to Singapore around 1874 and lived here for more than 40 years. During that time, he set up a successful business providing supplies to vessels passing through Singapore, he wrote an Italian-Malay dictionary and once owned the Pulau Bukom. Writer Alex Foo tells us about the life of Gaggino and his legacy.

Podcast

Apr–Jun 2026

1 April 2026

Apr–Jun 2026

The school milk scheme and other stories in BiblioAsia Volume 22, Issue 1

Issue

Director's Note (April 2026)

1 April 2026

Director's Note (April 2026)

Volume 22, Issue 1

Article

New Books on Singapore History (April 2026)

30 March 2026

New Books on Singapore History (April 2026)

Topics

Collection Highlights

Check out the new books in National Library Singapore.

Article

Lee Kip Lee (left) and Yoshiya Mita in Yuzawa, 1957

30 March 2026

A Wartime Friendship

Topics

History

During the Japanese Occupation, Lee Kip Lee and his family struck up an unusual friendship with a Japanese military judge who lived next door.

Article

Map of Singapore = 新嘉坡市街地圖 (Shingapōru Shigai Chizu), likely published in 1920. It is one of the earliest Japanese street maps of Singapore. (From National Library Singapore, call no. RRARE 912.5957 MAP).

25 March 2026

Singapore’s Early Japanese Community on a Rare Map

Topics

Collection Highlights

History

A rare Japanese-English street map of Singapore tells the forgotten stories of the Japanese community who left their mark here in the early 20th century.

Article

Chancellor Malcolm MacDonald delivering his speech at the first convocation ceremony of the University of Malaya on 8 July 1950. Ministry of Information and the Arts Collection, courtesy of National Archives of Singapore (Media - Image no. 19980000813 - 0024).

24 March 2026

No Mere Interlude: The University of Malaya in Singapore

Topics

Organisations

The University of Malaya in Singapore was a crucible for a new nation.

Article

Relief sculptures by Rodolfo Nolli, 1930s. These were meant for Meyer Chambers but were never used and were subsequently lost during the Japanese Occupation. Lina Brunner Collection, courtesy of National Archives of Singapore (Media - Image no. 19980001358 - 0063).

23 March 2026

Rodolfo Nolli: The Quiet Sculptor Who Shaped a City

Topics

People

Between the 1920s and 1950s, this Italian craftsman created a number of significant sculptural works that are still seen in Singapore today.

Article

Movie poster for Hang Tuah. Courtesy of Wong Han Min.

18 March 2026

P. Ramlee: The Singapore Years

Topics

People

The formative years of the legendary singer, actor and filmmaker P. Ramlee unfolded in Singapore, a city he not only helped to enliven through his presence and artistry but also captured with enduring vividness in his songs and films.

Article

Changing Times: Time Zone Changes in Singapore since 1905

6 March 2026

Changing Times: Time Zone Changes in Singapore since 1905

Topics

History

Singapore's time zone has been changed at least seven times since 1905, including during the Japanese Occupation when it was synchronised to Tokyo time. Arts librarian Kenneth Tay explains the historical context for the time zone changes, the origins of the Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) system, and ways to measure time, including a rare atomic clock in a local laboratory.

Podcast