Director's Column

History is not just about personalities but also about their deeds, their contributions and their culture. A mix of history and cultures forms essential components of Singapore past and present. This provides a varied look at Singapore culture from all angles, from individual personalities and entire groups to their practices and writings. The pioneers of Singapore have together moulded and influenced Singapore local culture.

In this issue, we celebrate two of our pioneers: Dr Lim Boon Keng and N Palanivelu, both of whom in their own ways have contributed much to the progress of Singapore. Dr Lim was a great advocate for Chinese education. He also played an instrumental role in the survival and growth of early immigrant Chinese even during the Japanese Occupation. 2007 marks the 50th anniversary of Dr Lim Boon Keng’s death and at the start of this new year, the Library commemorates this important man in Singapore’s history with an exhibition, “Lim Boon Keng: A Life to Remember” on the life and times of Dr Lim. A series of related programmes will be held in conjunction with the exhibition, including a musical performance put together by Stella Kon, the great-granddaughter of Dr Lim, a special heritage bus tour to places related to Dr Lim Boon Keng, and a conference. More information can be found at https://www.nlb.gov.sg/main/home

Mr N Palanivelu, a novelist, playwright and poet, contributed much to the Singapore Tamil literary scene. Mr N Palanivelu had been an active writer for more than 50 years and wrote some 50 stories over a period of 25 years. He also staged plays on the themes of social reform. Winner of several awards, including the prestigious Cultural Medallion for Drama in 1986, Mr N Palanivelu is featured in this issue and is also one of the authors highlighted in the Singapore Literary Pioneers Gallery at the National Library.

Besides individuals, ethnic groups also playa part in the evolution of Singapore’s history. One of these groups is the Peranakan community. Commonly known as Babas, the Peranakans playa significant role in shaping local culture with their food, beadwork and jewellry. To provide better access to the materials on Peranakan culture and history, a resource guide, A Baba Bibliography, with more than 1,500 annotated citations of books, chapters in books, magazine and newspaper articles, websites and audiovisual materials on the subject, will be published in the coming months. These materials span a period of almost 200 years of writing, from the early 19th century to the 21 st century. An article in this issue discusses this in detail.

To assist you in getting a deeper insight into the lives of our pioneers, I am pleased to say that you can consult reference sources authored by pioneers available at the National Library. One item is Chinese Crisis from Within, articles on the political situation of China written by Dr Lim Boon Keng. Another is One Hundred Years’ History of the Chinese in Singapore, which is also available online in the Digital Library. Written by Mr Song Ong Siang, a prominent Straits Chinese leader in 1923, the title is an authoritative source on the Chinese community in Singapore then. You can also find other books written about the pioneers of Singapore; some of them though, may only discuss a particular pioneer. To help you with your reference and research, the National Library has compiled and published a bibliography, Prominent Singaporeans: Sources of Information, to guide you in locating relevant materials more effectively. The research guide is available in the Digital Library (https://www.nlb.gov.sg/main/home) located under “e-Resources, e-Collections” .

In addition to the above, there are other programmes and exhibitions organised by the National Library in the coming months. I would like to encourage you to sign up for the programmes at https://www.nlb.gov.sg/main/home. We look forward to seeing you at the Library, and happy reading!

Ms Ngian Lek Choh
Director
National Library