The beginning and development of a multilingual public library

system in Singapore in promoting literacy to its

multiracial student and adult population, 1823-1995:

Libraries, Learning and Language

The Hong Kong Library Association 50th Anniversary Conference, 4 – 5 November 2008 Lim Peng Han

Department of Information Science, Loughborough University Graduate Student Forum

Immigrant Population by Race

Year Malay Chinese Indians Eurasians Europeans Others Total

1871 27.0% 56.2% 12.0% 2.2% 2.0% 0.6% 97,111

1901 15.8% 71.8% 7.8% 1.5% 1.7% 1.1% 228,555

1931 11.6% 75.1% 9.1% 1.2% 1.5% 1.5% 557,745

1947 12.1% 77.8% 7.3% 1.0% 1.0% 0.8% 938,144

1957 13.6% 75.4% 8.6% 0.7% 0.7% 0.8% 1,445,929

1970 15.0% 76.1% 7.0% 0.6% 0.9% 0.4% 2,074,507

1990 13.5% 74.7% 7.6% 0.4% 0.2% 3.6% 3,016,400

Sources: Official census reports

Raffles’ Education Policy of 1819 and 1823 Incorporating a Multilingual Library and Museum

Raffles’ minutes in 1819: “To collect the scattered literature…of the

country…and to publish and circulate…with such other works, to be useful or instructive to the people.”

Raffles’ minutes in 1823:1. To purchase printing presses with English,

Malay and Siamese fonts.2. To set up a library and museum.

Evolution of the Raffles Library Under Colonial Rule (1819-1945)

A. Under the East India Company

Phase 1: School Library (1823-1844)

Phase 2: Proprietary Library (1844-1874)

B. Under the Colonial Office in London

Phase 3: Government Library (1874-1941)

Raffles Junior Library (1923-1941)

C. Under the Japanese Occupation (1942-1945)

Phase 4: Tsuzoku Tosyokan [Popular Library]

Evolution of the Raffles Library:Postwar Period (1946-1995)

D. Post Second World War PeriodPhase 5: Government Library (1946-1958)

Phase 6: National Library and Multilingual

Public Library System (1958-1995)

Phase 1 School Library (1823-1844)

[Under the East India Company: 1819-1866]

Singapore Institution Free School (1823 – 1980s)

Location of school library

Phase 2 Proprietary Library (1844-1874) [Under the East India Company: 1819-1866]

• Library kept at the Singapore Institution.• 32 European shareholders each contributing $30.• Monthly subscription of $2.50.• “Singapore Library Museum” was established in

1849 to illustrate the “General History and Archaeology of Singapore and the Eastern Archipelago”.

• In September 1862 the Singapore Library was removed from Raffles Institution to the Town Hall.

Phase 3 Government Library (1874-1941)

[Singapore under the Colonial Office in London]

Singapore Institution Free School (1823 – 1980s)

Location of school library

Location of Raffles Libraryfrom 1876 to 1887

Phase 3 Government Library (1874-1941)

[Singapore under the Colonial Office: 1867-1941]

• 1876-1887 : Located at the Singapore Institution Free School

• 1887-1941: Moved to (new building of the

Raffles Library and Museum)

Raffles Library and MuseumSource: National Archives of Singapore

Phase 3 (Government Library 1874-1941)

British Colonial Enclave

Subscribers 1921 1931

Europeans 577 (81 %) 986 (74 %)

British 557 936

Other Europeans 20 50

Chinese 59 (8%) 196 (14%)

Malay 7 (1%) 9 (1%)

Indians 24 (3%) 52 (4%)

Eurasians 39 (6%) 68 (5%)

Others 6 (1%) 25 (2%)

Total 712 (100%) 1,336 (100%)

Sources: Annual Reports of the Raffles Museum and Library, 1921 and 1931

Phase 3 (Government Library 1874-1941)

British Colonial EnclaveSubscribers as percentage of ethnic group 1921 1931

Percentage of Europeans subscribers 11% 14%

European population (age 15 and above) 5,129 6,964

Percentage of Chinese subscribers 0.02% 0.06%

Chinese population (age 15 and above) 249,399 309,972

Percentage of Eurasian subscribers 1.1% 1.6%

Eurasian population (age 15 and above) 3,568 4,298

Percentage of Indian subscribers 0.08% 0.02%

Indian population (age 15 and above) 27,936 44,144

Percentage of Malay subscribers 0.01% 0.01%

Malay population (age 15 and above) 37,708 47,231

Sources: Annual Reports of the Raffles Museum and Library, 1921 and 1931; Official census reports in 1921 and 1931

Phase 3 (Government Library 1874-1941)

Raffles Junior Library (1923-1941)

1925 1928 1931 1933

Boys 138 (65%) 676 (85%) 989 (84%) 882 (88%)

Girls 74 (35%) 124 (15%) 186 (16%) 125 (12%)

Total 212 800 1,175 1,007

1934 1935 1936 1938

Boys 843 (84%) 787 (86%) 643 (88%) 654 (72%)

Girls 159 (16%) 128 (14%) 89 (12%) 142 (28%)

Total 1,002 915 732 796Sources: Annual Report of the Raffles Museum and Library, 1925-1938 (selected years).

Phase 3 (Government Library 1874-1941)

Raffles Junior Library (1923-1941)

All races Percentage of children age 5-14 who were members of the Raffles Jr. Library in 1931

Boys age

5-14

51,620 Boys subscribers

989 2 %

Girls age

5-14

47,318 Girls subscribers

186 0.4%

Total age group 5-14 98,938

Total subscribers 1,175 1.2%

Sources: Annual Report of the Raffles Museum and Library 1931 and official census report in 1931..

Phase 4 Tsuzoku Tosyokan [Popular Library]

[Under the Japanese Military Administration: 1942-1945]

• The Botanical Gardens and the Raffles Museum were renamed Syonan Botanical Gardens and Syonan Museum under the Department of Education.

• The “Popular Library” was opened 1 February 1943 in the former St Andrew’s School for the Japanese community.

St. Andrew’s School

Source: National Archives of Singapore

Source: Syonan Times, 27 Jun 1943, p. 4., Syonan Times, 15 Sep, 1943, p. 4.

Phase 4Seibudo Syoten,32 Raffles Place

[Under the Japanese Military Administration: 1942-1945]

• The first Nippon Bookstore open on 16 September 1942.

• Japanese story books to novels and books dealing with military matters were on sale.

• A wide variety of English language books are also on sale.

Kelly & Walsh BookshopSource: Syonan Times, 17 Sep 1942 Source: National Archives of Singapore

Phase 5Government Library (1946-1958)

Postwar Reconstruction• There are those who had

lost four years of school life and were anxious to make good the lost as quickly as possible.

• There were also all those pupils who would have been admitted to primary classes during the four years.Frisby, 1946, p. 139.

Ten-year Education Plan – 1947-1956

• Free primary education through the following languages – Malay, Chinese, Tamil and English.

• Parents have a choice to send their children to an English school or a vernacular school.

Phase 5Government Library (1946-1958)

1950 1954

Raffles Junior Library subscribers 2,852 4,537

Malay school pupils 8,436 10,470

English school pupils 49,521 71,760

Chinese school pupils 72,951 73,067

Tamil school pupils 1,486 1,465

Total student population 132,394 156,762

Percentage of pupil subscribers 1 % 3 %

Sources: Annual Report of the Raffles Museum and Library, 1950 and 1954.

Phase 5Government Library (1946-1958)

[Beginning of a multilingual public library system in 1953]

Conditions of $375,000 offerfrom Lee Kong Chian• No charges were to be

made for the loan of books.

• Books in the vernacular languages commonly spoken in Singapore as well as English and other European languages should be provided.

Donor Lee Kong ChianSource: National Archives of Singapore

Phase 5Government Library (1946-1958)• A Director, L.M. Harrod,

was appointed in early 1954.

• In 1955 the Raffles Museum and Library was under the Ministry of Education.

• The Raffles Library was separated from the Museum the same year.

L. M. Harrod (Director) and Chew

Swee Kee (Minister for Education)

Source: National Archives of Singapore

Phase 6National Library and Multilingual Public

Library System (1958-95)

Raffles National Library Ordinance (No. 31 of 1957)

• It is a national and public library system as recommended by Unesco.

• Free Library.• Provision of mobile library

services.• New library to replace the old

Raffles Library.National Library Building (1960-2004)

Source: National Archives of Singapore.

Phase 6National Library and Multilingual Public Library System (1958-95)

“in Singapore you cannot create a truly National Library unless you take into consideration the fact that it has to cater to four language groups. You are in fact expected to operate a multi-lingual library…in the past the National Library was…primarily… an English library…only a minority of those…go to the National Library.”

Mr Rajaratnam, Minister forCulture

Source: National Archives of Singapore

Phase 6National Library and Multilingual Public

Library System (1958-95)[Percentage of Print Collection by Language Medium]

1963 1970-1974

1975-1979

1980-1984

1985-1989

1990-1994

Malay 7% 13% 13% 13% 11% 11%

Chinese 19% 26% 27% 29% 27% 22%

Tamil 6% 8% 7% 4% 3% 3%

English 68% 52% 51% 55% 59% 64%

Sources: National Library Annual Report, 1963 and 1970-1994.

From School Library in 1823 to Multilingual Public Library System in 1958

1931 1957 1970 1980

Primary school pupils

13,153 222,612 363,518 296,608

Secondary school

pupils

- 29,816 145,740 170,316

Total school pupils 13,153 252,428 509,258 466,924

National Library members

1,175 4,442 117,491 185,933

Percentage of pupils as members

4.5% 1.7% 23.0% 40.0%

Sources: Education Department 1932; Ministry of Education, 1958, 1971, 1981; Raffles Museum and Library, 1932, Raffles Library 1958; National Library 1971 and 1981..

Conclusion

• Although Raffles wanted his proposed Institution to be a multilingual library in 1823, it was not until 1970 that the library evolved into a multilingual public library system.

• From 1823 to 1941 (118 years) it was a small almost exclusive British colonial enclave.

• During the Japanese occupation (1942-45), it was opened in 1943 with a Japanese print collection.

• In continued to be a Government Library from 1946 to 1958.• Although the Library began to acquire books in Asian

languages in 1956 it was not until 1970 that there was sufficient collection to make it into a multilingual public library system.

Conclusion

• When the Raffles Library began to add Malay/Indonesian, Chinese and Tamil books into its collection, the staff had to learn and manage cataloguing of Malay/Indonesian, Chinese and Tamil, especially the use of Chinese and Tamil scripts.

• The staff acquired in depth knowledge in the acquisition of Malay/Indonesian books, Chinese books and Tamil books.

• The National Library had to grapple with the setting up of a multilingual in spite of the persistent shortage of professional and para-professional staff since there was no library school until 1993.

• Since achieving independence in 1965 Singapore was a developing country and financial and manpower resources for National Library was limited.