Date of visit: 8 October 2015 (Thursday) from 3:00 – 5:00pm
Established in 1968, the National Archives of Singapore (NAS) is the official custodian of Singapore’s archives of national or historical significance; covering both government and private records. The NAS acquires, preserves and presents archival records in all formats including documents, photographs, maps, oral history interviews and audio-visual recordings.
The holdings date back to the early 19th century and allow for the discovery and recollection of decisions, actions and shared memories of Singapore, its government and the people. Through the archives, current and future generations of Singaporeans can come to understand our rich and diverse cultures, explore the common paths taken and appreciate who we are and how we became a nation.
32 participants visited the NAS on Thursday, 8 October 2015. This was one of the visit organized by the Programmes and Social Committee and we had special visitors from Shanghai Jiao Tong University Library and Xiamen University Library who were exchange librarians in NTU Libraries. The Committee is deeply thankful to all librarians who attended the visit and shared valuable learning experience.
A Glance of National Archives Singapore in the Jubilee Year
Written by: Mingshanwang (Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) Library)
The golden jubilee of Singapore has been celebrated in multifarious forms by all walks of life. A trip to the National Archives of Singapore (NAS), the keeper of our national records of historical significance, is definitely a treat! This excursion was made possible by the LAS Programmes and Social Committee and the NAS Outreach Team.
Adrian Chan and Janelle Chua, two of the NAS Outreach Team, warmly greeted the LAS members and brought us for a behind-the-scenes tour to the various departments in the NAS.
Together with each laboratory team from the Sound and Moving Images Laboratory, Image Preservation Laboratory, and Archives Conservation Laboratory departments, they showed the various instruments used in each lab and explained the processes of materials conservation, digitisation and preservation.
Besides the conservation laboratories, we also visited the cosy and homey Oral History Centre, the place where interviews are conducted.
To-date, oral history specialist/s have covered more than thirty topics, over 20,000 hours of interviews, with 3,000 interviewees!
The tour came to an end at the NAS Reading Room, where the NAS Team shared about the usage of the Reading Room and The Citizen Archivist Project that invites the public to make archival records more searchable to all. This opportunity to ponder and gaze at the National Archives of Singapore in our nation’s golden jubilee year wrapped up our day with much joy and insights!
Thank you NAS Team and LAS Programmes and Social Committee.
Submitted by Kam Mi-kyeong (Programmes & Social Committee) Jan 27, 2016