Leng Foong is the newly appointed Publications Committee Chair. She is a Librarian from the National Library and oversees the performing arts collection, as well as MusicSG, the digital archive of Singapore music.
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What is your vision/aspiration for LAS as Publications Committee Chair for 2019-2021?
I hope to see more contributions by the library community to the LAS Bulletin so that librarians and libraries in Singapore can share their knowledge and what their libraries are doing. I believe each of us have something to learn from each other.
What genre of books do you like to read for leisure and who are your favourite authors?
I’m a fan of the mystery/thriller genre and my favourite authors are Arthur Conan Doyle (Sherlock Holmes) and Agatha Christie (Hercule Poirot, Miss Marple, etc.). Nothing beats these classic whodunits. I also like to read manga detective fiction like Detective Conan and The Kindaichi Case Files.
What made you interested in joining LAS and now the Council?
I joined LAS when I was about a year or two into the profession a number of years ago. As a librarian, I felt that one should join its own professional body to stay connected and establish a sense of identity with the community. In 2017, I decided to join the Publications Committee. I kind of liked content and editorial work, hence I felt this was the best fit for me as compared to the other committees. One thing led to another and with Phoebe’s nomination, I became part of the Council as the Publications Chair.
How do you balance council/committee work with your current library position?
I try to set aside some of my free time after work or weekends to see if there’s anything to follow up for the council/committee, unless I’m away or caught up with some other projects. Most importantly, I have a good team of committee members, who help me out with the committee’s deliverables.
Aside from work, I think one must learn to have some chill time to recharge to give oneself the boost to carry on.
What are your plans to engage with LAS members?
Besides the LAS Bulletin, I hope to see the revival of the special interest groups in LAS. I was part of the Arts Librarians Group and hopefully, the arts librarians from the various institutions will be keen to restart something together. We had 1 or 2 tea sessions together in the last 2 years so I hope there will be some interest to keep it going.
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Interview questions prepared by Edward Lim. He is the Reference and Research Services Librarian for Business at New York University Shanghai and a member of the LAS Training and Development Committee.