On 4 February 2010, MP Irene Ng along with guest-of-honour, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, launched the first of her 2-part biography on former minister, S. Rajaratnam. The first part, which is devoted to the memory of S. Rajaratnam and his enduring vision, is titled ‘The Singapore Lion’.

Sinnathamby Rajaratnam (25 February 1915 – 22 February 2006), better known as S. Rajaratnam, was Singapore’s first foreign minister. He held the post for 15 years from 1965-1980, and held the post of deputy Prime Minister from 1980-1985.

In 2007, the Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) was renamed as S.Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) to honour his contributions for Singapore.

Currently, there is an exhibition on S. Rajaratnam at the National Library Building on level 10. It will run from 4 February to 4 May 2010.

Has Mr Rajaratnam written any books?

He has published a number of books. You can find the locations and availabilities of the books by following the links below:

1) S.Rajaratnam on Singapore: From Ideas To Reality

2) S. Rajaratnam: The Prophetic and The Political

3) Preserving Non-alignment

 There are more books by S. Rajaratnam. Go to searchplus.pl.sg and type in S.Rajaratnam for more results.

Where can I find out more about S.Rajaratnam?

1) S. Rajaratnam

2) The voice of a nation: S. Rajaratnam

3) Raja: From Minister To Citizen 

4) The Singapore Lion

One little trivia about Mr Rajaratnam: Did you know that he penned our national pledge in 1966 after Singapore gains her independence on 9 August 1965?

  Posted by Yen Yen Toh, Associate Librarian, Adult and Young People’s Services

Found this question interesting? What do you think? Post your comments.
If you have a different question, please email to ask@nlb.gov.sg instead of sending a comment

A secretary for Anne’s father, Otto Frank, Gies helped eight Dutch Jews hide from Nazis, then kept the girl’s diary safe. Today, Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl is one of the most widely read books in the world, with millions of copies sold in more than 60 languages. But the work would never have survived had it not been for the courage of Gies, who recently died at age 100 in the Netherlands on 11 January 2010.

The Austrian-born Hermine “Miep” Gies, along with her husband, Jan, and several coworkers risked her life to help hide the Franks and four other Amsterdam Jews from 1942 to 1944. Besides giving them cover, Gies and the others would “put on their most cheerful expressions, bring flowers and gifts for birthdays and holidays,” wrote Anne. After Nazis raided the annex, Gies retrieved Anne’s diary for safekeeping.

Following Anne’s death in a concentration camp in 1945, Gies gave the diary to Otto, who alone survived and published it in 1947. Sharp-minded until the end, Gies remained forever entwined with the young girl whose spirit she preserved for history.

(Source: ProQuest
MIEP GIES 1909-2010 SHE SAVED ANNE FRANK’S WORDS
Michelle Tauber. People. New York: Jan 25, 2010. Vol. 73, Iss. 3; pg. 111)

Check out the following books:

(All Rights Reserved, Holiday House, 2009)

The Anne Frank Case : Simon Wiesenthal’s Search for the Truth
By Susan Goldman Rubin
Call No: J English 940.53 RUB
Click here to check for item availability.

(All Rights Reserved, National Geographic, 2007)

Anne Frank : The Young Writer Who Told The World Her Story
By Anne Kramer
Call No: J English 940.53 KRA
Click here to check for item availability.

(All Rights Reserved, Evans, 2010)

Anne Frank : Her Life
By Marian Hoefnagel
Call No: J English 940.53 HOE
Click here to check for item availability.

Originally answered by Rosjihanah Mon
Associate Librarian, Children’s Services

 
Mark I: Image courtesy of Encyclopedia Britannica

Long before the net books, desktops and laptops were introduced, the machines used to process information and data were huge and chunky.

How did this essential tool that is part of our everyday life come about?

The origin of the computer can be traced to the English mathematician, Charles Babbage (1792-1871) who made attempts to design a mechanical calculating machine that stores, retrieves and processes data.

It was only in 1944 that the first working digital binary computer known as Mark I was built by Howard Aiken. These computers were huge and sometimes filled an entire room. That was because thousands of switches were needed to compute his binary number system.

It was also this time that the first effective computer programs was written. Grace Murray Hopper (1906-1992) created a program for Mark I Computer . She came up with the computer programming language, COBOL (Common Business Oriented Language) and coined the word “bug” to refer to computer program errors. This word came about when her computer broke down and she discovered a dead moth in it

Much credit also goes to Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak who founded Apple Computer Inc, and created affordable, personal modern computers. Their personal computer Apple II, came with a keyboard and became an instant hit with the public. And in 1984, the Macintosh computer was then introduced. These personal computers were used to play games and to do simple word processing.

Resources:

BABBAGE, Charles. [serial online]. n.d.;Available from: Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia, Ipswich, MA. Accessed January 11, 2010.

JOBS, Steve. [serial online]. n.d.;Available from: Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia, Ipswich, MA. Accessed January 11, 2010

HOPPER, Grace Brewster. [serial online]. n.d.;Available from: Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia, Ipswich, MA. Accessed January 11, 2010.

The Wonder Workers, Available from : Boys’ Life; Aug95, Vol. 85 Issue 8.
Accessed January 11, 2010.

These encyclopedias can be found at the e-databases available at all NLB libraries

Posted By:

Ms Chen Wanying
Children’s Librarian
Children’s Services

Yes indeed, now you can access library services without leaving your Facebook space!!

Library services are now available on Facebook through a trial application called the NLB myLibrary application

This application allows you to:
- Check your account
- Renew and reserve items
- Keep up to date with our new arrivals, latest events and blogs
- Share any library related resources with your friends and publish them as recommendations, or simply save them to your personal Facebook space.

Read more about the application here

If you have any enquiries or comments, please drop us an email at ask@nlb.gov.sg and we will reply within 3 working days.

Posted by Mr Justin Tan
Librarian
Adult & Young People’s Services

The below web resources serve as a good overall guide and information for Copenhagen Climate conference, which was just concluded 6 days ago at Copenhagen, Denmark:

“In 2012 the Kyoto Protocol to prevent climate changes and global warming runs out. To keep the process on the line there is an urgent need for a new climate protocol. At the conference in Copenhagen 2009 the parties of the UNFCCC meet for the last time on government level before the climate agreement need to be renewed.

Therefore the Climate Conference in Copenhagen is essential for the worlds climate and the Danish government and UNFCCC is putting hard effort in making the meeting in Copenhagen a success ending up with a Copenhagen Protocol to prevent global warming and climate changes…”
(sources: erantis.com and COP15 Copenhagen, last accessed 24 Dec 2009)

Recently, we have been asked two questions by a member of the public: “Why does China refuse to cut down on greenhouse gas emissions even though it is the world’s largest producer of greenhouse gases? Also was the leaked document at the Copahagen climate talks really unfair to developing countries”.

My colleague, Ms Li Sa handled this enquiry and prepared the answer which can be found here

In addition, to access more updated newspaper articles on this topic, members of the public may access Fativa, a database subscribed by NLB, to search for related articles. This database can be accessed at NLB’s e-resources page from the computer terminals at any of the 22 Public Library branches found in Singapore. Please do refer to the step-by-step guide for accessing this database. (Tip: Use the keywords “copenhagen climate” at the Factiva search field interface to retrieve the related articles)

If you have any enquiries or comments, please drop us an email at ask@nlb.gov.sg and we will reply within 3 working days.

Answered by Ms Lim Li Sa
Senior Librarian
Adult & Young People’s Services

Have you heard the expression “once in a blue moon”? Ever wondered why the moon is blue in the phrase, and not any other colour?

We all know that the phrase “once in a blue moon” stands for something that doesn’t happen very often. However, a blue moon actually happens in real life. It is the name given to the second full moon of a month. Usually we see only one full moon in a given month, but every three years or so, we are treated to a second full moon.

The second full moon doesn’t necessarily look blue, but it can! In 1950, forest fires in Canada produced so much smoke in the atmosphere that the moon appeared to have a bluish tint. In 1883 and 1884, both the sun and moon appeared blue after the violent eruption of Mt. Krakatau!

(Source: THE MONTH OF THE BLUE MOON! By: Grice, Noreen, Odyssey, 01630946, Mar99, Vol. 8, Issue 3)

To find out more about the moon, check out the following books:

(All Rights Reserved, PowerKids Press, 2009)

The Lunar Cycle: Phases of the Moon
By Genevieve O’Mara
Call No: J English 523.3 OMA
Click here to check for item details.

(All Rights Reserved, Raintree, 2007)

The Moon Exposed
By Allison Lassieur
Call No: J English 523.3 LAS
Click here to check for item details.

(All Rights Reserved, PowerKids Press, 2010)

Destination the Moon
By Giles Sparrow
Call No: J English 523.3 SPA
Click here to check for item details.

(All Rights Reserved, Dorling Kindersley, 2009)

Moon
By Jacqueline Mitton
Call No: J English 523.3 MIT
Click here to check for item details.

Originally answered by Raihana Hussain
Associate Librarian, Children’s Services

ASK about Environment 

National Environment Agency’s website here lists a friendly content of different methods to recycle, including tips such as selling through second hand stores and where to recycle your old cell batteries.

There are also recycling bins located at various neighbourhoods all over Singapore. You can find the locations of the bins here.Many times, the problem people face is deciding what can or cannot be recycled. 10 to 20% of items thrown into recycling bins are often not meant to be there, according to NEA. Some of these that should go to the trash bin are disposable cutlery or plastic packaging, for example (Recycling gets a colourful boost, TODAY, 14 April 2008).

So what goes into the recycling bin? Below is a list of items that can or cannot go into our recycling bins (Source: What rubbish, Straits Times, 15 June 2009):

Acceptable
Paper: Newspapers, envelopes, magazines, books, brochures, pamphlets, car park coupons, carton boxes, cereal boxes
Metal: Cans or containers made of metal such as soft drink cans, beer cans, milk powder tins, food cans
Plastic: Bottles or containers made of plastic such as detergent containers, milk containers, soft drink bottles, plastic bags
Glass: Jars and drink bottles
Others: Clean clothing

Unacceptable:
Paper: Cardboard or paper contaminated by food waste (for example, pizza boxes), used tissue paper, sweet wrappers
Plastic: Styrofoam, disposable plastic cups and containers, biscuit box liners
Glass: Light bulbs and window glass
Others: Ceramic mugsSeveral books on living green have also been written.

Apart from the usual how-to stuff, some are quirky narrative non-fiction (i.e. real life stories) about living green. Check out some green books below:

Mom, will this chicken give me man boobs?: my confused, guilt-ridden, and stressful struggle to raise a green family
By Robyn Harding.
Call No.: English 640 HAR

Image: All rights reserved, Vancouver: Greystone Books, 2009.
Where to find it

Extreme office crafts : creative & devious ways to waste supplies & company time
By Jimmy Knight & Tom Chalmers
Call No.: 650.10207 KNI -[BIZ]

Image: All rights reserved, New York : Lark Books, c2006.
Where to find it

The adventures of a plastic bottle : a story about recycling
By Alison Inches
Call No.: JP English INC
Where to find it
Image: All rights reserved, New York : Little Simon, c2009.

Posted by Ang Mei Jun,

Associate Librarian, Adult & Young People’s Services

Armed with an ever-ready smile whenever he’s at work, Mr Herman Rothman (commonly known to this ASK editor as “Mr Man”) is ever infecting all around him at work with his jovial and humorous character. In fact, one would be lucky enough to escape unscathed with his razor-sharp quick wit and “vicious” motor mouth… yet behind this facade is a man whom takes his work with utmost pride and responsibility. This ASK editor has the honour of interviewing him for this month’s Librarian interview for ASK blog. So friends, i present to you now the Public Libraries one and only “Mr Man”…

Editor: What is your previous occupation?
Mr Man:
I was teaching in a private institution specialising in Malay Language. Well, honestly my life revolves around teaching THAT subject since 1998 at primary, secondary level and as a part-time tutor in NUS as well..

Editor: What made you change your previous profession to Librarianship?
Mr Man:
I was really into books and programmes. NLB has a vast collection of good books. I feel that I can really contribute to the organisation in promoting our resources better. Moreover, I feel that the public needs to know more about us. This can be done through running of quality programmes for schools and public. Frankly speaking, when I wasn’t a librarian, I only know, probably, 20 percent of what Public Libraries have to offer!

Editor: How are you able to relate your previous work experiences in your current work?
Mr Man:
Teach. I’m quite abreast with the needs of schools and students and I try to tailor our programmes to their needs. I am comfortable working with teachers and can relate well with teens. I’m very happy when teachers informed me that their students started to pick up books and read after attending my workshops!!

Editor: Any interesting encounters with patrons or gossips to share in your line of work so far?
Mr Man:
I would prefer to share my personal reflections. Serve patrons without prejudice. Treat everyone with respect. There was an occasion where I was attending to a very young (probably teenagers) couple whose outfits can be associated with street gangs. The guy has a tattoo on his arm. What would you think? Negative? Nope, they were looking for religious babies’ names! Likely for their unborn child… I’m touched by their attitude. That incident emphasizes the meaning of the phrase ‘he is what he reads’ and ‘never judge a book by its cover’. Libraries and librarians help better people’s lives…

Editor: Any advice for people out there who are aspiring to be a Librarian?
Mr Man:
You must have a strong passion for learning and sharing. Ambassadors of knowledge? I’m not up to that mark yet, but seriously, as long as you enjoy sharing information and promoting services with creativity, do consider this job.

Editor: If I could turn back the clock, I would …….
Mr Man:
Study harder, do well in Maths and Science, take care of my eyes and fulfill my ambition to be a pilot.

If you have any enquiries or comments, please drop us an email at ask@nlb.gov.sg and we will reply within 3 working days.

Posted by Mr Justin Tan
Librarian
Adult & Young People’s Services

You can ASK! a question via:

ASK! E-mail: ask@nlb.gov.sg
ASK! SMS: 9184-2015
ASK! Phone: 6332-3255

On 1st Dec, you can also ASK! Chat with us online!

How does ASK! Chat work?

Communicate with our librarians via online chat widgets available at:
ASK! blog
Public Libraries Singapore
NLB eResources

Chat widgets will be available on library catalogue and multimedia stations at Sengkang Public Library and Woodlands Regional Library at a later date.

This is a trial enquiry service running from Dec 1, 2009 to February 28, 2010.

Read on…

*For questions that require personal data to be revealed, for example, your NRIC or your membership number, please call our Helpdesk at 6332-3255 or approach the Customer Service Counter at any public library.