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Last month, we shared the top tourist sights for tourists visiting Singapore in 1890. But if cemeteries, asylums and ponderious government buildings are a little too heavy-going for your taste, why not check out the local food and shopping instead? Read more »

Far Eastern Tourist Agency (1911). Information for Travellers Landing at Singapore

Long before Lonely Planet guides, tourist agencies and enterprising local residents already began publishing travel guides and handbooks for visitors to Singapore. Even in the absence of the Merlion, Integrated Resorts or even our beloved Zoo, there was plenty for visitors to see and do! Read more »

Well, library@orchard is finally returning in 2014! This is after a 7 year hiatus from its closure in 2007. Isn’t it exciting?!

The library@orchard blog says:

“For those of you who remember the old library@orchard at Ngee Ann City, you’ll know it was a much loved presence in Orchard Road. It featured a lifestyle-focused collection, an open stage and the first graphic novel collection in any of our libraries. It was a favourite hangout spot for many of us! Sadly, the library closed in 2007 due to non-renewal of lease.

Today, we’re pleased to announce that the new library@orchard will be coming back! The new library will be located at Orchard Gateway shopping centre, and is slated to open in the first quarter of 2014.”

Plenty has been written online about the long-awaited return of the library. Here’s a round-up of the various news and blog sites with more information about our upcoming return.

Read more »

The recent strike by SMRT bus drivers has gotten a lot of media attention. One reason is because labour disputes are relatively rare in Singapore – the last time Singapore had striking workers was in 1986.

In Singapore, strikes are illegal unless they follow the rules stipulated in the Trade Unions Act and Trade Disputes Act. More stringent rules apply under the Criminal Law (Temporary Provisions) Act to essential service workers, such as public bus and air transport workers, who have to give their employer 14 days’ notice of their intention to strike amongst other restrictions.

Anyone involved in an illegal strike can be fined up to S$2,000 and/or jailed for up to a year under the Criminal Law (Temporary Provisions) Act and any person found guilty under the Trade Disputes Act can be fined up to $2,000 and/or jailed up to six months.

How, then, are workers’ rights protected in Singapore?
Read more »

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William and his wife Catherine Middleton, will be in Singapore from September 11 to 13. This is part of their nine-day Asia Pacific tour to commemorate Queen Elizabeth II’s 60th year on the throne.

“The aim of the tour is to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee” said Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton, principal private secretary and equerry to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, as they are known under royal protocol.

“The Duke and Duchess will use the tour to pay tribute, through what they do and say and who they meet, to the Queen’s lifetime and dedication to the mix of peoples and cultures that make up all of Her Majesty’s realms and the Commonwealth.

Read more »

Are you excited about the new giant pandas coming to town? On 6 September 2012, Singapore will be welcoming two giant pandas from China, named Kai Kai (凯凯) and Jia Jia (嘉嘉). They will be housed at the Yangtze River zone of the upcoming River Safari and they are expected to stay in Singapore for 10 years.

Wildlife Reserves Singapore hopes that this collaboration with China Wildlife Conservation Association can increase “public awareness on wildlife conservation and develop a breeding programme for these endangered animals.”

Now, before you visit the giant pandas at the River Safari, here are some curious facts about them we bet you didn’t know:
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The concept of a satellite town began with the conceptualization of The Concept Plan of 1971 by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA). It adopted the “Ring Concept Plan”, which “envisaged the development of a ring of new high-density satellite towns around the central water catchment area, with each town separated by green spaces and a system of parks and open spaces.” Low- and medium-density private housing would be built beside these towns and there would be provisions for industrial estates.”

Queenstown was Singapore’s first satellite town and described as “a self-contained community with all the necessary residential and social amenities for residents.”(http://www.ura.gov.sg/rediscover/). Another satellite town is Ang Mo Kio. Its self contained town centre, including “commercial offices, cultural and community facilities” serves “at least 200,000 residents.” (Pl refer to Item 2)

Read on for a list of relevant websites and recommended references.
Read more »

On 7th May 2011, Singapore’s General Elections (GE) 2011 will take place, where some 2,350,257 citizens are eligible to vote (Source:  extracted from online database Factiva  “GE 2011; 60,000 names restored to electoral rolls”.  2 April 2011,  Straits Times).

With the Nomination Day’s results confirmed, 82 out of 87 seats will be contested. For the latest updates on contested wards and parties, please visit Channelnewsasia.com (Last accessed on 27 April 2011).

THE HUSTINGS HAVE BEGUN!

At coffeeshop corners, cyberspace or just about anywhere, one cannot miss the chatter of GE.  

Political parties gave their first rallies on the evening of 28 April, kicking off nine days of campaigns to win the hearts and minds of the people before Polling Day.   With ubiquitous banners, flags, loud hailers from campaigning vehicles, walkabouts and excitement of live rallies, they lend an air of festivities and anticipation to the future of Singaporeans and Singapore. 

Hot issues such as public housing costs, immigration, minimum wage and health care will dominate this GE.  This is the most widely contested election since 1972. 

In cyberspace, online chatters are not to be left behind either.  For example,  The OnLine Citizen, a political blog, uploaded daily videos of rallies for those who wish to be at the rallies from the comfort of their own homes. 

Is this a sign of political awareness among the populace?  A veteran news editor coined the term “orchid evolution” to capture his observation that a perceivable sense of political awareness is sweeping Singapore. 

With election fever gaining momentum, Singaporeans can look forward to it with lots to talk about. Or tweet about.

ELECTIONS INFORMATION RESOURCES

For the latest updates on the GE, please visit The Straits Times General Election 2011 website  and Channel News Asia Election Singapore 2011 website.

Political parties and information can be found here. 

Here is a comprehensive guide to resources on the General Elections available at the Lee Kong Chian Reference Library, Singapore.

Singapore-based social media research firm JamiQ has launched a Singapore General Elections 2011 Tracker, a site which represents in visual form the elections-related topics which are trending on cyberspace, as well as the sites most “shared” among social networks here, based on Google and Twitter analytics.

Posted by Kweh Soon Huat, Librarian, Adult and Young People’s Services.

Here’s more information, from print and both online sources, about the Facebook usage in Singapore . Note that the popular pages are measured by the number of Fans:
1. Starbucks Singapore (Fans: 114711)
2. Burger King Singapore (Fans: 37070)
3. Sony Ericsson – Singapore (Fans: 30659)
4. Samsung Singapore (14687)
5. Samsung Mobile Singapore (Fans: 13757)
6. Samsung Cameras Singapore (Fans: 13431)
7. Coke Zero SG (Fans: 12551)
8. Nokia Singapore (Fans: 4366)
9. Singapore Airlines (Fans: 2736)
Source: www.socialbakers.com/facebook-pages/singapore/ (Accessed on 23 Feb 2011)
Socialbakers is a website that specialises in Facebook statistics.

Here are some studies that mention Facebook usage in Singapore:

1. Title: Facebook : a simulation of friendship.
Authors: Khoo, Yi Ping.
Supervisor: Kwok Kian Woon Anthony (HSS) Copyright year: 2009
Abstract: Facebook, one of the most popular social networking sites, has attracted many users worldwide. In trying to understand this new and emerging phenomenon, I have attempted to find out the attraction and widespread usage of Facebook. I argue, with Baudrillard’s notion of simulation and reality, that Facebook is a simulation of friendship and that it has changed the dialectic between the meaning of friendship and the types of social relation. In this study, I have engaged in participation observation in and on Facebook, 35 in-depth interviews and 80 Facebook profile content analysis to find out this Facebook phenomenon.
School: School of Humanities and Social Sciences
Type: Final Year Project (FYP)
Appears in Collections: HSS Student Reports (FYP/IA/PA/PI)

2. Title: Why do you use Facebook? Understanding affiliation motivation and perceived social rewards.
Authors: Chia, Shi Xian.
Supervisor: Lee Sau-Lai (HSS)
Copyright year: 2010
Abstract: In recent years, social networking sites such as Facebook are new social contact tools that allow people to communicate online. This paper studied the reasons behind the intensive use of social networking sites among college students by exploring the relationship between Facebook use, affiliation motivation and perceived social rewards received. It was found that individuals with stronger affiliation motivation used Facebook with higher frequency. In addition, perceived social rewards received from Facebook to fulfil affiliation need predicted the use of Facebook connecting features but not non-connecting features. Furthermore, individuals who perceived to receive more social rewards from Facebook had higher frequency and longer duration of using the social networking site, Facebook.
School: School of Humanities and Social Sciences
Type: Final Year Project (FYP)
Appears in Collections: HSS Student Reports (FYP/IA/PA/PI)

3.Title: Narcissism or extraversion? Narcissistic manifestations of an Asian adolescent sample in four Facebook applications.
Authors: Lim, Joylynn Chew Yen.
Supervisor: Ang Pei-Hui, Rebecca (HSS)
Copyright year: 2010
Abstract: Unlike previous studies done on Facebook, this present study examined narcissistic manifestations of an Asian adolescent sample in Facebook applications such as the “What’s on your mind” status update, profile picture, friends and photos. Participants aged 13 to 18 filled in self-report measures of narcissism, extraversion and a Facebook questionnaire created by the authors. Narcissism was found to predict over and above extraversion the frequency of status updates [∆R² = .02, ∆F(1, 251) = 5.03, p < .05] and self-ratings of profile pictures [∆F(1, 191) = 28.18, p < .01] but not the number of friends (β = .13, ns) and photos (β = -.07, ns). Implications of this study are discussed.
School: School of Humanities and Social Sciences
Type: Final Year Project (FYP)
Appears in Collections: HSS Student Reports (FYP/IA/PA/PI)

The above papers are restricted to access by NTU faculty and students only. You may try emailing ltd@ntu.edu.sg to request for access to the above papers.

Originally answered by Yasmin Ally, Librarian, Adult and Young People’s Services

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If you have a different question, please email to ask@nlb.gov.sg instead of sending a comment

The newest public library opened its doors to the public on 11th Mar 2011. Serangoon Public Library (SRPL) is located on the rooftop of Nex Mall at Serangoon Central. Click on the map below to see the location of SRPL.

With a floor area of 1,635 square metres, SRPL has a startup collection of approximately 150,000 items, which include books, magazines and audio-visual materials in the four official languages. The first public library in Singapore to have a dedicated area for gaming, SRPL aims to promote learning and a reading culture by tapping on the educational effects of games.

To celebrate the opening of SRPL, an exhibition titled “Serangoon: A place like no other” will be on display at the library. This exhibition showcases the heritage of the Serangoon area, as well as winning entries of the recently held “People, Places & Recollections” photo contest, where the community was invited to share photographs on the Serangoon area.

The library has also teamed up with community and grassroots organisations to organise thematic programmes that engage both the young and old through interactive learning. Library users can look forward to programmes on heritage and green living as well as storytelling sessions for children. For more information on upcoming programmes at SRPL, you may visit NLB’s
Go Library website.

And if you are on Facebook, you can visit SRPL‘s Facebook page. Go Like it today!

Posted by Yen Yen Toh, 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