ASK! about The Librarian

NLB recently took part in Disability Information Referral Centre’s (DIRC) Abilities Roadshow 2008, held at the National Library Plaza. The roadshow aimed to “create awareness of the various services for people with disabilities, offered by Voluntary Welfare Organisations in the Disability sector”.

We were there to celebrate the abilities of People With Disabilities. We wanted to promote awareness and demystify misconceptions by encouraging people to read related books. In 2007, NLB also participated in the DAPE fair.

The Abilities Roadshow 2008 was graced by Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports Vivian Balakrishnan.

He delivered a speech, and also visited the booths set up by various VWOs. Children had fun at a colouring contest, and the crowd was also treated to performances by the Bishan Home for the Intellectually Disabled.

At NLB’s booth, many youths sat down without second thought to be adorned with NLB’s tattoos. Each organisation received a plaque from NCSS Chief Executive Officer Ms Ang Bee Lian for their commitment to serving people who are disabled.

The NLB public libraries have lots of disability-related books.

Why are some people deaf? How do blind people read? Are autistic children shy? How do you explain disabilities to a young child?

These were some of the many questions participants at the roadshow asked at NLB’s counter. Through our suggestions, they found their answers in the books at our booth.

Some books featured at the roadshow can be found in our booklists, Understanding Disability Part 1 and Understanding Disability Part 2, which can be found here.

During this event, we not only promoted disability education to the public, but took the opportunity to hobnob with other members of the special community.

We thank DIRC for the opportunity to be showcased alongside the other VWOs.

Posted by Ang Mei Jun,

Librarian, Adult & Young People’s Services

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ASK! about  Performing Arts

There’s a lot of hype now about Japanese anime, like D-Grey Man, Hellgirl and so on. You can probably rattle off a longer list than me, but what about Japanese films? Do you still remember the horror hit of 1998, The Ring by Hideo Nakata, and scenes of the creepy long haired woman crawling out of the tube? Simply hair-rising experience of many of the movie-goers then.

Besides The Ring, there are several other Japanese films that cover diverse themes, such as:

Tokyo Godfathers by Satoshi Kon (2003)
Call No.: Other 791.433 TOK
Location: Film Village, library@esplanade

Three homeless friends find an abandoned baby on Christmas Eve and try to locate her parents.

Hana & Alice by Shunji Iwai (2004)
Call No.: Other 791.4372 HAN
Location: Film Village, library@esplanade

Hana and Alice are inseparable friends until Mark, a cute boy they spot at a train station, comes between them. Tricking Mark into believing that he is suffering from amnesia, Hana claims that she is his girlfriend. A baffled Mark struggles to regain his memories as he is drawn to the prettier Alice. When their bond deepens, the girls’ lifelong relationship begins to fray, propelling them apart.

Bushi no Ichibun / Love and Honor by Yoji Yamada (2006)
Call No.: Other 791.4372 BUS
Location: Film Village, library@esplanade

A look at the relationship between a young blind samurai (Takuya Kimura) and his wife (Rei Dan), who will make a sacrifice in order to defend her husband’s honour.

Onna ga Kaidan wo Agaru Toki / When a Woman Ascends the Stairs by Mikio Naruse (1960)
Call No.: Other 791.4372 ONN
Location: Film Village, library@esplanade

The widowed Keiko manages a hostess bar in Tokyo’s Ginza district. She remains faithful to the memory of her husband and supports her mother, brother and his son. The smiling mask she wears allows her to make a living, but the pressure to sell herself is unrelenting. Her business is failing and she must decide whether to raise the money to buy her own bar, or marry one of the admiring affluent patrons.

To celebrate Japanese films (and reward you for squeezing your scholarly juices), the library@esplanade has partnered with the Embassy of Japan and the Singapore Film Society to give aways tickets to the Japanese Film Festival 2008 (22 - 31 August). For more information, see here.

Contributed by Goh Peck Keong, Librarian, Adult & 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.