List of Interviews

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  ANUAR, Hedwig Elizabeth nee Aroozoo

  • Recording Date: 30/10/1998
  • Accession No: 002036
  • Reel No: 31

  A librarian for over three decades and pioneer of the National Library, Mrs Anuar was Director of the National Library from 1960 - 1961 and 1965 - 1988, and concurrently director of the National Archives and Records Centre from 1969-1978. Mrs Anuar recalls that Mr Ng Cheng Onn's interest in preservation made him a natural choice to supervise the microfilm unit. The Straits Settlement records and fragile books were the first to be microfilmed. She comments on the distinction between a public library and a national library, being that the latter is a reference library.

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  NG, Cheng Onn

  • Recording Date: 19/5/2000
  • Accession No: 002274
  • Reel No: 5

  Mr Ng worked in National Library from 1960-91. He served as Assistant Director in the areas of Administration, Loan Services, Loan and Reference Services and Technical Services. Mr Ng recalls how he grew as a reference librarian under the tutelage of Kee Lay Siu, head of reference division and Mrs Perumbulavil.

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  PERUMBULAVIL, Vilasini (Mrs)

  • Recording Date: 10/10/2000
  • Accession No: 002437
  • Reel No: 7

  "Mrs P" as she was known was co-ordinator of Children's Services at the National Library from 1970-80; and Head of the Central Lending Library, 1976-83; and Head (Asian Collection of Children's Books), National Library, 1984-91. Mrs P was in charge of the reference library, which was in the Raffles Museum, a very unsuitable building for a library, but she didn't know better then - was just happy to be working there. No storeroom, no lifts. The Reference section did not have the research capability at the time. The library did not subscribe to journals at the time. The collection was limited. Moving to the new building, the shelves looked very empty. The Business and Science sections came later. There were barely any non-fiction books, the bulk of the books were children's books.

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  PERUMBULAVIL, Vilasini (Mrs)

  • Recording Date: 10/10/2000
  • Accession No: 002437
  • Reel No: 8

  "Mrs P" as she was known was co-ordinator of Children's Services at the National Library from 1970-80; and Head of the Central Lending Library, 1976-83; and Head (Asian Collection of Children's Books), National Library, 1984-91. Mrs P recalls how the reference collection was built up - using standard bibliographies, adding journals. The shelves were quite empty for a long time, and it was a slow process of acquisition. Ng Cheng Onn and she were the main staff who started the Reference Department in the National Library.