SINGAPORE: Faculty members at Yale-NUS College have expressed disappointment over the handling of library materials after 500 books were recycled due to what the National University of Singapore (NUS) described as an "operational lapse".
Two professors told CNA on Thursday (May 22) that they were not informed about any opportunity to claim the 9,000 excess books – duplicates or titles with low usage rates – that had been earmarked for disposal.
These made up about 20 per cent of the college's library collection, according to Associate Professor Natalie Pang, university librarian of NUS.
She said the removal was in line with standard library practices when books are not claimed by faculty or rehomed in other collections.
On Wednesday, photos and videos circulated online showing books being packed into rubbish bags and loaded onto a recycling truck. The images sparked an outcry among alumni, students and staff.
Around 8,500 books were eventually salvaged. The university apologised for the misstep, with Assoc Prof Pang attributing it to staff not being fully aware of students' interest in the books and the outreach to faculty not being extensive enough.
Philosophy professor Andrew Bailey said he had not been informed about any opportunity to claim the books and found no documentation or communication offering faculty access to the materials.
"The issue here, for me, isn't that I didn't get a chance to pick up some free books as a faculty member, or that students missed out on that chance too.
"It is that books are precious, and that it is a misuse of scarce resources to shred them," said Prof Bailey, who has been with Yale-NUS since its inception in 2012 and will join the NUS philosophy department after the college's closure later this year.
Associate Professor Andrew Hui, a literature professor and fellow founding faculty member, echoed the concerns. He recalled contributing hundreds of suggestions to help build the library’s early collection, even before a professional librarian was appointed.
"All of that work has just vanished," he said.
He added that while NUS libraries occasionally hold book giveaways, they typically involve voluntary donations - not the systematic offloading of unused inventory. He also questioned the criteria for determining "low utilisation rates".
"That is antithetical to the very nature and function of a library, which is to preserve cultural memory."
Like Prof Bailey, he also said no library staff member had reached out to him with offers to take up the books.
Both professors said they had received recent emails from college management noting that unchecked books would be moved to another library - but the message made no mention of offering faculty the chance to claim them.
On Wednesday, Assoc Prof Pang, the university librarian, said NUS will implement a new standard operating procedure across all its libraries. The new protocol will require more comprehensive outreach to both faculty members and students before books are removed.
Prof Bailey welcomed the move as "wise", while Assoc Prof Hui called for a more fundamental shift: "The SOP (should be) that you try to preserve as many books as possible," he said.
CNA has contacted NUS for further comment.
Continue reading...
Two professors told CNA on Thursday (May 22) that they were not informed about any opportunity to claim the 9,000 excess books – duplicates or titles with low usage rates – that had been earmarked for disposal.
These made up about 20 per cent of the college's library collection, according to Associate Professor Natalie Pang, university librarian of NUS.
She said the removal was in line with standard library practices when books are not claimed by faculty or rehomed in other collections.
On Wednesday, photos and videos circulated online showing books being packed into rubbish bags and loaded onto a recycling truck. The images sparked an outcry among alumni, students and staff.
Around 8,500 books were eventually salvaged. The university apologised for the misstep, with Assoc Prof Pang attributing it to staff not being fully aware of students' interest in the books and the outreach to faculty not being extensive enough.
"MISUSE OF SCARCE RESOURCES"
Philosophy professor Andrew Bailey said he had not been informed about any opportunity to claim the books and found no documentation or communication offering faculty access to the materials.
"The issue here, for me, isn't that I didn't get a chance to pick up some free books as a faculty member, or that students missed out on that chance too.
"It is that books are precious, and that it is a misuse of scarce resources to shred them," said Prof Bailey, who has been with Yale-NUS since its inception in 2012 and will join the NUS philosophy department after the college's closure later this year.
Related:
Associate Professor Andrew Hui, a literature professor and fellow founding faculty member, echoed the concerns. He recalled contributing hundreds of suggestions to help build the library’s early collection, even before a professional librarian was appointed.
"All of that work has just vanished," he said.
He added that while NUS libraries occasionally hold book giveaways, they typically involve voluntary donations - not the systematic offloading of unused inventory. He also questioned the criteria for determining "low utilisation rates".
"That is antithetical to the very nature and function of a library, which is to preserve cultural memory."
Like Prof Bailey, he also said no library staff member had reached out to him with offers to take up the books.
Both professors said they had received recent emails from college management noting that unchecked books would be moved to another library - but the message made no mention of offering faculty the chance to claim them.
On Wednesday, Assoc Prof Pang, the university librarian, said NUS will implement a new standard operating procedure across all its libraries. The new protocol will require more comprehensive outreach to both faculty members and students before books are removed.
Prof Bailey welcomed the move as "wise", while Assoc Prof Hui called for a more fundamental shift: "The SOP (should be) that you try to preserve as many books as possible," he said.
CNA has contacted NUS for further comment.
Continue reading...