DEVELOPMENT OF CHINESE LIBRARIES IN 20TH CENTURY SINGAPORE ONG ZHI JIA This dissertation was submitted in part fulfilment of requirements for the degree of MSc Information and Library Studies DEPT. OF COMPUTER AND INFORMATION SCIENCES UNIVERSITY OF STRATHCLYDE SEPTEMBER 2019 i DECLARATION This dissertation is submitted in part fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of MSc of the University of Strathclyde. I declare that this dissertation embodies the results of my own work and that it has been composed by myself. Following normal academic conventions, I have made due acknowledgement to the work of others. I declare that I have sought, and received, ethics approval via the Departmental Ethics Committee as appropriate to my research. I give permission to the University of Strathclyde, Department of Computer and Information Sciences, to provide copies of the dissertation, at cost, to those who may in the future request a copy of the dissertation for private study or research. I give permission to the University of Strathclyde, Department of Computer and Information Sciences, to place a copy of the dissertation in a publicly available archive. (please tick) Yes [ ] No [ ] I declare that the word count for this dissertation (excluding title page, declaration, abstract, acknowledgements, table of contents, list of illustrations, references and appendices is 18,191. I confirm that I wish this to be assessed as a Type 1 2 3 4 5 Dissertation (please circle) Signature: Date: ii ABSTRACT By the late 19th century, the Chinese community had surpassed other races in Singapore to make up more than 70 per cent of the nation’s population. Majority of the Chinese during the 19th and 20th century was not highly educated nor well-to-do. Yet, the first “modern” library that was established in Singapore was beyond the means of the Chinese mass as it was not only expensive to access, it was also primarily a pro-English library that catered to the leisure and scholarly needs of the Europeans. Thus, the question of whether there were any institutions established to provide reading and research materials to the Chinese community arose. This dissertation is a study of the Chinese Libraries built in Singapore during the 20th century. This paper aimed to understand the types of Chinese Libraries available through the examination of the collection of, membership of, cultural activities organised by and reputation of these libraries. Though the lens of important political, social, cultural and economic events, the paper looked at factors that not only led to the emergence of these libraries but also influenced and helped shaped these libraries. iii CONTENTS Chapter 1: Introduction.................................................................................................................... - 1 - 1.1 Overview ................................................................................................................................. - 1 - 1.2 Research problem and objectives ........................................................................................... - 2 - 1.3 Structure of the Dissertation ................................................................................................... - 2 - Chapter 2: Methodology .................................................................................................................. - 4 - 2.1 Research Approach ................................................................................................................. - 4 - 2.2 Data Collection ........................................................................................................................ - 5 - 2.2.1 Published Scholarships ......................................................................................................... - 5 - 2.2.2 Grey Literature ..................................................................................................................... - 6 - 2.2.3 Websites .............................................................................................................................. - 6 - 2.2.4 Newspapers ......................................................................................................................... - 6 - Chapter 3: Literature Review and Analysis – Background ............................................................... - 9 - 3.1 Singapore population in the 19th and 20th century .................................................................. - 9 - 3.2 Development of Singapore’s First “Modern” Library, the 1840s – 1990s ............................. - 10 - 3.2.1 Collection ........................................................................................................................... - 11 - 3.2.2 Membership ....................................................................................................................... - 12 - 3.2.3 Cultural Activities ............................................................................................................... - 15 - 3.2.4 Reputation ......................................................................................................................... - 16 - 3.2.5 Summary ............................................................................................................................ - 16 - Chapter 4: Literature Review and Analysis – Chinese Libraries .................................................... - 18 - 4.1 Defining Chinese Libraries ..................................................................................................... - 18 - 4.2 Precedents: Chinese Reading Rooms, the 1900s .................................................................. - 20 - 4.2.1 United Chinese Library ....................................................................................................... - 21 - 4.2.1.1 Collection ........................................................................................................................ - 21 - 4.2.1.2 Membership .................................................................................................................... - 22 - 4.2.1.3 Cultural Activities ............................................................................................................ - 23 - 4.2.1.4 Reputation ...................................................................................................................... - 24 - 4.3 Flourishment: Chinese Academic Libraries, the 1950s – 1980 .............................................. - 25 - 4.3.1 University of Malaya’s Chinese Library .............................................................................. - 25 - 4.3.1.1 Collection ........................................................................................................................ - 26 - 4.3.1.2 Membership .................................................................................................................... - 27 - 4.3.1.3 Cultural Activities ............................................................................................................ - 29 - 4.3.1.4 Reputation ...................................................................................................................... - 29 - iv 4.3.2 Nanyang University’s Library.............................................................................................. - 30 - 4.3.2.1 Collection ........................................................................................................................ - 31 - 4.3.2.2 Membership .................................................................................................................... - 33 - 4.3.2.3 Chinese Cultural Events................................................................................................... - 35 - 4.3.2.4 Reputation ...................................................................................................................... - 35 - 4.4 Rebranding: Raffles Library, the 1950s – 1960s .................................................................... - 36 - 4.4.1 Raffles Library – Yio Chu Kang Village Part-time Branch .................................................... - 37 - 4.4.1.1 Collection ........................................................................................................................ - 37 - 4.4.1.2 Membership .................................................................................................................... - 38 - 4.4.1.3 Cultural Activities ............................................................................................................ - 39 - 4.4.1.4 Reputation ...................................................................................................................... - 39 - 4.5 Unification and Transition: Chinese Academic Libraries, the 1980s – 1999 .......................... - 40 - 4.5.1 National University of Singapore’s Chinese Library............................................................ - 41 - 4.5.1.1 Collection ........................................................................................................................ - 41 - 4.5.1.2 Membership .................................................................................................................... - 43 - 4.5.1.3 Chinese Cultural Activities ............................................................................................... - 44 - 4.5.1.4 Reputation .....................................................................................................................