 In Raffles' own words ...
RI loans three letters written by nation's founder to NLB
LOCKED away from prying eyes for years, three letters written almost two centuries ago by Sir Stamford Raffles can now be viewed by the public.
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The letters are among 134 heritage materials that Raffles Institution (RI) has entrusted to the National Library Board (NLB) for conservation, preservation, storage and sharing purposes, as a 10-year renewable loan. The two parties signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on this yesterday.
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RI's rare collection also includes music scores, photographs and personal correspondence relating to the Singapore Institution, as RI was then known.
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Three of Sir Stamford's letters — which date as far back as 1824 — were related to the establishment of the Singapore Institution, but were addressed to different parties, including Mr John Crawfurd, who governed Singapore as the second British Resident.
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They can now be viewed via microfiche at the NLB's Lee Kong Chien Reference Library.
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Prior to the signing of the MOU, RI stored all these materials under lock and key. Access was not granted — even to students of the institution — for fear of further disintegration.
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RI headmaster Koh Chin Nguang, said the institution had been looking for "the best solution to preserve the documents", which could not be exposed to excess heat, humidity and light.
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He added that given their historical value, the materials "should be made available not only to Rafflesians, but also to members of the public".
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NLB's deputy CEO Ngian Lek Choh called the documents "important in the construction of (the nation's) shared history".
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Apart from historical documents, NLB also keeps a repository of all materials published locally.
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Anyone who publishes an item in Singapore — such as a book, poster or a music CD — is required to make a "legal deposit" by sending two copies to the National Library, said Ms Ngiam.
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"The main purpose of the legal deposit is to jointly build and preserve Singapore's literary heritage and make them accessible to present and future generations," she added.
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