Confessions of a rare book librarian
Senior librarian who looks after rare collection says she learns something new every day
Being a librarian involves more than just shelving books. Just ask Ms Gracie Lee, 43, one of the three senior librarians looking after the National Library's Rare Materials Collection.
Her job responsibilities include acquiring rare materials, writing research articles and giving public talks on the various items.
Housed on the 13th storey of the National Library, the rare collection comprises 15,000 items, including books, photographs and maps.
These were mostly published in Singapore, Malaya or the Straits Settlements before 1945 while others were published overseas before 1900.
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- It is useful to pick up another language, especially Dutch, Japanese or Portuguese, as some of the rare materials on the history of South-east Asia are in these languages.
- Carry a measuring tape to measure book dimensions. A magnifying glass is also useful for identifying the printing techniques used for the rare materials, such as metal engraving and lithography, which will offer clues about the book's age and origin.
- Do not wear lanyards or any other accessories that may hook onto pages. Be gentle at all times when handling materials.
She said: "I am always learning something new every day as I get to research and read up on Singapore history."
Ms Lee and the two other 'rare' librarians are master's degree holders.
She has a degree in English Language and a Master of Science in Information Studies from Nanyang Technological University.
Handling the books is not easy.
Ms Lee and her colleagues have to be extra careful when opening a book from the rare collection so as not to damage its spine.
They need to wear gloves to avoid staining any pages or photographs.
Ms Lee said: "We treat the materials like artefacts. It's a great sense of responsibility that can be stressful at times."
Indeed, it falls on the 'rare' librarians to ensure that these materials - which are often more than a hundred years old - are in good condition.
Apart from a 1577 travelogue, which is the oldest book in the collection, there are Malay and South-east Asian dictionaries, Chinese classics and romances translated into Baba Malay, and Japanese fairy tales that were acquired during the colonial period.
These are kept in a room which is temperature- and humidity-controlled.
Ms Lee added: "We seldom turn on the lights as prolonged exposure to light causes discolouration of materials."
For the avid reader who used to visit the library every week when she was young, working in one is a dream come true.
Ms Lee applied for the job after chancing upon an advertisement in the newspaper, and has been a librarian for 13 years.
The most interesting thing she ever bought for the library was a letter by artist Ronald Searle, which contained doodles on the surrender of the Japanese during World War II and his experiences as a prisoner of war.
Ms Lee said: "Being a librarian has given me an intimate insight into the experiences of people throughout history and helped me understand our national heritage better."
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