NUS apologises for disposal of books from Yale-NUS College

The National University of Singapore (NUS) has apologised for how it handled the disposal of books from Yale-NUS College.

In response to Mothership's queries, the University Librarian of NUS, Natalie Pang, shared that most of the books from Yale-NUS College Library had been rehomed within NUS Libraries.

Pang added that excess books are routinely rehomed in other libraries or given away to faculty members and, at times, students.

Books not taken up are then sent for recycling, which aligns with standard library practices.

However, the excess books were only offered to faculty members, not students.

"We understand later that many students are interested in having these books and we would have usually acceded to their requests. We did not do so on this occasion and we apologise for the operational lapse."

Pang shared that, due to strong student interest, the school is now organising a giveaway on campus.

"Going forward, we are reviewing our process and will take proactive steps to distribute excess books to the NUS community and the wider public so that they can benefit as many people as possible."

What happened?

On May 20, students and alumni from Yale-NUS were shocked at the attempted disposal of hundreds of books from Yale-NUS College.

White plastic bags, filled with books from YNC's library, were seen being loaded onto a truck from Green Orange Enviro, a recycling company and intended for shredding.

Students claimed they were not notified until the disposal had started.

Attempts to take the discarded books for themselves were supposedly rebuffed.

The act also drew the attention of Workers' Party Member of Parliament Jamus Lim.

"It was somewhat distressing for us to hear about how a large number of books—previously housed at the Yale-NUS Library—had been unceremoniously discarded on a sidewalk, before they would then be shredded by a recycling service."

"One is naturally tempted to interpret the event as symbolic of the clinical manner by which the school, itself, was closed down," Lim said.

Lim said that with some "advanced planning and consultation," the books could have found an alternative home.

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