8,500 Yale-NUS library books destined for disposal to be given to fairs

Planned recycling of duplicate books halted following outcry; only 500 disposed of

- Gabrielle Chan

About 8,500 duplicate books from the Yale-NUS library will be given to book fairs, instead of being disposed of, following an outcry from some alumni. Some 500 of the 9,000 books originally slated for recycling were taken away.

Speaking to the media on May 21, NUS university librarian Natalie Pang said that 9,000 out of the total number of 45,000 books in the college's library were duplicates or had a "low utilisation rate".

The plan was to recycle these 9,000 books, as per the standard operating processes for NUS libraries when excess titles cannot be rehomed or given away.

The process for the remaining 8,500 books has since been halted after photos and videos of employees from a recycling company loading books onto a truck circulated online on May 20, drawing sharp criticism from alumni and members of the public who called the disposal wasteful and distressing.

NUS provost Aaron Thean told the media: "NUS houses about four million volumes of books... this is a big collection. So any loss of books to us is always heartbreaking.

"All these books mean a lot to us," he said, adding that the university will find new owners for the books at upcoming book fairs.

Associate Professor Pang said two book fairs will be held in May and June. The first, which is open to Yale-NUS alumni and their families, will be held from May 28 to June 9 at the Yale-NUS library, from 5pm to 8pm.

The second, which is open to the public, will be held on June 14 at the NUS Central Library from 10am to 4pm.

She confirmed that the 500 books taken from Yale-NUS College on May 20 have since been disposed of.

Going forward, the university will introduce a new process for excess books, she said.