Opening address by Mr Ng Cher Pong, Chief Executive Officer, National Library Board at announcement of Tun Tan Cheng Lock Trust donation and Rare Collections Gallery revamp

Mrs Josephine Teo, Minister for Digital Development and Information,

Mr Peter Lee, Mr Tommy Leung, Ms Sharnika Silva and Tun Tan Cheng Lock Trust members

Distinguished guests,

  1. Good afternoon to everyone! Welcome to the Rare Collections Gallery here at the National Library. This is where we feature a treasure trove of materials that help to tell Singapore Stories.
  2. The space we are standing in today houses some of Singapore’s most precious artefacts and documents, each telling a unique story of our nation's journey. The rare collection has been growing over the years, through deposits by early publishers, our acquisition efforts, and the generous contributions from partners and the community. We now have, in our collection, a fascinating range of materials such as the very first copy of The Straits Times which was published on 15 July 1845 some 180 years ago, early maps that feature Singapore such as this 17th century Dutch map on the backdrop here as well as photographs and letters that document various places around our island. For example, we have a photograph showing a flooded Raffles Place in 1921 when Japan’s then Crown Prince Hirohito visited Singapore). We are grateful for our donors’ contributions over the years, and the trust many have placed in us to safekeep them.
  3. We are therefore excited to announce that NLB will be partnering the Tun Tan Cheng Lock Trust, to grow the Rare Collections Gallery to be even bigger, and more accessible to all. Through a very generous donation of $2.3 million from the Tun Tan Cheng Lock Trust, we will embark on a major revamp of the Gallery. This includes relocating it from this current location, to the first floor of this building, making it immediately more accessible. In addition, the Gallery will quadruple in size to about 140 sqm, to enable us to showcase more of the precious gems collected over the years through both the National Library and National Archives of Singapore. When ready, by around end-2027, visitors can look forward to a multi-modal experience, with interactive digital content and regular special exhibitions.
  4. We are also thankful for the co-funding contributions of the Trust that will enable us to acquire a unique archive of “shipper’s tickets”. Also called textile labels, they were used in the exporting of goods since the 1800s and can be considered the earliest form of trademark designs. They testify to Singapore’s position as a trading hub in of the global cloth trade in the early 19th and 20th centuries, and will serve as a rich resource for researchers studying historical maritime links, as well as the political and socio-cultural dimensions and development of the textile industry in both the UK and Asia. This collection of over 10,000 shipper’s tickets, each with its unique design, are also beautiful sources of inspiration for the creative community. Highlights of this collection will be featured in the new Rare Collections Gallery in future.
  5. These donations come at a momentous time for NLB. 2025 marks 30 years of NLB being established as a statutory board. In making our collection more accessible to the public, this timely donation also serves as a birthday gift to NLB, and on behalf of NLB, I would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to the Tun Tan Cheng Lock Trust for this very special birthday present.
  6. To celebrate NLB30, we are planning a series of exciting programmes. From pop-up Nodes to a special edition of our Love Our Libraries and Archives (LOLA) event in September, there will be multiple opportunities for everyone to join in on the celebrations. We are still finalising the programme details for our “birthday party”, and will share more details in due course
  7. Our journey over the last 30 years would not have been possible without the strong support of our partners. Once again, I would like to express my gratitude to the Tun Tan Cheng Lock Trust for helping us to continue our work as Singapore's Memory Institution and Storyteller. Together, we can deepen the appreciation of our shared experience as a nation, for generations to come. Thank you.