The importance of fiction to the Raffles Library, Singapore, during the long nineteenth-century

One of the main controversies in the world of librarianship in the latter half of the nineteenth and early part of the twentieth century was the role of fiction in the public libraries of North America and United Kingdom. To what extent was this concern translated to other parts of the English-speak...

Deskribapen osoa

Xehetasun bibliografikoak
Egile nagusia: Luyt, Brendan
Beste egile batzuk: Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information
Formatua: Journal Article
Hizkuntza:English
Argitaratua: 2011
Gaiak:
Sarrera elektronikoa:https://hdl.handle.net/10356/101515
http://hdl.handle.net/10220/6716
Deskribapena
Gaia:One of the main controversies in the world of librarianship in the latter half of the nineteenth and early part of the twentieth century was the role of fiction in the public libraries of North America and United Kingdom. To what extent was this concern translated to other parts of the English-speaking world? In this article, I explore, from the available evidence, the attitudes towards fiction held by officials of the Raffles Library, Singapore. I present evidence that the library tended to be very liberal in its views. To understand why this was the case, I argue, involves an understanding of the notion, commonly held at the time, of human degeneration from prolonged exposure to tropical environments, and the colonialist reaction to this predicament.