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...
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| Format: | Journal Article |
| Language: | English |
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2011
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| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/10356/101515 http://hdl.handle.net/10220/6716 |
| _version_ | 1826126151373815808 |
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| author | Luyt, Brendan |
| author2 | Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information |
| author_facet | Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information Luyt, Brendan |
| author_sort | Luyt, Brendan |
| collection | NTU |
| description | 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. |
| first_indexed | 2024-10-01T06:48:01Z |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | ntu-10356/101515 |
| institution | Nanyang Technological University |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-10-01T06:48:01Z |
| publishDate | 2011 |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | ntu-10356/1015152019-12-06T20:39:39Z The importance of fiction to the Raffles Library, Singapore, during the long nineteenth-century Luyt, Brendan Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information DRNTU::Library and information science::Libraries::History and statistics 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. Accepted version 2011-02-15T04:45:06Z 2019-12-06T20:39:39Z 2011-02-15T04:45:06Z 2019-12-06T20:39:39Z 2009 2009 Journal Article 1758-3489 https://hdl.handle.net/10356/101515 http://hdl.handle.net/10220/6716 en Library & information history © 2009 Maney Publishing. This is the author created version of a work that has been peer reviewed and accepted for publication by Library & information history, Maney Publishing. It incorporates referee’s comments but changes resulting from the publishing process, such as copyediting, structural formatting, may not be reflected in this document. The published version is available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1179/175834909X417444. 26 p. application/pdf |
| spellingShingle | DRNTU::Library and information science::Libraries::History and statistics Luyt, Brendan The importance of fiction to the Raffles Library, Singapore, during the long nineteenth-century |
| title | The importance of fiction to the Raffles Library, Singapore, during the long nineteenth-century |
| title_full | The importance of fiction to the Raffles Library, Singapore, during the long nineteenth-century |
| title_fullStr | The importance of fiction to the Raffles Library, Singapore, during the long nineteenth-century |
| title_full_unstemmed | The importance of fiction to the Raffles Library, Singapore, during the long nineteenth-century |
| title_short | The importance of fiction to the Raffles Library, Singapore, during the long nineteenth-century |
| title_sort | importance of fiction to the raffles library singapore during the long nineteenth century |
| topic | DRNTU::Library and information science::Libraries::History and statistics |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/10356/101515 http://hdl.handle.net/10220/6716 |
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