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Programmes @ the LibraryKnowledge – The New Currency of the Future By Wan Wee Pin, Acting Manager, INVENTA noun that seems so nebulousthat it defies definition and yet it isthe holy grail of all who seek theriches that come with its possession.If the temple is the architecturalicon for religion, then it can besaid that the library is its equivalentfor knowledge.So what exactly is knowledge?Is it a mere bunch of facts andfigures? Or is it the understandingof these numerical codes thatenables one to unlock thehidden recesses of our minds?No one knows what knowledgereally is. Yet, to know something(or not know anything) amountsto knowledge in its fundamentalterms.In the month of November, theNational Library will attempt toshed some light on what exactlyconstitutes knowledge. We willnot be bringing in any linguistto give a dissertation on whatknowledge as a term consist of;instead we will be dwelling intothe different dimensions of theprotection, exchange and collectionof knowledge.In conjunction with the CelebratingKnowledge: The Power andPotential conference which willbe held at the InterContinental Hotelfrom 13 to 15 November, we willbe inviting several of the luminariesto the library to give their viewsand opinions about whatexactly they understand by theterm “knowledge”.The Historical and ComparativeStudy of Religion in a ChineseContextProfessor Anthony C. YuDate : Thursday, November 10, 2005Time : 6.30pm - 8.00pmVenue: Level 5 - Imagination andPossibility RoomsAdmission is free but registrationrequired. Please emailaspi@nlb.gov.sg or call +65 6332 1828To further the exchange of viewsand ideas across cultures, worldrenownedProfessor Anthony Yufrom Chicago University made suchan attempt when he translated theChinese classic Journey to the Westfor a vastly different audience. Hehas always been at the forefront ofcross-cultural studies and he willbe giving a talk at our premises on10 November on the topic of TheHistorical and Comparative Study ofReligion in a Chinese Context. Thistalk is especially timely in the lightof the revived practice of religion inChina and diaspora communities,and the escalating study of religionin the Chinese academy itself.The attempt to gain knowledge ofthe past is also a journey into theworld of the deadThe past is a treasure trove ofknowledge awaiting our efforts todig deeper and rediscover what ourancestors may have left behind forus. This is an effort that has beenchampioned by Dr Susan Whitfield,a historian of Tang China and theSilk Road as well as a director withthe British Library.In 1994, she started the InternationalDunhuang Project (IDP), a collaborationto make manuscripts, artifacts,textiles and paintings from theeastern Silk Road and dispersedin library and museum collectionsworldwide fully accessible onmultilingual websites. Her effortshave opened up a whole new worldof knowledge for us to explore.Unearthing Treasures of the Silk Road:The International Dunhuang ProjectDr Susan Whitfield, Director ofThe International Dunhuang ProjectDate : Sunday, November 13, 2005Time : 3.00pm - 5.00pmVenue: Level 5 – Imagination andPossibility RoomsAdmission is freeCome and listen as she shares,on 13 November, her experiences aswell as the motivations and purposeof the project in the pursuit andpreservation of “new” knowledge atthe National Library.Finally, in the new millennium, it hasbeen said that knowledge is the newcurrency and the one who hoardsknowledge is the one who would beking. Do you then know about theprotection of knowledge and theimplications and issues that comewith these practices?Mr Tan Loke Khoon is an expert inthis area with Baker & McKenzie andhe has recently published a bookentitled Pirates in the Middle Kingdom:The Art of the Trademark War. He willbe in Singapore on a short visit andwill be touching upon this increasinglyimportant and relevant topic.These are just some highlights ofthe programmes, which have beenlined-up in the month of November,that will attempt to put some kind offramework to what is still essentiallya hazy concept.As you participate and listen to someof these speakers, you will begin towonder if you have understood andgained a little more. And if you do,is that considered becoming moreknowledgeable?For more information, please logonto www.nlb.gov.sg for the detailsabout timing and venues of theseprogrammes.Pirates of the Middle Kingdom:The Art of Trademark WarMr. Tan Loke Khoon, Partner, Baker& McKenzie HK/ ChinaDate : Saturday, November 19, 2005Time : 3.00pm - 6.00pmVenue: Level 16 - The PodAdmission is free but registrationrequired. Please email aspi@nlb.gov.sgor damien_wang@nlb.gov.sg orcall +65 6332 1828 / +65 6332 1814Design – More Than Just Graphics and Prints By Wan Wee Pin, Acting Manager, INVENTDesign is a recognition of the relation between various things, various elements in the creative flux. You can’t invent a design.You recognize it, in the fourth dimension. That is, with your blood and your bones, as well as with your eyes. – D. H. LawrenceWe have heard so much about thenew economy and the new realitythat we now live amongst. And inthis new reality, design as a conceptand as an industry has been identifiedas one of the new wave of developmentsthat is sweeping away old structuresand mindsets. No longer just a questionof prints and lines, design as the newcatchphrase encompasses so much more.It is for these reasons and a wholelot more that the National Libraryis devoting the entire month ofDecember to the subject of design.As usual, the entire breadth of this topicwill be presented so as to give a morecomprehensive and well-roundedunderstanding of the possibilities ofwhat design can bring.One of the foremost efforts ineducating our young in this area isthe setting up of the new SingaporeArts School. As their opening salvo,they will be launching an exhibitionat the Promenade using the themeHow Singapore’s Award WinningArchitecture Firms Use PhysicalSpace and Architecture to SupportLearning and Creativity.Singapore Literary Pioneers GalleryBy Eunice Low, Manager, Heritage & AsiaAs part of the efforts to preservethe nation’s literary heritage, theNational Library Board is launchingthe Singapore Literary PioneersGallery at the Lee Kong ChianReference Library in the newNational Library building. Thisproject seeks to create a greaterawareness of Singapore literatureamongst the library’s users and togive recognition to these writers. Itwill also aid in developing the LeeKong Chian Reference Library’srich repository of local heritagecollection, both physical and digital.A permanent exhibition area of180 sq m, the gallery occupiesthe concourse area of Level11 (Singapore and SoutheastCollections) of the Lee Kong Chianincludes print, digital and interactivemultimedia facilities, featuresliterary pioneers including ProfessorEdwin Thumboo, Mr Lim Thean Soo,Miao Xiu, Mr Se Ve Shanmugamand Mr Suratman Markasan.They will also provide assortedprogrammes like workshops forarchitects, educators and childrenthat will educate the public towardswhat is meant by design and thevarious other strands that can comefrom this vast and rich topic.In conjunction with the promotionof design to the youth, the NationalLibrary will also be showcasing theYoung Asian Designers Award 2005exhibition as part of the programmeline-up for the Singapore DesignFestival. See what some of thebrightest young minds of Asia haveto offer as you look at the awardwinning works and concepts that havebeen created from their fertile minds.Lest the impression sets in thatdesign pertains to just art andgraphics, the National Library isalso working with our partner,the Institute of EngineeringSingapore, to come up witha series of activities to highlightthe various aspects of industrialdesign. The use of design inengineering will be showcasedat a fair while tours to localShowcasing special collectionsof the literary pioneers, the itemson display include books, letters,photographs and portraits of thewriters, personal items related towriting and authorship such aspens, typewriters and notepads,the original manuscripts of theirworks, calligraphic works, literaryawards and trophies. Copies of thewriters’ works are also availabledigitally for visitors to browsethrough or for research. Inaddition, a gallery guide hasbeen produced to assist visitorsand researchers.engineering showpieces will beconducted for participants.The National Library is alsoattempting to bring a part of the WorldExpo held in Aich, Japan to Singaporethrough an exhibition known asLibrary of 2005 Memories. The exhibitionconsists of more than 2000 storiesthat are manifested in a fascinatingthree-dimensional display.Singaporeans will get a chance tolook at a piece of installation workthat has wowed visitors from allaround Japan as well as overseas.With such a full and packed lineup,December promises to be anexciting one. For the initiated, this isa time to fully explore and developyour interest; for the amateur orthose hearing about design forthe first time, this is an excellentopportunity to know, in a greaterdepth, the possibilities and wondersthat this subject has to offer bothprofessionally as well as personally.For more information, please log onto www.nlb.gov.sg for the detailsabout time and venue.The National Library Board wouldlike to take this opportunity to thankthe different agencies such as theNational Arts Council (NAC) and theNational Book Development Councilof Singapore (NBDCS), as wellas literary associations, industrypartners, writers and individuals fortheir assistance, views and supportfor this gallery.It is our hope that through thisgallery, all library patrons will bebetter acquainted with our writersand even perhaps, be inspired intojoining their ranks as literary artists!24 25