Latest news with #bookdisposal
South China Morning Post
21-05-2025
- General
- South China Morning Post
Singapore university's dumping of Yale-NUS books sparks anger and petition
The disposal of bags of books from the former Yale-National University of Singapore College library has sparked anger from its alumni and the general public, who saw the move as symbolic of deeper institutional neglect after videos of the incident went viral. NUS has issued a public apology for the 'operational lapse', which has also prompted an online petition. The incident has become the latest flashpoint in the saga of Yale-NUS, Singapore's short-lived liberal arts experiment that is set to close its doors for good this year. 'We later understood that many students were interested in keeping the books, and we would usually have accommodated such requests,' associate professor Natalie Pang, a university librarian, said on Wednesday in a reply to queries from This Week in Asia. She did not disclose how many books were thrown away. 'We did not do so on this occasion and we apologise for the operational lapse,' she said, adding that the library's excess books were 'routinely rehomed' in other libraries or given away to faculty and students on certain occasions. Those that were not taken up would then be sent for recycling, as per standard library practices, but the university would be organising a giveaway on campus, in light of the strong interest from students, Pang said. The school will review its processes and take steps to distribute excess books to the NUS and wider community in the future. Pang's statement comes a day after images and videos were posted online showing workers from a recycling firm loading plastic bags filled with books onto a truck – a scene that angered Yale-NUS graduates who viewed the disposal as careless and disrespectful.
Malay Mail
21-05-2025
- General
- Malay Mail
National University of Singapore says sorry for ‘operational lapse' after Yale-NUS library book disposal sparks outcry
SINGAPORE, May 21 — The National University of Singapore (NUS) has issued an apology following an 'operational lapse' in handling hundreds of books from Yale-NUS College, which is scheduled to close this year. Yesterday, photos and videos emerged showing books from the Yale-NUS College library packed into trash bags and loaded onto a recycling truck. The images sparked an outcry among students and alumni who called for the preservation of the collection. Associate Professor Natalie Pang, from the NUS University Library, told Channel News Asia (CNA) today that the disposal was part of standard library practice. She explained that excess books are 'routinely rehomed' in other NUS libraries or given to faculty members and sometimes students. 'Books which are not taken up are then sent for recycling, in line with common library practices,' she was quoted as saying. Regarding the Yale-NUS books, Pang said the majority were relocated to other NUS libraries. However, she acknowledged that only faculty members were offered the remaining excess books, not students. 'We understand later that many students were interested in having these books and we would have usually acceded to their requests,' she added. 'We did not do so on this occasion and we apologise for the operational lapse.' Following strong student interest, NUS is now organising a giveaway event on campus to distribute the leftover books. 'Going forward, we are reviewing our process and will take proactive steps to distribute excess books to the NUS community and the wider public so that they can benefit as many people as possible,' Pang said. NUS has not clarified what happened to the books shown being loaded onto the recycling truck. An employee from Green Orange Enviro, the recycling company involved, told CNA that the books had been recycled. The company said NUS contacted them around 3pm yesterday to halt the recycling, but it was already too late. Yale-NUS College will close this year, with its final cohort graduating in May 2025. The law faculty, currently housed at the Bukit Timah campus, will take over the Yale-NUS campus later this year.
CNA
21-05-2025
- General
- CNA
NUS apologises for 'operational lapse' in dealing with books from university library
SINGAPORE: The National University Singapore (NUS) on Wednesday (May 21) apologised for an "operational lapse" in dealing with books from Yale-NUS College, which is shutting this year. Hundreds of books from the Yale-NUS College library were reportedly sent for disposal or recycling on Tuesday, triggering an outcry from its alumni and students. Photos and videos showed books packed into trash bags and loaded onto a truck from a recycling company. Responding to CNA's queries on Wednesday, Associate Professor Natalie Pang, University Library of NUS, said that in maintaining the library collection, excess books are "routinely rehomed" in other libraries or given away to faculty members, and sometimes to students. "Books which are not taken up are then sent for recycling, in line with common library practices," she added. In the case of the books from the Yale-NUS College Library, the majority of the books were moved to other NUS libraries, Assoc Prof Pang said, adding that the excess books were offered only to faculty members, and not students. "We understand later that many students were interested in having these books and we would have usually acceded to their requests," she said. "We did not do so on this occasion and we apologise for the operational lapse." Assoc Prof Pang said that given the "strong interest" from students, the university is now organising a giveaway on campus. "Going forward, we are reviewing our process and will take proactive steps to distribute excess books to the NUS community and the wider public so that they can benefit as many people as possible," she said. NUS did not say what happened to the books that were seen being loaded onto a recycling truck. An employee from the recycling company Green Orange Enviro told CNA on Wednesday that the books had been recycled. He said NUS reached out to the company at around 3pm on Tuesday to stop the recycling, but it was already too late. According to a Yale-NUS student, he saw around five students gathering around a truck from Green Orange Enviro at about noon on Tuesday. Around 50 bags were packed on the truck with around 10 to 20 books, said Mr Lee, who asked to be identified by his last name only. Two employees from the recycling firm were present alongside two NUS staff members and were engaged in a heated discussion with students who had gathered, the 24-year-old student told CNA. "They were arguing with the other students who were there, basically saying, 'You can't touch these books. These books are slated for disposal, you cannot keep these books. They're not to be donated, they're to be disposed of.' An NUS librarian later arrived and told the students the university had 'no choice' but to dispose of the books because they were given a short runway by the NUS law faculty and NUS campus infrastructure staff to clear the library books. Yale-NUS College is set to shut this year, with its last cohort of students graduating in May 2025. NUS' law faculty, which is currently located at the university's campus in Bukit Timah, will move into the college's premises later this year. STUDENT AND ALUMNI RESPONSE After videos and photos of the books began circulating, members of the Yale-NUS community rallied to think about how to salvage them, said Yale-NUS alumnus Chloe Ang. Students at the scene attempted to take a few of the bags while others who witnessed the situation online started contacting the relevant companies, NUS personnel and media outlets, she told CNA on Tuesday. 'Gradually, more facts rolled in, which were provided with clarification by the staff working at the Yale-NUS Library.' According to an earlier LinkedIn post by Ms Ang, the books being disposed of were mostly duplicates to make space for the incoming Law Library. They ranged from brand-new books to out-of-print books and those written by faculty members. The library staff said the books couldn't be donated due to RFID tags or transferred to other NUS libraries, she wrote. 'Crucially, the librarians were given insufficient notice to 'dispose of the books adequately'. This resulted in the incredible amounts of wastage we witnessed today,' she added.
CNA
20-05-2025
- General
- CNA
Alumni, students slam 'disposal' of books from now-closed Yale-NUS library
SINGAPORE: The attempted disposal of hundreds of books at Yale-NUS College on Tuesday (May 21) has sparked uproar among its alumni and students. The outcry apparently prompted the university to reverse its decision later in the day. According to alumni, some of the books have been recovered from the recycling company that collected them earlier, to be given out at a later date. NUS has not officially stated where the books were headed or whether the initial plans have changed. CNA reached out to the university for comment at 2.20pm on Tuesday and received a reply at 11.12pm stating that it was looking into the matter. A Yale-NUS student who graduated this year and wanted to be identified only as Mr Lee told CNA that he returned to the university campus at around 11.30am on Tuesday after receiving a photo of trash bags filled with books piled at the campus foyer from a classmate. When he arrived at 12.05pm, around five students had gathered around a lorry from Green Orange Enviro, a recycling company. Two employees from the recycling firm were present alongside two NUS staff members and were engaged in a heated discussion with students who had gathered, said Mr Lee. "They were arguing with the other students who were there, basically saying, 'You can't touch these books. These books are slated for disposal, you cannot keep these books. They're not to be donated, they're to be disposed," the 24-year-old student recalled. When pressed on why the books could not be donated, NUS staff on site told students not to talk to them on this matter as they were "just staff members" and asked that they speak to the librarian in charge, according to Mr Lee. When the bags of books packed in white plastic bags were being loaded onto the truck, a man whom NUS staff on site identified as being a librarian from NUS arrived at the foyer and spoke to students, said Mr Lee. The librarian said that NUS had "no choice" but to dispose of the books because they were given a short runway by the NUS law faculty and NUS campus infrastructure staff to clear the library books. "He was basically saying, it's way too hard. When I tried to raise how we had just organised an independent (book donation) drive four weeks ago, he was saying, 'You don't understand, it's very difficult to remove the RFID security tag from the books," said Mr Lee, who added that around 50 bags were packed on the lorry with around 10 to 20 books per bag. He added that it was upsetting to see what was happening on what was his second-last day at the campus. "The one day before we move out, and we see some random disposal lorry with our libraries' books ... written by faculty, used by students, being thrown into a disposal lorry like it's common garbage. Why is this process so poorly handled?" said Mr Lee. Another Yale-NUS alumnus - who also graduated this year and wanted to be identified as Mr Soo - told CNA that he had arrived at the foyer with three friends at around 11am, after which he saw the workers alight from the truck and start loading the bags of books onto the vehicle. He saw that there were two workers from Green Orange Enviro, and said he heard from someone else who asked the workers that they were going to bring the books to a waste management facility called Asia Recycling. The bags of books were left at the entrance of the Yale-NUS campus, which was 'ironic' to him. He estimated that there were about 80 to 90 bags. There were three library staff members at the foyer as well to monitor the workers loading the books and to stop people from taking the books, he said. He added that one staff member was 'hostile' towards anyone who tried to take the books, saying that they 'had no right to take it … as it belongs to our property'. He said that when he and his friends asked why the books were being disposed of, the library staff members told them to go to the library to ask more senior staff members. 'It was not just a rushed operation, it was an opaque operation' on their part, he added. He also shared that there were messages in chat groups indicating that the school is going to reverse course, but that no official statement has been issued yet. Speaking to CNA on Tuesday night, Mr Lee added he had seen text messages from the student alumni club that NUS College administration had informed the club's executive committee that the books would attempted to be retrieved for a book drive. However, Mr Lee said he was frustrated by "the lack of clarity and timeliness" from NUS on addressing the matter. Yale-NUS College is set to shut this year, with its last cohort of students graduating in May 2025.
