We thank Mr Sean Lim Wei Xin for his feedback (Archives accessibility remains an issue, April 22).
The National Library Board has worked hard to provide its materials online in an effort to increase awareness and appreciation of Singapore's rich history and heritage.
Our recent initiatives include acquiring and digitising Singapore's first newspaper, the Singapore Chronicle (1827-37), on NewspaperSG and making available theatre and music works on the National Online Repository of the Arts. Audio-visual records, particularly Berita Singapura news magazine films from the 1960s, are now available on the Toggle platform and on YouTube.
To facilitate easier access, NLB's OneSearch portal also brings together similar content from across our libraries and archives, as well as Singapore heritage content from our partners such as the National Heritage Board and National Gallery Singapore.
We are able to provide unlimited online access wherever we have access rights and consent from respective publishers and copyright owners.
However, certain material is fully available only on-site at the Archives Reading Room, Lee Kong Chian Reference Library and public libraries due to the access level given by copyright owners.
We will continue to work with them to facilitate greater accessibility and convenience.
Wendy Ang
Director
National Archives of Singapore
National Library Board
Tan Huism
Director
National Library
National Library Board
