Revamped gallery with rare artefacts at National Library Building to reopen by end-2027
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SINGAPORE - A gallery in the National Library Building in Victoria Street, which houses some of the most valuable materials in Singapore and South-east Asia, will open to the public for free by the end of 2027.
The Rare Collections Gallery, which was previously located on the 13th floor and accessible only through organised public tours, will be revamped and relocated to the first floor. It features items like an 1834 copy of the Singapore Chronicle And Commercial Register – the first newspaper published in Singapore – and a Chinese-Malay dictionary printed in 1883.
After the refresh, the gallery, which opened in 2014, will grow in size from 32 sq m to 140 sq m.
It will showcase a rare and newly acquired collection of shipper’s tickets – textile labels commonly used in the exporting of goods dating back to the 1870s.
The space is expected to host 100,000 visitors annually.
The revamp has been made possible with a donation of $2.3 million by the Tun Tan Cheng Lock Trust. This is the first donation the National Library Board (NLB) has received from the trust.
The Rare Collections Gallery will showcase a rare and newly acquired collection of shipper’s tickets.
PHOTO: NLB
The trust was set up in memory of the late Tun Tan Cheng Lock, a Malaysian Peranakan businessman who devoted his life to fighting for the rights and social welfare of the Chinese community in Malaya.
In a statement, NLB said the collection of shipper’s tickets showcases the global cloth trade and Singapore’s position as a trading hub in the early 19th and 20th centuries.
The collection of shipper’s tickets showcases the global cloth trade and Singapore’s position as a trading hub in the early 19th and 20th centuries.
PHOTOS: NLB
It will serve as a rich resource for researchers studying historical trade and maritime links, as well as the political and sociocultural dimensions and development of the textile industry in Britain and Asia, it added.
The new gallery will feature some of the most significant research materials on Singapore and South-east Asia, offering insights into the early sociocultural, economic and political development of the region, said NLB.
Its collection will be composed primarily of titles published in Singapore, Malaya or the Straits Settlements before 1946, as well as titles about Singapore and the region published elsewhere before 1900.
These include the first-ever edition of The Straits Times and early maps from the 15th century.
There will also be regular special exhibitions complementing displays within the Rare Collections Gallery.
Visitors can also look forward to a more interactive experience, with a curated collection of artefacts alongside digital content.
Ms Alicia Yeo, director of National Library, said the gallery will offer content in audio, visual and text formats to cater to diverse learning styles and abilities.
“This move is designed to increase foot traffic and make it easier for more people to explore Singapore’s heritage and culture in an accessible and engaging way,” she said.
“The revamped Rare Collections Gallery marks a significant milestone in NLB’s ongoing efforts to enhance public engagement with Singapore’s cultural and historical narratives,” she added.
Digital Development and Information Minister Josephine Teo next to a digital display of shipper’s tickets from the 1800s, during a tour of the Rare Collections Gallery.
ST PHOTO: GAVIN FOO
A donation agreement was signed by NLB and Tun Tan Cheng Lock trustees at the current gallery on Jan 27 to mark the trust’s donation. It was witnessed by Digital Development and Information Minister Josephine Teo.
“The Rare Collections Gallery is a window to Singapore’s past, and is also a way to access the rich tapestry of South-east Asian culture and heritage,” she said.
The donation for the new gallery is a gift to Singaporeans in the year that the country turns 60, she added.
“It’s a gift so that we can better preserve our memories, better understand how we got to where we are today, and also to give us that sense of what roots us, what binds us, and what’s worth holding on to as we chart the way forward.”
The objective of the Tun Tan Cheng Lock fund is to advance education, art and heritage, and this donation was an “easy decision” that aligned with the mission, a spokesperson for Tun Tan Cheng Lock Trust said.
After the refresh, the gallery, which opened in 2014, will grow in size from 32 sq m to 140 sq m.
ST PHOTO: GAVIN FOO
NLB chief executive Ng Cher Pong said: “With this generous donation, we can build a new Rare Collections Gallery to tell the story of Singapore’s evolution through sharing the most valuable materials from the National Library and National Archives, our two national memory institutions.”
The donation comes ahead of NLB’s 30th anniversary as a statutory board in September.
Upcoming NLB30 activities to mark the occasion include Read30, a nationwide campaign in which 10 pop-up spaces featuring book recommendations by Singaporean personalities will be launched across central Singapore in areas like Orchard Road in July, and an event in September to spotlight the role of libraries and archives.
More details will be announced later in 2025.
Correction note: In an earlier version of the story, we identified Ms Alicia Yeo as the director of NLB. She is the director of National Library. We are sorry for the error.
