{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,2]],"date-time":"2025-08-02T17:52:53Z","timestamp":1754157173297,"version":"3.41.2"},"reference-count":34,"publisher":"Emerald","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2012,1,13]],"date-time":"2012-01-13T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1326412800000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/www.emerald.com\/insight\/site-policies"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2012,1,13]]},"abstract":"<jats:sec><jats:title content-type=\"abstract-heading\">Purpose<\/jats:title><jats:p>The purpose of this article is to examine the inter\u2010war history of the Raffles Library in Singapore with the aim of understanding what the management of the library believed its role should be as well as the role others in that society considered that it should fulfill.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title content-type=\"abstract-heading\">Design\/methodology\/approach<\/jats:title><jats:p>The article is based on historical research using archival sources.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title content-type=\"abstract-heading\">Findings<\/jats:title><jats:p>To a great extent the management of the library narrowly construed the institution's mission in terms of appealing to that class of persons likely to become paying members \u2013 that is, the European elite and its high\u2010level local collaborators. Financial constraints, relations between the library and museum as well as prevalent negative attitudes regarding class and race in colonial society are likely reasons for the lack of sustained attention to non\u2010European populations.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title content-type=\"abstract-heading\">Originality\/value<\/jats:title><jats:p>The library history of much of Asia remains relatively unexplored, especially from a viewpoint that stresses the importance of social context to library structure and operation.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1108\/00220411211200365","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2012,1,14]],"date-time":"2012-01-14T07:02:12Z","timestamp":1326524532000},"page":"134-143","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["The social role of the Raffles Library, Singapore, in the inter\u2010war years"],"prefix":"10.1108","volume":"68","author":[{"given":"Brendan","family":"Luyt","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"140","reference":[{"key":"key2022021320201191900_b1","unstructured":"Butcher, J. (1979), The British in Malaya 1880\u20101941: The Social History of a European Community in Colonial South\u2010East Asia, Oxford University Press, Kuala Lumpur."},{"key":"key2022021320201191900_b2","unstructured":"Johnston, J. (1929), \u201cMemorandum on the present working of Raffles Library\u201d, MSA 1139, National Archives of Singapore, Kuala Lumpur."},{"key":"key2022021320201191900_b3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Luyt, B. (2008), \u201cCentres of calculation and unruly colonists: the colonial library in Singapore and its users, 1874\u20101900\u201d, Journal of Documentation, Vol. 64 No. 3, pp. 386\u201096.","DOI":"10.1108\/00220410810867597"},{"key":"key2022021320201191900_b4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Luyt, B. (2009), \u201cThe importance of fiction to the Raffles Library in Singapore during the long nineteenth century\u201d, Library and Information History, Vol. 25 No. 2, pp. 117\u201031.","DOI":"10.1179\/175834909X417444"},{"key":"key2022021320201191900_b5","unstructured":"Malayan Saturday Post (1927), \u201cRaffles Library\u201d, Malayan Saturday Post, August 20, p. 20."},{"key":"key2022021320201191900_b6","unstructured":"National Archives of Singapore (1934), \u201cLetter from F.N. Chasen to Colonial Secretary, February 1, 1934\u201d, MSA 1139, National Archives of Singapore, Kuala Lumpur."},{"key":"key2022021320201191900_b7","unstructured":"National Archives of Singapore (1938), \u201cLetter from Municipal Secretary to F.N. Chasen, May 27, 1938\u201d, MSA 1140, National Archives of Singapore, Kuala Lumpur."},{"key":"key2022021320201191900_b8","unstructured":"National Archives of Singapore (1939), \u201cLetter from F.N. Chasen to Withers\u2010Payne, February 11, 1939\u201d, MSA 1140, National Archives of Singapore, Kuala Lumpur."},{"key":"key2022021320201191900_b9","unstructured":"National Archives of Singapore (1940), \u201cLetter from F.N. Chasen to Library Committee, January 11, 1940\u201d, MSA 1155, National Archives of Singapore, Kuala Lumpur."},{"key":"key2022021320201191900_b10","unstructured":"Porter, B. (2004), The Lion's Share: A Short History of British Imperialism, Pearson, London."},{"key":"key2022021320201191900_b100","unstructured":"Raffles Library and Museum (1919), Annual Report, Government Printing Office, Singapore."},{"key":"key2022021320201191900_b11","unstructured":"Raffles Library and Museum (1920), Annual Report, Government Printing Office, Singapore."},{"key":"key2022021320201191900_b12","unstructured":"Raffles Library and Museum (1922), Annual Report, Government Printing Office, Singapore."},{"key":"key2022021320201191900_b13","unstructured":"Raffles Library and Museum (1930), Annual Report, Government Printing Office, Singapore."},{"key":"key2022021320201191900_b14","unstructured":"Raffles Library and Museum (1932), Annual Report, Government Printing Office, Singapore."},{"key":"key2022021320201191900_b15","unstructured":"Raffles Library and Museum (1933), Annual Report, Government Printing Office, Singapore."},{"key":"key2022021320201191900_b16","unstructured":"Raffles Library and Museum (1935), Annual Report, Government Printing Office, Singapore."},{"key":"key2022021320201191900_b17","unstructured":"Raffles Library and Museum (1937), Annual Report, Government Printing Office, Singapore."},{"key":"key2022021320201191900_b19","unstructured":"Seet, K.K. (1983), A Place for the People: The Story of a National Library, Times Books, Singapore."},{"key":"key2022021320201191900_b20","unstructured":"Shera, J. (1949), Foundations of the Public Library: The Origins of the Public Library Movement in New England, University of Chicago Press, Chicago, IL."},{"key":"key2022021320201191900_b21","unstructured":"Singapore Free Press (1920), \u201cLetters to the editor: Raffles Library\u201d, Singapore Free Press, October 8, p. 6."},{"key":"key2022021320201191900_b22","unstructured":"Singapore Free Press (1923), \u201cNew Junior Library\u201d, Singapore Free Press, July 23, p. 4."},{"key":"key2022021320201191900_b23","unstructured":"Singapore Free Press (1924), \u201cReading for adults\u201d, Singapore Free Press, May 9, p. 6."},{"key":"key2022021320201191900_b24","unstructured":"Sterling, J. (2008), \u201cEmpire of the mind: subscription libraries, literacy and acculturation in the colonies of the British Empire\u201d, doctoral dissertation, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL."},{"key":"key2022021320201191900_b25","unstructured":"Straits Times (1920), \u201cSubscription rates for the Raffles Library\u201d, Straits Times, December 11, p. 10."},{"key":"key2022021320201191900_b26","unstructured":"Straits Times (1923), \u201cThe young idea: official opening of the Junior Library\u201d, Straits Times, July 23, p. 9."},{"key":"key2022021320201191900_b27","unstructured":"Straits Times (1929), \u201cNotes of the day: Singapore's Library\u201d, Straits Times, April 1, p. 10."},{"key":"key2022021320201191900_b28","unstructured":"Straits Times (1933), \u201cThe men who made the books that tell Malaya's history\u201d, Straits Times, March 5, p. 4."},{"key":"key2022021320201191900_b29","unstructured":"Straits Times (1935a), \u201cNotes of the day\u201d, Straits Times, March 4, p. 10."},{"key":"key2022021320201191900_b30","unstructured":"Straits Times (1935b), \u201cAn example from Singapore\u201d, Straits Times, May 18, p. 16."},{"key":"key2022021320201191900_b31","unstructured":"Straits Times (1939a), \u201cNotes of the day: Asiatic reading\u201d, Straits Times, July 24, p. 10."},{"key":"key2022021320201191900_b32","unstructured":"Straits Times (1939b), \u201cLocal Asiatic readers: Singapore & its library: adult education\u201d, Straits Times, July 28, p. 10."},{"key":"key2022021320201191900_b33","unstructured":"Straits Times (1939c), \u201cOur daylight library: little time after office\u201d, Straits Times, July 27, p. 15."},{"key":"key2022021320201191900_b34","unstructured":"Straits Times (1939d), \u201cUnlikely hours of Raffles Library will be extended\u201d, Straits Times, January 29, p. 10."}],"container-title":["Journal of Documentation"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"http:\/\/www.emeraldinsight.com\/doi\/full-xml\/10.1108\/00220411211200365","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/www.emerald.com\/insight\/content\/doi\/10.1108\/00220411211200365\/full\/xml","content-type":"application\/xml","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/www.emerald.com\/insight\/content\/doi\/10.1108\/00220411211200365\/full\/html","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,24]],"date-time":"2025-07-24T23:38:26Z","timestamp":1753400306000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"http:\/\/www.emerald.com\/jd\/article\/68\/1\/134-143\/202582"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2012,1,13]]},"references-count":34,"journal-issue":{"issue":"1","published-print":{"date-parts":[[2012,1,13]]}},"alternative-id":["10.1108\/00220411211200365"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1108\/00220411211200365","relation":{},"ISSN":["0022-0418"],"issn-type":[{"type":"print","value":"0022-0418"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2012,1,13]]}}}