The Lee Kong Chian Reference Library, the reference arm of the National Library Singapore has titles dating back to the early 1800s. These are kept in our
Rare Books Collection. The earliest title in our collection is "The History of Trauayle in the West and East Indies, and other countreys lying eyher way, towards the fruitful and ryche Muluccaes," published in 1577.
Titles in the
Rare Books Collection are shown in the
Online Public Access Catalogue by the "
RRARE" prefix in the Call Number, e.g. RRARE 373.5951 SIN.
As part of our preservation efforts, rare books are microfilmed so that the originals need not be handled to save them from further wear and tear. Readers who wish to consult them can request for the microfilm copies. Reproduction or photo-prints from the microfilms can be ordered at official rates.
We are also looking into preserving the rare materials collection by digitisation for easy access. A few titles have already been digitised and are already available online at our
Singapore Digitised Books site.
As paper is an organic material that deteriorates with time, we need to ensure that stringent and proper temperature and humidity conditions are maintained when storing books.
The recommended temperature and humidity for housing printed materials are 18+/- degrees Celsius and 50+/- RH (Relative Humidity) respectively.
Our rare books are also housed in archival boxes to further protect them from the external environment. The light levels are reduced and all lights in the rare book room are fitted with an appropriate UV filter.
Regular fumigation of older materials is done to ensure that our collections remain pest-free.
Currently, the
National Library Board Singapore is also working with the
National Archives of Singapore to preserve and conserve our heritage materials.