Yale-NUS alumni told ST that the materials were being cleared by Green Orange Enviro, a recycling company. - ST READER, COURTESY OF MS LEE JIAYING
SINGAPORE: The National University of Singapore (NUS) has apologised for not offering excess Yale-NUS College library books to students before they were sent for disposal, calling it an “operational lapse”.
In a statement on May 21, a day after photos and videos of employees from a recycling company loading bags of books onto a truck, Associate Professor Natalie Pang, a university librarian, said that the excess books were offered only to faculty members, and not students. The statement did not mention if any, or how many, of the books disposed on May 20 were saved.
“We understand later that many students are 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.”
She added that a majority of the books from the Yale-NUS College library had been rehomed within NUS libraries. The Straits Times has asked for the number of these books.
Prof Pang said that to maintain the university’s library collection, excess books are “routinely rehomed” in other libraries or given away to faculty and students on certain occasions. “Books which are not taken up are then sent for recycling, in line with common library practices,” she said.
“In view of the strong interest from students, we are now organising a giveaway on campus so that the excess books can find a new home,” said Prof Pang. ST understands that about 8,500 such books remain.
“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,” Prof Pang added.
A former senior Yale-NUS librarian, who wanted to remain anonymous, told ST that the library’s collection size is estimated to be between 40,000 to 45,000.
Photos and videos of employees from a recycling company loading the books onto a truck on May 20 had circulated among Yale-NUS alumni and were later shared on social media, drawing sharp criticism from alumni who called the disposal wasteful and distressing.
The books, tightly packed in translucent white plastic bags, were seen stacked in large quantities along the pavement at the drop-off point of the college, located next to NUS’ University Town in Kent Ridge.
The incident drew questions and concern from alumni over what they saw as a waste of academic resources.
It has since prompted a petition on Change.org, addressed to NUS leadership, stating that the “immediate priority is to support the retrieval of as many books marked for this round of disposal, and prevent future instances of similar wastage”.
Alumni have asked for clarity on the number and financial value of the books that were disposed, and how many were successfully retrieved, as well as whether alternative methods of disposal were considered.
They had also asked who were consulted prior to the decision to dispose books, standard operational procedures to ensure proper handling and disposal of academic resources, and measures to prevent similar occurrences in the future.
“We express deep concern over the planned disposal of a significant number of academic materials that were in good condition,” the petition said.
“While efforts may be underway to retrieve these materials, the initial intent to dispose of them raises serious questions on the responsible use of money and resources, NUS’s commitment to sustainability, and the value placed on academic texts that have supported past students and may continue to benefit present students of NUS.”
As at 11am on May 21, the petition has close to 600 signatures.
One Yale-NUS alumnus, who requested for full anonymity, called Asia Recycling on the morning of May 21 and said that the books are likely to have been destroyed.
According to the alumnus, the employee of the recycling company said that he had tried checking with Green Orange Enviro, the company which retrieved the bags of books from Yale-NUS, because students had called him to check on the books.
The alumnus added that NUS did reach out to the recycling company to try to get the books back, but it was too late. - The Straits Times/ANN
