History of Medical Library

Lim-Yeo Pin Pin, LINUS Editor

Straits and Federated Malay States Government Medical School

The Medical Library is the earliest library to be established. It had its humble beginnings in 1905 when the Straits and Federated Malay States Government Medical School was set up. The Medical Library was first housed in the students' reading room within the Medical School which was converted from the old Female Lunatic Asylum in Sepoy Lines.

Tan Teck Guan Building

In 1911, the Tan Teck Guan Building was built with an endowment from Mr Tan Cheng Yan, in memory of his father Mr Tan Teck Guan. The building housed the Principal's office, a lecture theatre, a pathology museum and a library with a reading room.

In 1923, the Library moved to the three-storey College of Medicine Building, two years after the school was renamed the King Edward VII College of Medicine. The Library was located in the centre of the second floor, in a room 80 feet by 26 feet.

College of Medicine Building

In the early days, services provided by the library were rather limited. Students were allowed to take out certain books on long-term loan as personal textbooks. This service was of the utmost importance as books were a rare commodity in those days. Opening hours then were short. For example, as stated in the College's calendar for 1923-24, the Librarian would be in the Library during terms on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 1 to 2 pm, public holidays excepted, for the issue and return of books.

In 1930, Mr P. J. Verghese was appointed as the first full time medical librarian. Previously, the library was under the charge of the Principal of the School with the assistance of the school clerk. With the appointment of a full time librarian, the process of organising the collection and arranging them in some classified order was started.

During the Japanese Occupation (1942-1945), the College of Medicine Building was taken over by the Japanese Army and used as a serological institute. Fortunately, the Medical Library was left intact during the war years. With some reorganisation and cleaning up, the books were again ready to be loaned out and services resumed to staff and students at the Sepoy Lines campus in 1946. Mr George Ee had by then taken over from Mr Verghese as officer in charge of the Medical Library. Over at the Dental School, a small library had been set up and placed under the supervision of the senior laboratory technicians. The Medical Library shifted to the Ground Floor of the College of Medicine Building in 1947.

Medical Library--1940's

In 1949, with the foundation of the University of Malaya, the King Edward VII College of Medicine became the Faculty of Medicine of the University. An annexe was erected and occupied by January 1954, to accommodate the growing collection and more users.

The library staff next began the task of reclassifying the existing books to the Library of Congress Classification, as well as completely recataloguing them. By 1954, this was completed with a subject catalogue of the collection available.

In 1958, the Library was totally remodelled and air-conditioned. Additional steel shelving and a steel mezzanine floor were erected, with a grant from the China Medical Board. Many staff and users still remember this floor for the wobbly sensation felt when people walked on it.

Medical Library--1960's

In 1960, Mr Khoo Oon Chor was appointed to head the Library. He was the first qualified librarian to take charge of the Library. Mr Michael Cheng took over from Mr Khoo when he resigned in 1970.

The Medical Library Extension was built with a donation from Mr Runme Shaw and was officially opened on 23 March 1970 by the then Vice Chancellor Dr Toh Chin Chye. By 1970, the Faculty of Dentistry Library was merged with the Medical Library collection and all items loaned out to the various departments were returned to the Library.

Plans for a new medical library building, to be located in the Bio-Medical complex at Kent Ridge, was initiated in 1975. The building was completed in 1982. In July 1983, part of its collection was moved to the new premises in Kent Ridge to serve the pre-clinical sciences departments of Anatomy, Biochemistry and Physiology. Between 1983 and 1985, the second floor of the Library building was used as staff offices for the Mathematics Department. By May 1985, the rest of the collection and staff moved to Kent Ridge.

Medical Library on Kent Ridge Campus

At present, the Medical Library is a Special Library within the NUS Library System, serving primarily the staff and students of the Faculty of Dentistry, Faculty of Medicine, Schools of Postgraduate Dental Studies & Medical Studies. Due to the richness of its resources, the Library today, as in the past, is also used by hospital doctors, health-services personnel, general practitioners, medical officers of the Armed Forces and personnel attached to various government departments, official bodies and scientific organisations in Singapore.

Compiled from:

• Cheng, Michael. The past, present, future of the Medical Library. In 75 years of medical education. Singapore : Faculty of Medicine, NUS : 1980.

• The University of Singapore Medical Library. In 60 years of medical education, 1905-1965. Singapore : Faculty of Medicine, University of Singapore, 1965.

• Annual reports of the Library & the University.

• Display materials by Medical Library staff.

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LINUS July 1995, Updated 6 June 2002, NUS Libraries