NLB introduces new initiatives for seniors as circuit breaker ends.  

The National Library Board (NLB) will continue to roll out more digital offerings, allowing patrons to enjoy programmes and workshops after the COVID-19 circuit breaker period ends on June 1, 2020. This includes introducing new initiatives and augmenting existing online programmes and activities for seniors. The libraries and archives continue to be temporarily closed until further notice, in line with the multi-ministry taskforce’s advisory on the resumption of services in phases after the end of the circuit breaker.

From June 2, 2020, patrons can explore a host of new digital activities and programmes, including brand new learning packages, information literacy programmes for seniors, and a new series of online talks. Those who prefer more interactive sessions can also look forward to hands-on sessions in financial literacy, health and wellness, amongst others.

Here’s the offerings for seniors:

1. Information literacy for seniors – There are also activities and videos prepared for seniors to aid them in their information literacy journey.

• ePresentations: How to be S.U.R.E. about your COVID-19 information – As a follow-up to the English e-presentation video that covered how to identify fake COVID-19-related messages and how to use the S.U.R.E. steps to do so, NLB will be launching the Chinese, Malay and Tamil versions in June 2020.
  https://sure.nlb.gov.sg/blog/seniors/sn0021

 

• Identifying credible health information infographic – NLB will also introduce the Chinese, Malay and Tamil versions of the English-language infographics, which will help seniors identify if the health information they read is reliable. This will be launched in July 2020.
  https://sure.nlb.gov.sg/blog/information-literacy/il00002

 

• S.U.R.E. videos in vernacular languages – This series of ‘How to be S.U.R.E. before you share’ animation videos in Chinese, Malay and Tamil will teach viewers how to safeguard themselves against false information on the Internet and social media. This will be launched in July 2020.

 

2. The Time of Your Life series – The Time of Your Life series features a variety of programmes themed “Stay Home & Read/Play/Learn” on topics relevant to those aged 50 and above. Interested participants may register through Go Library (www.nlb.gov.sg/golibrary) to receive a link to the virtual programme on the day of the event.

 

3. Curated list of recommended eReads for seniors on the NLB mobile app – Silver Reads – NLB has prepared a monthly curated list of recommended eReads on its mobile app, covering a range of topics such as mental wellness, fiction with older adults as protagonists, exploring new interests and hobbies, and maintaining good physical health while staying indoors. Tap on “Silver Reads” in the NLB mobile app’s Recommended Reads section to find out more.

 

4. Digital Publication – Time of Your Life: Good Reads for the 50+ – Patrons aged 50 and above can stay connected with our quarterly magazine, featuring articles on tech, career, lifestyle and book recommendations in English and mother tongue languages.
   www.nlb.gov.sg/SearchDiscover/ExploreourPublications/TimeofYourLifeGoodReadsforthe50plus.aspx

 

The National Archives of Singapore (NAS) has developed a selection of videos and learning packages for seniors to learn about and appreciate Singapore’s past.

 

• Voices of Innovation– NAS’ Oral History Centre has launched a new video series on Mediacorp’s streaming platform, meWATCH. Titled Voices of Innovation, this series of 20 videos is a compilation of moments signifying breakthrough ideas, pioneering efforts, significant changes and new beginnings in Singapore’s history, whether minute or monumental.
  https://tv.mewatch.sg/en/shows/s/stories-of-yesteryear-voices-of-innovation/episodes

 

• Uplifting stories from the Oral History Collection– This is a series of stories and quotes taken from NAS’ oral history collections to inspire us during these difficult times.
  www.facebook.com/NationalArchivesSG/

 

• Into The Vault – A four-series documentary commissioned by ChannelNewsAsia (CNA) where four Singaporeans, with four burning questions about the past, are sent on a mission to find answers that lie deep within NAS. Who was the mysterious woman who sang a goosebump-inducing song about Hitler during World War 2? Why was an ordinary Malay man invited to attend the King of England’s coronation with a war hero? What’s the story behind the curiously-named 100-year-old music score sheet, Chu Chin Chow? What can a lost rambutan orchard tell us about our past? As they turn to the NAS for clues, these four curious citizens also meet historians and other ordinary Singaporeans who help them uncover fragments of history, and piece together four astonishing stories not found in your average history book.
  www.channelnewsasia.com/news/video-on-demand/into-the-vault

 

• Minutes of the Proceeding of the Municipal Commissioners – This is a unique set of records that provides insight into the local governance of the municipal affairs of Singapore. Those from the earlier years were handwritten, while a typewriter was used from the mid-1920s and early 1930s. Besides historians, these records have been used by historical geographers (for toponymics or tracing why streets were named as such) and genealogists (to see if their ancestors were past municipal commissioners).
  www.facebook.com/NationalArchivesSG/

 

• Blast from the Past learning packages – To encourage learning about Singapore’s past using NAS’ collection of photos, oral history interviews and videos, NAS has launched a learning package series that is uploaded on Facebook every other Friday. There has been a total of four instalments:
  – Singapore’s experiences and efforts in combating disease.
  – Schooling in the past.
  – Kampong spirit.
  – Favourite old pastimes.
  www.facebook.com/NationalArchivesSG/

 

• Archives Invites and Archives Unlocked Series – NAS staff and invited speakers share on wide-ranging topics on NAS collections. New videos are uploaded biweekly, including:
  – Oral History and Archives in Reminiscence Work by Patricia Lee and Irene Lim.
  – From Settlement to Colony: Early Constitutional History of SG, 1819 to 1942 by Kevin Khoo. This video complements the seven-part Law of the Land series released on NAS’ Facebook every other Wednesday.
  – Dig Deeper into Malay Audio Visual Records by Mohamed Salim.
  www.facebook.com/NationalArchivesSG/
  www.youtube.com/channel/UCZ4WaEgKb1928lZBc6w-DHQ

 

• Stories of Yesteryear – This is a selection of archived videos on the developments in Singapore from the 1960s to the 2010s, hosted on Mediacorp’s meWATCH.New videos are uploaded weekly, including:
  – Singapore in the 1960s.
  – Moments in Time.
  – Diary of a Nation.
  www.facebook.com/NationalArchivesSG/ 

 

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