Sunday 7 August 2011

To everyone who came down today, a big THANK YOU for making the programme area such a lively place for discussion! We utterly didn't expect the huge crowd we got, so apologies if you had to wait long and you felt the organization was a bit messy. Please help to fill in this feedback form if you haven't yet, thanks (:

https://spreadsheets.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?hl=en_US&formkey=dGplajgtUWxKWWNCSlVVbzZwNF9ta3c6MQ#gid=0

Wednesday 3 August 2011

Featured Book: Kokila Annamalai + New Book Added!

Hi, everyone! Today's featured book is Kokila, who took a year off her NUS honors program to pursue rural development in the south of India. She is keenly interested in interested in economic, social and cultural empowerment.


Name: Kokila Annamalai
Rural development social worker
Duration of stay at event: Whole event


1) What kept your passion for social work going?
A sense of responsibility towards understanding and alleviating the quality of life in society.

2) What are some challenges that you face, being a rural development social worker?
One of the most acute challenges is coming face to face with the reality that some things are truly beyond your immediate or direct control, and making peace with that. Another challenge is in the visibility of results. Developmental work is a slow process, with very subtle changes that develop organically. One of the hardest things in rural India is also that hardly anything goes according to plan. The success of most projects lie in the hands of the villagers themselves, and hence it is a very dynamic environment full of surprises, pleasant and unpleasant. Convincing the people you work for that their well-being is in your best interest and your projects are truly beneficial to them is an uphill task too.

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We also have a new Book added to our list!

Paul Gilfeather
Newspaper journalist
Duration of stay at event: 2pm to 4pm


Paul Gilfeather is a newspaper journalist with some 20 years experience across news, politics and international affairs.

Originally from Aberdeen in the North-east of Scotland, Paul has spent the bulk of his career working in London’s Fleet Street for a host of national titles, including the News of the World, the Sun, Daily and Sunday Mirror. Paul decided to move to Singapore permanently in 2009, and was signed up by TODAY editor Walter Fernandez in February 2010 as this paper’s principal correspondent and continues to report on international politics as well as covering a wide range of Singapore issues.

Tuesday 2 August 2011

Straits Times Feature

We're featured on page B4 in the Home section of today's Straits Times, and also on the website! If you read the article and are interested to visit the Human Library, please RSVP on our Facebook page so that we can anticipate the crowd and get a rough idea of what to expect on the day itself. Thank you!

Monday 1 August 2011

Introducing... Jacquelyn and Rosy!

Hi everyone! Singapore's first Human Library will be held in less than a week, at the Bishan Public Library on 7 August 2011. As the date draws near, we'll be featuring some of the human Books that you'll get to borrow and talk to during the event. Today, we feature Jacquelyn, an artist, and Rosy, a retired economist who is a prime example of active ageing.


Name: Jacquelyn Soo
Duration of stay at event: 1pm to 4pm


Jacquelyn is the chairperson of Singapore Contemporary Young Artists, a society that aims to generate interest in Contemporary Art and Art by Singaporean/PR Young Artists to enable further discussion and practice of Art in Singapore.

SCYA constantly promotes and enrich Contemporary Art to Singaporeans by emphasizing the importance of archiving artists’ works, curating exhibitions, hosting educational talks and workshops and harnessing social media to reach out to the larger community.

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Name: Rosy Nakhooda
Duration of stay at event: 11am to 3pm


Rosy was born in Bombay and grew up in Singapore, studying economics and working at Singapore's Economic Planning Unit upon its independence. Among other responsibilities, Rosy worked on running down the ballooning housing subsidies left behind by the British; the redeployment and re-employment of those working at the Singapore Naval Bases that were in the process of closing down; and the setting up of a resort at Sentosa Island.

Regarding how the elderly are often viewed in society, Rosy has this to say: “Sometimes the sidelining of the elderly is done out of kindness as there is a wish for the family not to stress them because they are not so fast and agile any longer, but sometimes, unfortunately, it is a case of sheer neglect.”

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If you're interested to know why Jacquelyn chose to be an artist and promote art by local artists in a pragmatic society which often emphasises material and tangible things, or find out more about Rosy's many interesting experiences and how she manages to lead a rich and meaningful life at an old age, visit the Human Library on 7 August 2011 t Bishan Library to talk to them personally and learn more! Don't forget to RSVP at our Human Library Singapore 2011 Facebook Event page today!