ABOUT THE LIBRARY - HISTORY
History of Parliament Library
The Parliament Library was established in 1955 in the Assembly House of Singapore. The Architect who was in charge of renovating the House was Mr THH Hancock, Senior Architect of Public Works Department, Singapore. Described in the Assembly House Singapore: A story of reconstruction and renovations [Jenson & Nicholson Ltd, London), the library was described as having a "gentle air of tranquility" with its off-white painted walls and doors and highly polished furniture.
The first librarian, Mr Han Chin Hua was appointed on 1 July 1956. Back then, all research enquiries and searches have to be done laboriously referring to indexes in printed materials and card catalogues. The Library moved into the new Parliament House in 1999. Today, the Library is equipped with electronic database subscriptions and Internet access.
Notable Events
Presentation Of Bookshelf By UK House Of Commons Delegation
The bookshelf and the books were presented to Speaker P Coomaraswamy by the United Kingdom House of Commons on 16 Nov 1966. In 1965, Singapore was the 22nd nation of the Commonwealth to gain independence. The teak bookcase, designed by the Ministry of Public Buildings and Works in the UK, contains parliamentary and constitutional reference books. It was presented by a delegation of 5 parliamentarians from the UK House of Commons led by Rt Hon Charles Parnell.
Read the proceedings <Presentation of a bookcase and books to the Parliament of Singapore by the UK House of Commons - Report of Porceedings held in the Library, Parliament House, Singapore on 16 Nov 1966> here
Presentation Of Books By New Zealand's Prime Minister
On 6 February 1969, New Zealand's Prime Minister, Mr Keith Holyoake, presented 31 books to Parliament to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the founding of Singapore. The books were received by the Speaker P Commaraswamy.
Queen Elizabeth's Visit To Parliament
The Queen and Prince Phillip visited the Parliament House on 11 October 1989 and toured Parliament Chamber and the Library. Speaker Tan Soo Khoon hosted the visit.
