My experience in sourcing printed copy of TaF.tc course notes

I am currently attending a Taf.tc course using the new skills future fund ($4000) released by government in mid 2024.

The course entitled (SCTP) Advanced Certificate in Digital Retail consist of 10 Modules and I am half way through now.

I find the course contents useful and relevant.

I have recommended many friends to attend this course and senior counterparts are concern about having to read all the ebooks, ppt and e-notes as printing was disabled from the Taf.tc Talent interface. 

I had retinal tear some years back and had a laser treatment to seal it. Lately, I was diagnosed with AMD (Age-related Macular Degeneration) and severe dry eyes by Dr Chris Lim, NUH Eye Centre.

FYI:

=====

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of blindness in men and women over age 50.

Even though AMD is common among older people, it’s not as well known as cataracts — another eye disease that occurs more often with age. But while cataracts can be treated and “cured,” there’s no cure for AMD. Instead, people who have AMD require treatments that help slow the progression of the disease.

=====

I am concerned about macular degeneration. Hence cutting down screen time is one of the way I can do at this juncture.

I appeal to Taf.tc for printed copy at my own cost and was advised to have official certification on my eye issues.

I thought it was an easy task as a letter of reference can be issued within minutes.

Hence I went to NUH Eye Centre personally, yet I was told that seeing Dr Chris Lim in person without an appointment is not possible, the only way for me to get a written reference is to email the eye_surgery@nuhs.edu.sg

(Appended below is the lengthy email communication log, in reverse chronological order.)

In summary, to satisfy a simple request from TaF.tc, I have to spend more screen time on writing email, and have my request directed to Group Medical Records Office, NATIONAL UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL and was asked to pay $120 to have a written report...

My eyes was tired by all these email processes which is overwhelming for someone with AMD.

I am grateful for the staff at TaF.tc for their kind considerations and assist me to sail through the modules so far.

With my experience, I would like to recommend the followings:

1. TaF.tc may follow supermarkets' policy to let learner/trainee an option of printing the learning resources at their own cost, no medical reference is required)

Following government directive to have a paperless courseware can be put into practice in a flexible way, i.e., learners with special needs can just do their own printing with a simple "key" to unlock the print function...

I hope my case and my recommendation could be considered by TaF.tc.

2. Eye Surgery Centre should differential the request of "a simple notes/letter of reference to a training Centre" from a full medical report and lower or waive the charges of $120 which is way too high in this case.

I hope It will be a blessing to all parties in future and the pain on my eyes to blog this will help others save the hassle I had experienced.

I am having the thought of seeing my MP to share my experience, yet still find it a bit trivial as she may have more important task for her valuable time.

 

=====

On Mon, 14 Oct 2024 at 16:08, Dexterine Ho

<dexterine@yahoo.com> wrote

Hi, 

Just noted this reply today!

My eye is really too tired to spot your reply earlier, as I try to cut down screen time.

Please note that I am not getting a medical report, only a letter or a note to tell Taf.tc that I have ADM and reading on screen for too long will be an issue.

The training centre already is looking into my appeal and considered my case. 

A letter or a short note from Dr Chris Lim to support my appeal is good enough.

Your charges for $120 for medical report is a bit over rated and I am appealing to you to waive it. 

Please note that I am not asking for a full medical report to forward to other medical agency for their reference.

Appreciate your kind consideration.

At the meantime, I am thinking of see my MP, to share with her my experience in this case and hope something can be done to help others with the same situation to ease the process and cut done cost and work in a simple appeal like this.

I will share my experience on this incident on my blog and will update you soon!

Thanks!

Your sincerely,

Dexterine Ho Soo Miang 

Yahoo Mail: Search, organise, conquer

On Wed, 11 Sept 2024 at 13:31, NUH Medical Records Office (NUH)

<nuh_medical_records@nuhs.edu.sg> wrote:

Dear Madam,

 

Thank you for your email.

 

We are connected via the Eye Surgery Centre.

 

Your request is suited for a medical report application.

 

To proceed, please follow the attached guide to submit your request (together with payment) via the NUHS App.

 

You may submit the request based on the below information.

 

Visit Date
Purpose of Application	Personal record
Medical Report Type	Ordinary medical report
Department	Eye
Charges	$120.00

 

 

To align with the direction for seamless online application, we will proceed upon receipt of the request via the NUHS application.

 

Thank you.

Norelela Abdullah

Group Medical Records Office
NATIONAL UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL
5 Lower Kent Ridge Road, Kent Ridge Wing Level 1, Singapore 119074
www.nuh.com.sg
NUH Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | YouTube

 

From: Eye Surgery Centre (NUH) <eye_surgery@nuhs.edu.sg>
Sent: Tuesday, September 10, 2024 8:46 AM
To: NUH Medical Records Office (NUH) <nuh_medical_records@nuhs.edu.sg>
Subject: FW: Dr Chris Lim: Eye condition of Ho Soo Miang

 

Dear MRO,

 

Kindly assist with the request below as per Dr Chris’s advice.

 

Thank you.

 

Best regards,

 

Chua Mei Qin

Patient Service Associate, Eye Surgery Centre NATIONAL UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL

5 Lower Kent Ridge Road, NUH Medical Centre, Level 17, Singapore 119074

 

Sent: Monday, September 9, 2024 1:10 PM
To: Eye Surgery Centre (NUH) <eye_surgery@nuhs.edu.sg>
Subject: Re: Dr Chris Lim: Eye condition of Ho Soo Miang

 

Yes please ! Best Chris

---

From: Dexterine Ho <dexterine@yahoo.com>
Sent: Thursday, September 5, 2024 10:43 PM
To: Eye Surgery Centre (NUH) <eye_surgery@nuhs.edu.sg>
Cc: TaF.tc ...

 

Subject: Re: Dr Chris Lim: Eye condition of Ho Soo Miang

 

Please be cautious. Email is from outside of your organization. Do not click on links or open files if unsure of sender.

 

 

Yahoo Mail: Search, organise, conquer

 

On Thu, 5 Sept 2024 at 18:49, Dexterine Ho

<dexterine@yahoo.com> wrote:

Dear Staff at Eye-Surgery,

 

Kindly direct this letter to Dr Chris Lim.

 

Dear Dr Chris Lim,

 

As I am currently attending a SCTP Certificate Course at TAF.tc using the new skills future fund, and the next Module is commencing on 7 Sept 2024, Saturday.

 

As I have retina tear some years back, and was diagnosed to have AMD (Age-related macular degeneration) by you some months back, attending the course and looking at the PPT/course notes for long hours made my eyes feel rather painful, tired and dry... even I apply eye drops constantly.

 

I had make request to the organizer TAF.tc to print the notes at my own cost (10 cents per page), yet the request can only be considered if there is certification and verification from the Eye Doctor/Specialist.

TAF.tc PPT/course notes cannot be printed by us directly as TAF.tc set the online interface to read only mode. It disabled all the print and down load functions. 

 

I had gone through 3 Modules out of a total of 10 Modules by now

 

Doing courseworks and preparing for assessments required learner to stare at the lap top computer/Mac book air for long hours. The after effects is eye pain and dye eyes for days.

 

Hence, may I ask for your kind help by issue a note via email to TAF.tc.

 

Thanks in advance for your kind attention and assistance!

 

Sorry that I have to trouble you even though I know you are very busy throughout your working hours helping patients with different kinds of eye issues.

 

 

Your sincerely,

 

 

Soo Miang

=====

Ho Soo Miang

 

PS

1. The TAF.tc courses mostly run on Saturday from 9am to 6pm Or from 7pm to 10pm on some weekdays.

 

2. My next eye appointment is in Jan 2025.

 

3. Hope my eye condition will not badly deteriorate... when I see you next year!

 

Yahoo Mail: Search, organise, conquer

 

Important: This email and its attachments are confidential and may be privileged. If you are not the intended recipient, please notify the sender and delete it immediately; you should not copy or use it for any purpose, nor disclose its contents to any other person without prior written permission. Thank you.

Important: This email and its attachments are confidential and may be privileged. If you are not the intended recipient, please notify the sender and delete it immediately; you should not copy or use it for any purpose, nor disclose its contents to any other person without prior written permission. Thank you.

Important: This email and its attachments are confidential and may be privileged. If you are not the intended recipient, please notify the sender and delete it immediately; you should not copy or use it for any purpose, nor disclose its contents to any other person without prior written permission. Thank you.

Important: This email and its attachments are confidential and may be privileged. If you are not the intended recipient, please notify the sender and delete it immediately; you should not copy or use it for any purpose, nor disclose its contents to any other person without prior written permission. Thank you.

脉、经、络

脉：“月”为“肉”表人体, “永” 表示水流

经：是纵向的主要通道

络：是经分支出去的横向通道

“系”指丝绳, “各”指十字交叉.

经络：以十字交叉方式组成的直经横络.

睡觉

睡：包含二字“目”与“垂”

觉： 亦“ 学”与“见”之结合

眼睛下垂, 亦入睡！

学会看见, 即是觉.

睡好之后, 才能有觉醒的智慧！

睡好眠、休好息, 是为了走更清醒的路！

Planning vs. Living

It is uncommon for us to have planning for our future and overlook our  living in the present.

It is important to have a balance, and we are learning to master it all the time.

Do the best we can

"When we ç, we never know what miracle is wrought in our life, or in the life of another."

- Helen Keller (1880 - 1968)

American Writer

A mind that is stretched

A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions.

 

  -- Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.

Find the right numbers...

Life is like a combination lock; your job is to find the right numbers, in the right order, so you can have anything you want.

 

 -- Brian Tracy

===

Finding the right numbers is a simple work sometimes, yet, it can be hard and become a mission impossible at time!

We are learning how to do it naturally, and I always believe that whatever we have, is the best combination that could had happened.

Just live the way it is and do the best we can.

Dexterine Ho

略窥潮汕话的古汉语身影

略窥潮汕话的古汉语身影——你在其它方言中见到了吗？

文章来源：https://read01.com/Jg8Kx5.html

1、古人说“吃”，全部都用一个“食”字解决，如食饭、食糜、食水、食馒头……而今只有潮汕话保留了这一点，而如普通话等则早已是吃饭、喝粥、饮水、啃馒头；

2、在现今潮汕方言语汇中有不少是见之于秦汉或唐宋的古籍中，如：“东司”、“翘楚”、“姿娘”、“腰佝”、“书册”、“眠起”、“起厝”……等等。

3、沽酒（打酒）、行（走）、走（跑）、勿（不要）、伊（他或她）、打秩（收拾、教训）等等。

4、潮汕话还保留了许多神传文化中修炼与信仰的内涵，如：出世（出生），老去（逝世），未来事先知（指具有宿命通功能，能预知未来之事），圣公嘴（指有功能的人说的话能把事定住），还有冤业（冤孽），“道”（道行）”，等等。

5、潮汕人祖先远离烽烟战火的中原来到安定和平得多的潮汕地区，过上了较安稳的生活。而中原的战火基本上没有燃及这“世外桃源”，中原地区的一条变革也就与这一地区关系不大。在这地区居住的中原汉人，他们原来所过的生活习俗和所操用的话语也就大体保留下来。潮汕地区的“时年八节”（春节、元宵、清明、端午、中元、中秋、重阳、冬节）就是古代习俗的延续。同时，古汉语的许多特点也在潮汕话中表现出来。

6、潮汕话的确很难学，由此有些人说“潮汕话很土”，其实，“潮汕话是古，不是土”。潮汕话有八个声调，分别为阴平、阴上、阳去、阴入、阳平、阳上、阳去、阳入。读法如“分、粉、训、忽、云、混、份、佛”。（用潮话读出）这与古汉语的八音读法是一样的。而现代汉语却只有四个声调，所以，在掌握声调方面，更不用说让那些只有两声调的欧美人学潮汕话了。一句“潮汕话最难学”（用潮语）就让他们满头雾水，目瞪口呆即使练得舌头打结也难以正确说出！

7、潮汕话因具有古汉语的特点，特别是八声读法，拟有些用普通话读起来不押韵的古文，若用潮州话来读，会变得很押韵、琅琅上口！如《陌上桑》。

8、潮汕话保留古汉语八声读法的同时，也保留了大量的古词用法。如“目”、“新妇”，相当于现代汉语的“眼睛”、“媳妇”等。这些词在古汉语和潮汕话里大量使用。

9、潮汕话中至今仍保留着大量单音节的古词，其中一些常用的古词是现代汉语少用或不用的。如潮语中说“索”不说“绳”，说“齿”不说“牙”，说“铰”不说“剪”，说“箸”不说“筷子”说“食酒”不说“饮酒”等等。

文章来源：https://read01.com/Jg8Kx5.html

潮汕话

《为什么潮汕话排名中国十大难懂方言第一位？》


潮汕话，属汉语方言八大语系之一的闽南语系，但它比闽南更特别。它的词汇丰富，幽默生动，富有极强的表现力，并保存着很多古汉语的成份，被人称为“福佬语”或“学老语”（意为一辈子都学不会的语言）。


潮汕话是全国八大方言区中闽南方言的次方言，潮州人的方言，也是现今全国最古远、最特殊的方言。据有关史料载，潮语初始于秦、汉时期，成型于唐、宋，到了明末清初，才形成自己独立的语言体系。主体是中原的古汉语，混杂问方言，音韵与现在的闽南话大体相同。
现在的潮州人与闽南人仍可用一些简单的生活方言交流。潮语的特点概括起来就是语法特殊、词汇丰富、音韵独特、古语义多等。如现代汉语是四声拼读，但潮语仍保留着八音拼读的语音系统；潮语中客人 叫人客，母鸡叫 鸡母，步行叫行路，铁锅叫鼎，瓶子叫樽等等；潮语中古汉语保留较完整，潮语一字多义，一个 “食”字，几乎包括了喝、吃、饮、吮、吸等所有的口腔饮食动作，如食（吸）烟、食（喝）酒、食（啃）蔗、食（饮）水等。


现在使用潮汕话的人数大概有3000多万，1000多万在粤东的潮州，汕头，揭阳三市。另外的就是分布在海外的1000多万的潮汕华侨。潮汕人占香港人口的六分之一，潮汕帮又是香港第一大黑帮，因此香港第二语言就是潮汕话，就是为什么我们经常能在香港电影听到有人用潮汕话骂人的。东南亚使用最广泛的方言就是潮汕话，潮汕人遍布全球，其中在新加坡就有70万，在泰国有500多万。所以潮汕话排名十大难懂方言第1位..


在潮汕。

有一种萝卜叫菜头。
有一种菠菜叫飞龙。
有一种土豆叫康同。
有一种菠萝叫风梨。
有一种粥叫糜。

 有一种萝卜干叫菜脯。
有一种瘦子叫K脯仔。
有一种年轻人叫后生仔。
有一种儿子叫孥仔。
有一种漂亮的女人叫雅姿娘。

 有一种可爱叫趣味。
有一种炫耀叫划扑。
有一种2B叫熬浪。
有一种茄子叫乐苏。
有一种女人叫扎亩。

 有一种疯子叫做小。
有一种水叫做醉。
有一种厉害叫做浪险。
有一种好厉害叫做过浪险。
有一种惊讶叫走胆。

 有一种白痴叫白仁。
有一种傻瓜叫砂帕。
有一种没办法叫无便。
有一种拉稀叫漏屎 。
有一种荔枝叫耐果。

 有一种龙眼叫肉嫒。
有一种单车叫脚车。
有一种奇怪叫怪浪。
有一种瞎子叫青夜。
有一种淤血叫乌青。

 有一种老师叫做啊姥。
有一种父亲叫老政府。


Source: https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=790155567762270&id=240245389419960

用漫画读懂潮汕人！

http://www.sohu.com/a/195404874_726987

用漫画读懂潮汕人！

关于潮汕人、

潮汕男人、潮汕女人、

潮汕话、拜老爷，

充满趣味性，值得一看！




http://www.sohu.com/a/195404874_726987

LAS visit to LKCMedicine's Clinical Sciences Building and Medical Library on 29 Mar 2018

Visit to Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine (LKCMedicine) in Novena Campus.

Photo credit: courtesy of Ms Jenny Wong, Programmes and Social Committee, LAS

Programme:

• 2.45 pm - Assemble at Reception, Clinical Sciences Building, 1st Floor

• 3.00 pm - Introduction of LKCMedicine and tour of Clinical Sciences Building and Medical Library

• 4.30 pm - Light refreshments

• 5.00 pm - End of programme

Car park details: Limited parking is available at the HQ building and an open-air car park along Mandalay Road. Car park charges are about $2.50 per hour.

The address of Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine (Novena Campus) is:

11 Mandalay Road Singapore 308232

===

About the campus:

Here are some information I extracted from the NTU Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine's web page http://www.lkcmedicine.ntu.edu.sg/aboutus/Pages/Dual-Campus.aspx

NTU Novena Campus is situated close to LKCMedicine’s partner teaching hospital, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, to facilitate students’ seamle​ss integration into clinical settings. 

The brand new 20-storey Clinical Sciences Building (CSB) offers LKCMedicine students state-​of-the-art future learning spaces, including a Learning Studio, custom built to support the School’s IT-enhanced Team-Based Learning (TBL) approach; the Anatomy Learning Centre, which consists of a cluster of 11 alcoves distributed around a central teaching core; and the Centre for Clinical Simulation, which consists of a practical skills lab, simulated four-bed ward, which can be configured to a range of clinical settings, and a communication suite with 10-paired consultation rooms, so that students can practise their skills in a realistic and safe environment. 

The CSB will also be home to LKCMedicine researchers, with the laboratories interconnected through collaborative spaces.

===

I enjoyed the visit and was impressed by:

* New lift concept: all the floor bottoms were outside the lift.  The intelligence lift system will allocate the lift that move passengers going to the same floor together.

* The library is on the top floor, the 20th floor.  This is the first library of which the library readers and visitors can have a 360 view of the city.

Here is the extract about the library from:
http://www.lkcmedicine.ntu.edu.sg/aboutus/MedicalLibrary/Pages/Medical-Library.aspx

Crowning the Clinical Sciences Building is the rooftop Medical Library which not only boasts an impressive collection of medical journals, textbooks and unique collections such as the Medical Art Print Collection, Children’s Health Collection and Singapore (SG) Doctors, but also a panoramic view of Singapore’s city skyline.​​​

The Medical Library is divided into four conceptual spaces:

• Quiet Study area, where the print collection is located. The library shelves, which you can sit on, provide a welcoming environment to browse books; while Study Pods and tables provide a conducive environment to focus on work.
• Collaboration space, provides general use computers. Quick discussions can also be held in the semi-enclosed meeting spaces.
• Flexi-Space, a multifunctional room that can be used to hold seminars, workshops or events. During exam periods, it is transformed into a study hall.
• Café area, where you can unwind or hold informal meetings over a drink or meal.

Between the Flexi-Space and Café area, there is an outdoor terrace accessible to anyone looking for a space with fresh air, some greenery and a scenic view of Singapore’s Central Business District. 

What sparks the light in you ...

You have to know what sparks the light in you so that you, in your own way, can illuminate the world.

---  Oprah Winfrey

=====

Our best ...

Our best comes out when we have honest discussions. Our worst comes out when we behave like robots or professionals.

  -- Fernando Flores

=====

One floating cloud was hanging across the sky: 天上一条云

Everyone loves listening to story.  To me nursery rhymes, in a way is short story with rhymes and loved by kids.
As a Teo Chew, I listened to nursery rhymes 
sung by Grand parents, and enjoyed
the story embedded in it.
 
As nursery rhymes were recited to us when we are 
toddles, they were easily remembered.
It is possible for us to pass on some of them
to our the generations after if we make an effort.
 
Here is one of them in Teo Chew
which I still can recall:

=====天上一條雲One floating cloud was hanging across the sky=====

天上一條雲

One floating cloud was hanging across the sky

地下二隻船

Two boats were sailing side by side

一隻載鹦哥

One is carrying parrots

一隻載葡萄

The other is loaded with grapes

葡萄跤落水

Some grapes accidentally fell into the water

鹦哥跑去追

Parrots volunteered to rescue

追(不会) 起

However, they fail the task

投阿姊

And rushed to inform the elder sister

阿姊哭到面鸟鸟

The elder sister cried sadly and her face just turned black

投仙姑

Hence, they run to report to the fairy

仙姑没在厝

Unfortunately, the fairy was not in the heavenly lodge

投富富

In despair, they quickly informed the rich neighbourhoods

富富奶

The rich were all milk feeding

满家满厝生阿弟

And good news travel fast:

All the household and the families in the neighbourhood were celebrating the arrival of new baby BOYS!

=====

Here is the full text in Chinese without translation:

=====

天上一條雲

地下二隻船

一隻載鹦哥

一隻載葡萄

葡萄跤落水

鹦哥跑去追

追(不会) 起

投阿姊

阿姊哭到面鸟鸟

投仙姑

仙姑没在厝

投富富

富富奶

满家满厝生阿弟

=====

Here is my translation:

=====

One floating cloud was hanging across the sky

=====

Two boats were getting ready to set off

One is carrying parrots

The other is loaded with grapes

Some grapes accidentally fell into the water

Parrots volunteered to rescue

However, the efforts of the parrots were in vain

They quickly rush to inform the elder sister

The elder sister cried sadly and her face just turned black

Hence, they run to report to the fairy

Unfortunately, the fairy was not in the heavenly lodge

So they cast their hope onto the rich

The rich family were milking

All the household and all the families were announcing the joyful news and celebrating the arrival of new born baby BOYS!

Spiritual progress...

Spiritual progress is like detoxification. Things have to come up in order to be released. Once we have asked to be healed, then our unhealed places are forced to the surface.     -- Marianne Williamson

Once a Reference Librarian, always a Reference Point

For me, my journey as a librarian started with cataloguing work at the Institute of Education (IE), Singapore, in August 1982.

The Institute of Education Library at that time was at Bukit Timah Campus, a new home to all the teacher trainees and staff, who had fond memories of TTC (Teachers'  Training College) at Paterson campus.

Mrs Wang-Chen Hsiu Chin (1922-1983) whom I met at Paterson Campus in 1981 was the Chief Librarian who recruited me.

I was very grateful to receive a letter from IE, with confirmation for my Library post  (Assistant Librarian) one day before I took the examination in the summer of 1982.

The only condition stated in the letter was: you have to pass your Postgraduate Diploma examination before your you can report to work.

I still remember the joyful scene of sharing the good news with classmates, Ms Foo Yan Chuin and housemates Nancy Chan, Sharopa & others on that summer evening at Padan House, Aberystwyth, the night before my first examination paper for Librarianship.

After I returned to Singapore with a Postgraduate Diploma in Librarianship from College of Librarianship Wales (CLW), Aberystwyth, I reported to work at IE and Mrs Wang-Chen Hsiu Chin and Mr Ng Soo Kwee were my two immediate bosses.

Before IE became NIE (National Institute of Education) in 1991, my library professional role in IE Library changed from Cataloguing to Reference in 1984, and I discovered with joy that reference work is much more interesting and rewarding than any other professional jobs in the library.

I served for 12 years at Reference in NIE Library, and a lot more roles were added over the decade.

I learned to oversee the Readers Services which includes circulation (loan issues), membership services, user education, library promotion and exhibitions, etc...

Conducting instructional programmes for different user groups, i.e., PGDE, HOD, Master In Education, Ph.D candidates and academic staff etc... became my working routine which I enjoyed very much.

In these 12 years of reference journey in IE/NIE, I was supported by my successor in Cataloguing Unit, Ms Yvonne Yin, who did the job with great insight and enthusiasm.

Yvonne's interest in reading and knowledge of history and many other subjects, like sports, made her a great counterpart to work with.  I frequently solved my reference puzzles and answered my reference enquiries with her help.

I am very grateful to her for her quick response whenever I see the need to correct or amend entries in some cataloguing records.

Two heads are always better than one, and we always look forward to sharing and unlocking our thoughts over the short 15 minutes tea break in the morning and in the afternoon on most working days!

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I am grateful to Mr Jim Davies and Mr Ng Soo Kwee for their recommendations for me to pursue the Masters Degree in Information Science at University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee from 1989 to 1990.  With the added academic credentials, I started to explore and expand online searching using Dialog Information Service and spent a lot of time searching ERIC database and Dissertations Abstracts. 

The standing order to purchase and subscribe to microfiche ED (Eric Documents) collection was then introduced in NIE Library with the recommendation of Mr Philip Wong, NICER, PS (Psychology Studies) Department, NIE. NIE became the first library in the Southeast Asia region to house the ERIC Documents produced by 16 ERIC Clearinghouses from the USA.

Before the ED standing order were initiated in 1991/2?, NIE Library only purchased print or microform (microfiche or microfilm) copies of ED based on users' request.

Even with the help of email, which was just starting to be a popular means of communication, items ordered via email were still being shipped by surface mail/post.  Usually, there was a waiting time of over 2-4 weeks before the item arrived.  It was rather hard for some research projects which had pressing needs in terms of time frame.

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In April 1996, I joined Temasek Polytechnic and became a lecturer in the Department of Information Studies, ITAS (School of Information Technology and Applied Science). The course I was first involved in was RTK (Recording and Transferring of Knowledge), which covered over 10 citation formats, like books (monographs or monograph series), newspapers and journal articles, conference proceedings, patents documents, legal documents like white papers, bills and acts etc... 

To me, the contents of RTK were like the by-products of cataloguing and reference works with more varieties in terms of document types.  In compiling the course materials and notes for RTK, my years of experience in cataloguing and reference at IE/NIE became very handy and useful.

Knowledge accumulated through years of working in the library, be it over the reference desk or in the technical service, all will come in handy when you need it.

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I enjoyed having a cataloguing mindset, with the complex rules of AACR2 as our bible.

The clear and strict rules helped to create order in bibliographic control and I am grateful to have all the long hours of coaching at Paterson Campus by Mr Ng Soo Kwee, the Chief Cataloguer and Head of Technical services before I went for my first overseas course, even though I was not an IE staff, way back in July 1981.

As someone who was on "pre-course attachment" before I went for UK studies, I was very much amazed by the contents of the 3" by 5" catalogue card, of which main entry was created and added entries were added by duplicating the same white card using stencilling machines.

With the two weeks of the pre-course attachment in IE at Paterson Campus, I gained some basic understand of library work, and the study in Wales added the foundation in Librarianship and allowed me to sail far in the ocean of knowledge world.

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I enjoyed Cataloguing work and saw the beauty of the MARC coding format. Nevertheless, I identified myself more as a reference librarian than as a cataloguer.

In the small library circle in Singapore, among peers and counterparts in library work, I am still being introduced as the former Reference Librarian from NIE.

By now, it has been over 20 years since I unloaded my reference title, yet from time to time, I receive reference enquiries from peers in the library circle and I am glad I can serve as a Reference Point until today.

Appended here is a write-up of a recent case:

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Reference & Friends [title based on the news/talk program Fox & Friends]

ReferenceFriend (RF for short): Hi Reference, I have an enquiry from a retiree who would like to contact Librarian A, who I know is also retired. I understand Librarian A wrote a short biography of the retiree's father. Do you know Librarian A personally?

Reference: No, sorry! Contact her old library, Library B!

(Library B was duly contacted, and the request kindly forwarded. Librarian A very kindly answered the enquiry, which pertained to an interview held decades ago).

The info was then relayed:

Very Grateful Enquirer: That is a real mystery solved! Thank you so much!

RF: Oh, you are most welcome, it's a small thing really --

Very Grateful Enquirer: I've got you a box of chocolates! And come over to my place for lunch! See you!

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RF (to Reference): ....and that's the story. Thanks so much for answering so quickly --

Reference: Hoi, I am a Reference librarian! Enquiries must be answered quickly, immediately, straightaway! Oh, I would like a write-up, please. I will give you  a whole 2 days, which is plenty time in Reference terms. Submit before the LAS AGM!

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Notes:

1.  Mrs Wang-Chen Hsiu Chin (1922-1983) was the University Librarian of the former University of Singapore, the predecessor institution of NUS. Mrs Wang joined the library in 1955 and retired as its head in 1978. She obtained both her MA in Political Science and Master of Librarianship from the University of Washington in Seattle. Prior to that, she had worked with a leading local Chinese newspaper, Nanyang Siang Pau, as a journalist and as the head of its resource centre.

The Straits Times, in reporting her passing in 1983, described Mrs Wang as “the woman who helped build the then University of Singapore’s library into one of the best in this region.” (S.T. 11.5.1983).

Source of information:

Biography of Mrs Wang-Chen Hsiu Chin

王陈秀锦女士传略

http://www.lib.nus.edu.sg/lebao/biography.htm

2. Mr Jim Davies from UK was appointed as Chief Librarian of IE in 1983. He left in 1992/3?.

3. Mr Ng Soo Kwee, retired from the NIE Chief Librarian post in 1994.