NUS Libraries Southeast Asian Studies Digital Collections National University of Singapore

Overview

The National University of Singapore (NUS) Libraries maintains a comprehensive gateway to digital projects and collections focused on Southeast Asian studies. This gateway provides access to specialized collections documenting the history, culture, languages, and social development of Singapore and the broader Southeast Asian region.

History and Collections

NUS Libraries has developed extensive Southeast Asian holdings over many decades, building on Singapore's unique position as a hub for research on the region. The Singapore-Malaysia Collection (SMC), housed in the Peggy Wai Chee Leong-Hochstadt Room on the fifth floor of Central Library, is a core research collection covering Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, and ASEAN.

Among the most significant digital holdings is a collection of more than 150 Chinese newspapers published in Southeast Asia. The portal also provides access to pre-war newspapers from Singapore and Malaya in English, Chinese, Jawi, Malay, and Indonesian. A Biodiversity Library of Southeast Asia (BLSEA) in partnership with the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum offers rare content on the flora and fauna of the region.

The Chinese Diasporic Archives section houses valuable primary sources for research on overseas Chinese communities, including weekly magazines, internal newsletters, history books, genealogies, and photographs from Chinese clan organizations, schools, and newspapers across Southeast Asia.

Notable Materials

Collections of particular interest for journalism and media research include an extensive run of historical newspaper titles from Singapore and Malaya, as well as press clippings from the Straits Times and Business Times covering Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, and ASEAN topics. The Contemporary Wayang Archive offers recordings of traditional Javanese performance from the twenty-first century.

Access

Many digital collections are freely accessible through the NUS Libraries portal and Digital Gems platform. Some materials are restricted to NUS members or on-site access.