About Open Book: The NLB30 Keynotes
Open Book: The NLB30 Keynotes, a series of moderated conversations, brings together thought leaders from diverse fields to explore the future of reading and learning and envision how libraries and archives can transform into spaces of discovery.
Event Details
- 21 July 2025, 11am – 12pm
- Central Library and Zoom
- Register on FormSG
Synopsis
How do the books we read shape the stories we tell? What role do books play in helping us understand ourselves and others? Join Ambassadors-at-Large Professors Tommy Koh and Chan Heng Chee for an intimate exploration of their reading lives and discover why, in an era of digital noise and global uncertainty, reading deeply and widely matters more than ever.
About the Speakers
Professor Tommy Koh is Ambassador-at-Large at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Emeritus Professor of Law at the National University of Singapore (NUS). He had served as Dean of the Faculty of Law of NUS, Singapore's Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York, Ambassador to the United States, High Commissioner to Canada and Ambassador to Mexico. He was President of the Third UN Conference on the Law of the Sea. He is the author or editor of 26 books.
Professor Chan Heng Chee is Ambassador-at-Large with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and SUTD Honorary Professor at the Lee Kuan Yew Centre for Innovative Cities in the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD). She is the Chair of the ISEAS - Yusof Ishak Institute. Previously, she was Singapore’s Ambassador to the United States and Singapore’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations with concurrent accreditation as High Commissioner to Canada and Ambassador to Mexico.
Event Details
- 21 July 2025, 11am – 12pm
- Central Library and Zoom
- Register on FormSG
Synopsis
How do the books we read shape the stories we tell? What role do books play in helping us understand ourselves and others? Join Ambassadors-at-Large Professors Tommy Koh and Chan Heng Chee for an intimate exploration of their reading lives and discover why, in an era of digital noise and global uncertainty, reading deeply and widely matters more than ever.
About the Speakers
Professor Tommy Koh is Ambassador-at-Large at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Emeritus Professor of Law at the National University of Singapore (NUS). He had served as Dean of the Faculty of Law of NUS, Singapore's Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York, Ambassador to the United States, High Commissioner to Canada and Ambassador to Mexico. He was President of the Third UN Conference on the Law of the Sea. He is the author or editor of 26 books.
Professor Chan Heng Chee is Ambassador-at-Large with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and SUTD Honorary Professor at the Lee Kuan Yew Centre for Innovative Cities in the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD). She is the Chair of the ISEAS - Yusof Ishak Institute. Previously, she was Singapore’s Ambassador to the United States and Singapore’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations with concurrent accreditation as High Commissioner to Canada and Ambassador to Mexico.
Event Details
- 26 July 2025, 11am – 12.30pm
- Central Library and Zoom
- Register on FormSG
Synopsis
What is Sing Lit? Why does it matter? How can it thrive? What do festivals and programming have to do with it all? Who better to unpack these juicy, soul-searching questions than the past and present Directors of the Singapore Writers Festival? Join Paul Tan, Pooja Nansi, Yeow Kai Chai, and Yong Shu Hoong in this (totally not SG60) special, where we cut through the noise for a candid, no-holds-barred conversation on the state of Sing Lit today. This session is held in conjunction with the Singapore Writers Festival.
About the Speakers
Paul Tan has published five poetry collections. His debut collection, Curious Roads (1994), won a Commendation in 1993 and his second collection, Driving Into Rain (1998), was awarded a Merit prize in 1998, as part of the Singapore Literature Prize. More recent collections of poetry are First Meeting of Hands (2006), Seasonal Disorders/Impractical Lessons (2014) and When the Lights Went Off (2018). His short stories have been published in Quarterly Literary Review Singapore and various anthologies. Among his professional appointments, he was Deputy CEO of the National Arts Council (2014 - 2021), and Director of the Singapore Writers Festival from 2011-2014. He currently works in the philanthropy sector, and is the Chief Executive at the Community Foundation of Singapore.
Pooja Nansi is an award-winning poet, performer, and educator known for her impact on literature, performance, and cultural leadership. She is the author of three poetry collections and co-author of a teacher’s resource for Singaporean poetry. A Young Artist Award (2016) recipient and Singapore’s inaugural Youth Poet Ambassador, she currently teaches at Nanyang Technological University and is Chief Publisher at AFTERIMAGE Press. Her acclaimed performance work includes You Are Here (Wild Rice) and Thick Beats for Good Girls (Checkpoint Theatre). As the first woman and youngest Festival Director of the Singapore Writers Festival (2019–2023), she redefined the event’s inclusivity and reach. In 2024, she was conferred the Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, one of France’s top cultural honours.
Yeow Kai Chai is a poet and fiction writer and editor. He has three poetry collections: Secret Manta (2001); Pretend I’m Not Here (2006); and One to the Dark Tower Comes (2020), which was awarded the 2022 Singapore Literature Prize. He was a journalist who has worked in the media in Singapore for almost three decades, in various publications such as The Straits Times (Singapore Press Holdings) and 8 DAYS (Mediacorp). He had taken on various roles such as Deputy Life Editor (Entertainment); Product Development Editor in charge of integration between the ST newsroom and digital platforms; and Editor-in-Chief at the commuter freesheet My Paper. He co-wrote Lilla Torg: A Scandinavian Journey (2023); Lost Bodies: Poems Between Portugal and Home (2016); and The Adopted: Stories from Angkor (2015). A co-editor of Quarterly Literary Review Singapore, he was Festival Director of Singapore Writers Festival from 2015 to 2018.
Yong Shu Hoong has won the Singapore Literature Prize for Frottage (2005), The Viewing Party (2013) and Anatomy of a Wave (2022), among the seven poetry collections he has authored. He is a co-author of collaborative works, The Adopted: Stories from Angkor (2015), Lost Bodies: Poems Between Portugal and Home (2016) and Lilla Torg: A Scandinavian Journey (2023). Currently the festival director of Singapore Writers Festival, he teaches part-time at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore.
Event Details
- 26 July 2025, 11am – 12.30pm
- Central Library and Zoom
- Register on FormSG
Synopsis
What is Sing Lit? Why does it matter? How can it thrive? What do festivals and programming have to do with it all? Who better to unpack these juicy, soul-searching questions than the past and present Directors of the Singapore Writers Festival? Join Paul Tan, Pooja Nansi, Yeow Kai Chai, and Yong Shu Hoong in this (totally not SG60) special, where we cut through the noise for a candid, no-holds-barred conversation on the state of Sing Lit today. This session is held in conjunction with the Singapore Writers Festival.
About the Speakers
Paul Tan has published five poetry collections. His debut collection, Curious Roads (1994), won a Commendation in 1993 and his second collection, Driving Into Rain (1998), was awarded a Merit prize in 1998, as part of the Singapore Literature Prize. More recent collections of poetry are First Meeting of Hands (2006), Seasonal Disorders/Impractical Lessons (2014) and When the Lights Went Off (2018). His short stories have been published in Quarterly Literary Review Singapore and various anthologies. Among his professional appointments, he was Deputy CEO of the National Arts Council (2014 - 2021), and Director of the Singapore Writers Festival from 2011-2014. He currently works in the philanthropy sector, and is the Chief Executive at the Community Foundation of Singapore.
Pooja Nansi is an award-winning poet, performer, and educator known for her impact on literature, performance, and cultural leadership. She is the author of three poetry collections and co-author of a teacher’s resource for Singaporean poetry. A Young Artist Award (2016) recipient and Singapore’s inaugural Youth Poet Ambassador, she currently teaches at Nanyang Technological University and is Chief Publisher at AFTERIMAGE Press. Her acclaimed performance work includes You Are Here (Wild Rice) and Thick Beats for Good Girls (Checkpoint Theatre). As the first woman and youngest Festival Director of the Singapore Writers Festival (2019–2023), she redefined the event’s inclusivity and reach. In 2024, she was conferred the Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, one of France’s top cultural honours.
Yeow Kai Chai is a poet and fiction writer and editor. He has three poetry collections: Secret Manta (2001); Pretend I’m Not Here (2006); and One to the Dark Tower Comes (2020), which was awarded the 2022 Singapore Literature Prize. He was a journalist who has worked in the media in Singapore for almost three decades, in various publications such as The Straits Times (Singapore Press Holdings) and 8 DAYS (Mediacorp). He had taken on various roles such as Deputy Life Editor (Entertainment); Product Development Editor in charge of integration between the ST newsroom and digital platforms; and Editor-in-Chief at the commuter freesheet My Paper. He co-wrote Lilla Torg: A Scandinavian Journey (2023); Lost Bodies: Poems Between Portugal and Home (2016); and The Adopted: Stories from Angkor (2015). A co-editor of Quarterly Literary Review Singapore, he was Festival Director of Singapore Writers Festival from 2015 to 2018.
Yong Shu Hoong has won the Singapore Literature Prize for Frottage (2005), The Viewing Party (2013) and Anatomy of a Wave (2022), among the seven poetry collections he has authored. He is a co-author of collaborative works, The Adopted: Stories from Angkor (2015), Lost Bodies: Poems Between Portugal and Home (2016) and Lilla Torg: A Scandinavian Journey (2023). Currently the festival director of Singapore Writers Festival, he teaches part-time at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore.
Event Details
- 16 August 2025, 5.15pm – 6.15pm
- Mochtar Riady Auditorium, Singapore Management University
- Register on FormSG
Synopsis:
Creativity is a boundary pusher while practicality keeps the boundaries up firmly. How then does one balance ambitious ideas with business constraints? How can one assess if there is a market for new, bold ideas? When should one make the difficult decision to abandon an idea?
This fireside chat - featuring Felix Lee from ADPList, Jamie Lim from Scanteak, Chef-Restauranteur Violet Oon and Alyssa Woo from SPH - explores how to navigate creative ambition with the realities of the business world to turn your "what if" ideas into "what’s next".
This panel is organised as part of Thrive@Libraries 2025, NLB's annual learning festival designed for working adults, and is part of the day-long Thrive@Libraries Festival programming on 16 August 2025.
Event Details
- 16 August 2025, 5.15pm – 6.15pm
- Mochtar Riady Auditorium, Singapore Management University
- Register on FormSG
Synopsis:
Creativity is a boundary pusher while practicality keeps the boundaries up firmly. How then does one balance ambitious ideas with business constraints? How can one assess if there is a market for new, bold ideas? When should one make the difficult decision to abandon an idea?
This fireside chat - featuring Felix Lee from ADPList, Jamie Lim from Scanteak, Chef-Restauranteur Violet Oon and Alyssa Woo from SPH - explores how to navigate creative ambition with the realities of the business world to turn your "what if" ideas into "what’s next".
This panel is organised as part of Thrive@Libraries 2025, NLB's annual learning festival designed for working adults, and is part of the day-long Thrive@Libraries Festival programming on 16 August 2025.
Event Details
- 3 October 2025, 8pm – 9pm
- Zoom
- Register on FormSG
Synopsis
As our lives become increasingly enmeshed with Artificial Intelligence, so too are libraries and archives poised for a dramatic transformation. While AI unlocks unprecedented possibilities, it also raises important questions about intellectual property and environmental impact—challenges that knowledge institutions must address. Join Leslie Weir and Josée Kirps, Presidents of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) and the International Council on Archives (ICA) respectively, as they explore how our profession can navigate the Great Wave of AI.
About the Speakers
Josée Kirps is Director of the National Archives of Luxembourg since October 2003. With a degree in history and modern literature from the University of Montpellier, Kirps has spent her entire career in the service of Luxembourg's heritage.
Since 2022, Josée Kirps has been President of the International Council on Archives (ICA). Regarding her priorities in her position as ICA-President, Kirps is particularly interested in current changes and challenges in digitization, records management, and the archival profession in general, in order to create an open, innovative and environmentally friendly approach within the organization.
Her ambition is to assert and enhance archival expertise, strengthen the dynamics of the archival community in a spirit of dialogue, weave and consolidate links with external players, 21st century knowledge societies and international organizations based on solid and effective communication.
Leslie Weir is the Librarian and Archivist of Canada, leading Library and Archives Canada since August 2019. Leslie is overseeing LAC’s work on Reconciliation with First Nations, Inuit and Métis Nation and the implementation of Vision 2030 with a focus on transformation of service and IT infrastructure, as LAC looks forward to the upcoming move of its public services into Ādisōke in 2026, in partnership with the Ottawa Public Library, all in support of achieving LAC’s mandate with a focus on people and access.
As University Librarian at the University of Ottawa, Leslie played important roles in many transformative moments at the Canadian Research Knowledge Network and in research libraries and archives in Canada. Leslie served as President of Canadiana.org, the Canadian Association of Research Libraries and the Ontario Library Association. She is currently a member of the FAN (Forum of National Archivists) Steering Committee, Vice-Chair of CDNL (Conference of Directors of National Libraries) and President-Elect of IFLA (International Federation of Library Associations), taking on the role of IFLA President in August 2025.
Event Details
- 3 October 2025, 8pm – 9pm
- Zoom
- Register on FormSG
Synopsis
As our lives become increasingly enmeshed with Artificial Intelligence, so too are libraries and archives poised for a dramatic transformation. While AI unlocks unprecedented possibilities, it also raises important questions about intellectual property and environmental impact—challenges that knowledge institutions must address. Join Leslie Weir and Josée Kirps, Presidents of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) and the International Council on Archives (ICA) respectively, as they explore how our profession can navigate the Great Wave of AI.
About the Speakers
Josée Kirps is Director of the National Archives of Luxembourg since October 2003. With a degree in history and modern literature from the University of Montpellier, Kirps has spent her entire career in the service of Luxembourg's heritage.
Since 2022, Josée Kirps has been President of the International Council on Archives (ICA). Regarding her priorities in her position as ICA-President, Kirps is particularly interested in current changes and challenges in digitization, records management, and the archival profession in general, in order to create an open, innovative and environmentally friendly approach within the organization.
Her ambition is to assert and enhance archival expertise, strengthen the dynamics of the archival community in a spirit of dialogue, weave and consolidate links with external players, 21st century knowledge societies and international organizations based on solid and effective communication.
Leslie Weir is the Librarian and Archivist of Canada, leading Library and Archives Canada since August 2019. Leslie is overseeing LAC’s work on Reconciliation with First Nations, Inuit and Métis Nation and the implementation of Vision 2030 with a focus on transformation of service and IT infrastructure, as LAC looks forward to the upcoming move of its public services into Ādisōke in 2026, in partnership with the Ottawa Public Library, all in support of achieving LAC’s mandate with a focus on people and access.
As University Librarian at the University of Ottawa, Leslie played important roles in many transformative moments at the Canadian Research Knowledge Network and in research libraries and archives in Canada. Leslie served as President of Canadiana.org, the Canadian Association of Research Libraries and the Ontario Library Association. She is currently a member of the FAN (Forum of National Archivists) Steering Committee, Vice-Chair of CDNL (Conference of Directors of National Libraries) and President-Elect of IFLA (International Federation of Library Associations), taking on the role of IFLA President in August 2025.