Public Libraries in Penang - Past, Present and Future | Peatixtag:peatix.com,2011:12019-10-31T06:05:47+08:00PeatixMYPublic Libraries in Penang - Past, Present and Futuretag:peatix.com,2015:event-1276792015-11-23T09:30:00MYT2015-11-23T09:30:00MYTAbstractBeginnings - The Founding
and Early History of the Penang Library by Marcus Langdon
Malaysia’s first English-language public library was
established in 1816 in Penang, or Prince of Wales Island as it was then
officially known. Although touted as being ‘public’, the Prince of Wales Island
Library operated for many years much like a club, with access limited to its
members and their guests. But despite financial struggles and the want of a
permanent home, the library slowly acquired a vast collection of valuable
books, journals, newspapers and other reading matter unrivalled in the Malay
Peninsular. So why is the Penang Library not the preeminent library in Malaysia
today?
In Part 1 of this
talk, Marcus Langdon will explain how the library first came to be and
introduce the personalities involved. He will reveal its first location, as
well as successive locations in George Town. Marcus will also outline some of
the difficulties and adversities encountered on its path to becoming a true
Public Library. Developments over the last century and Challenges for the FuturePublic libraries have played transformational roles in
civilisations. The lecture will share the Penang experience, the interesting
history of various libraries and vibrant learning centres in the
state and particularly the pioneering role of the Penang Library as
a community place. Ideas for the future of Penang as a knowledge hub will be shared.Speakers ProfileDato’ Anwar Fazal is trained in economics and education, and has been engaged over the last 50 years
in diverse fields - a teacher at the Royal
Military College, a civil servant with the City Council of George Town, Private
Secretary to Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu(1969-72 ) and head of a urban governance initiative
for Asia and the Pacific of the United Nations. He has a life long history
of public interest activism beginning with the presidency of the
University of Malaya Students Union in 1962, the founding of the Consumer
Association of Penang, Transparency International Malaysia and a dozen other
local and global civil society organisations including the World Alliance for
Breastfeeding Action. He is an avid book lover and library advocate. He started
the first library of the Students Union in 1962 and has pioneered special
libraries in every major civil society organisation he served. He was the
Honorary Supervisor of the Penang Library from 1965 to 1971 and served in the
Committee of the Malayan Library Association. He developed rapid appraisal
tools of organisations - it was called The Two "L" test, standing for
"library” and the "Loo" ; a quick visit to both will be a rapid
assessment how both ends of the organisation worked! Anwar is the
recipient of several awards for his work as an environmental, consumer and
health advocate including the Right Livelihood Award, popularly known as the
"Alternative Nobel Prize”. He is currently Director of the Right
Livelihood College and Chairperson of Think City.Over the past 15 years, Marcus Langdon has researched the early years of Penang’s history
under the East India Company in more detail than perhaps anyone else has done
before. Sourcing information from original documents, he has meticulously
pieced together many long-forgotten stories of the growth and development of
the island.His
published works include Penang: The Fourth Presidency of India
1805–1830, Volumes 1, Ships, Men and Mansions & 2, Fire, Spice and
Edifice; Biographical Dictionary of Mercantile Personalities of Penang (contributing
editor) and George Town’s Historic Commercial and Civic Precincts (researcher/writer
for George Town World Heritage Incorporated). Living in Penang for the past 5
years, he has imparted his historical knowledge to innumerable projects and is
a director of Entrepot Publishing Sdn Bhd.