Rent and raising costs are a perennial issue for bookstores who have to compete with e-books and online vendors. How will physical bookstores survive? What forms of technology and tricks of the trade can they turn to improve profits and for sustainability? And do we still need physical bookstores?   

Episode Guests:

• Ibrahim Tahir, Founder of Wardah Books  
• Alex Chua, co-founder of Book Bar 
• Sung Yuen Ling, Manager of Maha Yuyi  

Recommended Reads:

• The Bookshop: A History of the American Bookstore
• “Book City” in Two Streets: The Chinese Bookstore Scene in Postwar Singapore
• Passage of Time: Singapore Bookstore Stories 1881-2016

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In this bonus episode, Professor Tommy Koh speaks about why reading literature is vital for understanding technology, mastering a language and comprehending the world. A top-notch negotiator and seasoned diplomat, Professor Koh believes that the study of literature is one of the best investments he has made.

Episode Guest

• Professor Tommy Koh, Ambassador-at-Large at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Rector of Tembusu College at the National University of Singapore and Chairman of the National Heritage Board

Recommended Reads

• Humanities at the heart of a holistic education in a tech-driven world by Professor Tommy Koh.
• Literature in the 21st Century
• Professor Tommy Koh’s Recommended Reads for Understanding America

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This episode re-imagines the future of reading. We examine whether reading in print or digitally has an impact on the way we read, and on the evolution of our species as a learning species. We ask, what does the skills future of reading look like? And how do we ensure we embrace all the different complexities and elements of reading as parents, educators, learners, and citizens?

Episode Guests

• Professor Tommy Koh, Ambassador-at-Large at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Rector of Tembusu College at the National University of Singapore, and Chairman of the National Heritage Board
• Dr Angelia Poon, Associate Professor, National Institute of Education
• Dr Victor Lim Fei, Assistant Professor, National Institute of Education
• Ng Kah Gay, Publisher, Ethos Books

Recommended Reads

Links

• 7 ways the printing press changed the world
• What my students taught me about reading: old books hold new insights for the digital generation
• Reading literary fiction improves theory of the mind
• EU Common Framework for Intercultural Digital Literacies
• Mark Pegrum Overview of Digital Literacies

 

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In this world of ceaseless information, how do we make sense of what we read and decide what counts, what works and what is real? In this episode, we break into the world of journalism to find out how these investigators sieve truth from falsehood and decide what counts as news. We explore how online reading has changed our reading consumption and learn how to be critical readers.

Episode Guests

• Dr Csilla Weninger, Associate Professor, National Institute of Education
• Mr Tan Tarn How, Former Journalist, Playwright and IPS Fellow
• Mr Jaime Ho, Chief Editor, CNA Digital
• Dr Jiow Hee Jhee, Associate Professor, Singapore Institute of Technology and Member of the Media Literacy Council (IMDA) 

Recommended Reads

• S.U.R.E., the National Library’s Learning and Information Literacy Resources
• Quick Tips on Fact-Checking by Media Literacy Council
• Factitious, an online game that tests your ability to detect fake news
• Singapore MOE National Digital Literacy Programme
• Tandoc, E.C, Jr., Lim, Z.W., & Ling, R. (2018). Defining “fake news.” Digital Journalism, 6(2), 137-153. doi: 10.1080/21670811.2017.1360143

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In this episode, we examine the power of poetry and ask why we should read poetry in today’s fast-paced and multicultural world. What does poetry do for the soul, the mind and the heart? We interview professors and personalities to inspire us to get started on our own poetic reading journey.

Episode Guests

• Dr Joel Gwynne, Associate Professor, National Institute of Education
• Ms Esther Vincent, Poet, Teacher and Editor-in-Chief of The Tiger Moth Review
• Mr Marc Nair, Poet and Photographer

Recommended Reads

• Orality, Literacy, and the Memorized Poem
• poetry.sg, a home for Singapore poetry
• Quarterly Literary Review Singapore, an online literary journal
• Humanities at the heart of a holistic education in a tech-driven world by Professor Tommy Koh

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The Adventures of Sherlock Sam is a bestselling adventure series about a 10-year old boy detective. Join us for this bonus episode with author Felicia Low-Jimenez as she shares about how she, together with Adan Jimenez, comes up with ideas for their books.

Episode Guest

• Ms Felicia Low-Jimenez, co-author of The Adventures of Sherlock Sam

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Why do people read comics or graphic novels? Is there a distinction between the two? Who reads comics? This episode delves into the world of comic reading to explore why comics hold such attraction for not just children and teens, but adults and seniors. We make a case that comics have a place for the entertainment, education, and edification of children and adults.

Episode Guests

• Ms Felicia Low-Jimenez, Children’s Book Author and Founder of Difference Engine
• Mr CT Lim, Educator and Country Editor for International Journal for Comic Art
• Ms Teo Xing Zhi, Associate Librarian, NLB
• Ms Sarah Mounsey, Director of Libraries at Dulwich College (Singapore)
• Mr Tay Tze Ern and Ms Tay Min Ern

To find out more about the National Library Board comic and book offerings, you may refer to the following websites:

• https://childrenandteens.nlb.gov.sg
• www.facebook.com/publiclibrarysg/

To read more about comics, you can explore the following links curated by Teoh Yong Qin:

• A Brief History of Comics and Graphic Novels
• The Power of Comics
• How Comics Help Students Learn Better
• comix.sg, an online database of Singapore comic creators

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Worldwide figures estimate that dyslexia, a learning difficulty related to language learning, affect 5-15% of the population. This bonus episode features an interview segment with Mr Edmen Leong, Director of Specialised Educational Services at the Dyslexia Association of Singapore, sharing about how we can help dyslexic children learn to read.

Episode Guest

• Mr Edmen Leong, Director of Specialised Educational Services, Dyslexia Association of Singapore

Recommended Reads

• Supporting Students with Dyslexia by Dr. Tan Chee Soon, NIE

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Children come to school differently resourced. Many children come to school knowing their ABCs and a rare few can read chapter books by the age of six. But what about children who have difficulty learning to read because of home circumstances? This episode explores the work of educators and volunteers who make it their mission to make reading for all a reality.

Episode Guests

• Ms Michelle Yeo, Lawyer and Co-founder of ReadAble
• Ms Joy Tan, Teacher Volunteer at ReadAble
• Dr Tan Chee Soon, Lecturer, National Institute of Education

Recommended Reads

• Neuman, S. & Celano, D. C. (2012) Worlds Apart: One City, Two Libraries, and Ten Years of Watching Inequality Grow. American Educator, 13-23.
• This is What Inequality Looks Like by Teo You Yenn
• The Tyranny of Merit by Michael J. Sandel
• Why Bedtime Stories are so Important to Helping our Children have a Headstart in Life

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In this episode, we delve into the world of experts who work with pre-schoolers and primary school children to uncover how young children learn to read. We examine how the human brain learns to read, and ask how the capacity to read in different languages has an impact on our brain and social and cultural development.

Episode Guests

• Dr Beth O’Brien, Principal Research Scientist, National Institute of Education
• Dr Sun Baoqi, Research Scientist, National Institute of Education
• Dr Mukhlis Abu Bakar, Associate Professor, National Institute of Education
• Dr Maryanne Wolf, Professor and Director of the Center for Dyslexia, Diverse Learners, and Social Justice, UCLA Graduate School of Education and Information Studies
• Ms Ling Xin Jin & Nadia

Recommended Reads

• Reader, Come Home by Maryanne Wolf
• The Reading Brain by Staislas Dehaene
• The Teacher Who Couldn’t Read
• Whorfian Hypothesis
• Sun, B., Loh, C. E. & Curdt-Christiansen, X. L. (2020) Leisure reading in multilingual Singapore: Reading Enjoyment, Habits and Preferences of Singaporean Children. Journal of Multilingual Theories and Practices 1(2), 313-339.

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