SINGAPORE: The National University of Singapore (NUS) has admitted to an “operational lapse” after 500 books from the Yale-NUS College library were recycled before students were given a chance to claim them.
Speaking to state media CNA, Associate Professor Natalie Pang, the college librarian, said the incident resulted from staff not anticipating student interest in the excess books.
The lapse occurred as the Yale-NUS College prepares to close this year, ahead of renovations for the relocation of the NUS law faculty and its library to the Yale-NUS premises.
Out of the original 45,000-volume collection, about 80 per cent — roughly 36,000 books — were successfully rehomed to other NUS libraries, universities, and faculty members.
The remaining 9,000 books were designated for recycling as a last resort, with only 500 having been processed before the effort was suspended following backlash.
Photos and videos circulated online showed the books being packed into trash bags and loaded onto a recycling truck, drawing criticism from students and alumni.
A petition launched by concerned NUS and Yale-NUS students argued that the move contradicted the university’s zero-waste commitment and expressed disappointment that more community-oriented alternatives, such as public giveaways, had not been considered.
NUS issued belated apology following backlash over Yale-NUS library books sent for recycling
NUS issued a formal apology on 21 May 2025, acknowledging that it had failed to manage the book disposal process with sufficient consideration.
Professor Aaron Thean, NUS provost and deputy president for academic affairs, also issued an apology, noting the emotional impact the event had caused.
“This is a big collection, and so any loss of books to us is always heartbreaking,” said Thean.
“All these books mean a lot to us.”
Associ Prof Pang said staff attempted to retrieve the 500 recycled books once they realised there was demand, but were unsuccessful in intercepting the process.
“I was really aghast to realise that the books were being picked up despite students expressing interest,” Pang said.
She acknowledged that library staff did not adequately communicate or arrange access to the remaining titles, assuming interest would be low based on past experiences.
“In our experience organising these book giveaways, there’s been quite a low demand for many of these titles,” she said.
“But this incident has shown us that there are lessons to learn.”
Under current practices, excess books are offered first to faculty.
Pang admitted the outreach this time was insufficient and apologised.
With the impending closure of Yale-NUS College, she added that staff did not have complete information on where faculty would be moving, which further complicated outreach.
“There’s no two ways about it,” she said. “We have to own it, and we will do better.”
The university plans to implement a new standard operating procedure for all its libraries, which will include broader communication with faculty and students before any recycling is done.
Pang also addressed claims that books could not be donated due to RFID tags, clarifying that this was “absolutely untrue”.
“There are processes in place to desensitise the tags and mark the books as adopted,” she said.
To distribute the remaining 8,500 books, NUS will hold two adoption fairs.
The first, from 28 May to 9 June, will be open to Yale-NUS alumni and their families. The second, on 14 June, will be open to the general public.
Any books left after these events will be offered through secondhand platforms such as Thryft.
“Essentially, what I’m trying to do with this new SOP is to extend the shelf life and the life cycle of the books,” Pang said.
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