SINGAPORE: The National University of Singapore (NUS) issued an apology on 21 May 2025 following public outcry over the disposal of Yale-NUS College library books.
The apology came amid criticism from Yale-NUS alumni and students, who expressed frustration over the destruction of hundreds of books.
Many said they were not informed of any opportunity to claim or reuse the materials.
In a statement reported by CNA, NUS University Librarian Associate Professor Natalie Pang described the situation as an “operational lapse”.
She explained that while excess books are typically rehomed across the NUS library system or offered to faculty and students, this time, students were not given access to the remaining Yale-NUS books.
“We understand later that many students were interested in having these books and we would have usually acceded to their requests,” she said.
“We did not do so on this occasion and we apologise.”
The university is now organising a book giveaway to address the demand.
NUS also stated it would revise procedures to ensure wider access to excess materials in future.
According to CNA, the bulk of Yale-NUS library books had been moved to other NUS libraries, but surplus volumes were only offered to faculty.
Books that were not claimed were then sent for recycling, a common library practice, added Assoc Prof Pang.
Books already destroyed by time NUS intervened, says recycling company
The controversy intensified after it emerged that the books had already been destroyed by the time NUS attempted to halt the process.
An employee from Green Orange Enviro, the recycling company involved, told CNA that NUS contacted them around 3pm on 20 May to stop the recycling.
However, by then, the materials had already been processed at an Asia Recycling Resources facility.
Students at the scene reportedly witnessed the books being loaded onto recycling trucks and engaged in a tense exchange with staff.
According to CNA, two NUS staff and two recycling firm employees insisted that students could not intervene or reclaim the books.
One student recalled being told, “You can’t touch these books… they’re to be disposed of.”
An NUS librarian later informed students that the disposal was necessary due to time constraints imposed by NUS Law Faculty and campus infrastructure teams. They were given a short deadline to clear the library materials.
According to The Straits Times, a former senior Yale-NUS librarian, speaking on condition of anonymity, estimated the library’s total collection at between 40,000 and 45,000 volumes. Of these, approximately 8,500 books remain available for giveaway.
Concerned students and alumni call for transparency, demand answers on Yale-NUS book disposal process
A student-led petition titled Save the Yale-NUS Library Books has since circulated, calling for accountability and transparency.
It estimated that 60 to 70 bags of books were removed, each weighing 10 to 15 kilograms—totalling around 2,000 volumes with an estimated value exceeding S$100,000.
The petition stated that around noon on 20 May, Green Orange Environ collected the books, which were then sent to Asia Recycling Resources Pte Ltd.
The latter confirmed the disposal order originated from NUS and that the books had to be shredded under confidentiality protocols.
Students were told that retrieval was no longer feasible due to the requirement to certify the destruction process.
The petition also questioned the environmental implications of the disposal, contrasting it with NUS’s own Sustainability Plan.
It argued that alternatives, such as alumni adoptions or public donations, had not been properly explored.
As of 11.51am on 21 May, the petition had received 667 signatures.
Yale-NUS College is set to close this year, with its final cohort graduating in May 2025.
The NUS Law Faculty, currently based at the Bukit Timah campus, is scheduled to relocate to the Yale-NUS premises later in the year, prompting the need to clear existing facilities.
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