SINGAPORE - The National University of Singapore (NUS) has apologised for not offering excess Yale-NUS College library books to students before they were sent for disposal, calling it an “operational lapse”.

In a statement on May 21, a day after photos and videos of employees from a recycling company loading bags of books onto a truck, Associate Professor Natalie Pang, a university librarian, said that the excess books were offered only to faculty members, and not students. The statement did not mention if any, or how many, of the books disposed on May 20 were saved.

“We understand later that many students are 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 for the operational lapse.”

She added that a majority of the books from the Yale-NUS College library had been rehomed within NUS libraries. The Straits Times has asked for the number of these books.

Prof Pang said that to maintain the university’s library collection, excess books are “routinely rehomed” in other libraries or given away to faculty and students on certain occasions. “Books which are not taken up are then sent for recycling, in line with common library practices,” she said.

“In view of the strong interest from students, we are now organising a giveaway on campus so that the excess books can find a new home,” said Prof Pang. ST understands that about 8,500 such books remain.

“Going forward, we are reviewing our process and will take proactive steps to distribute excess books to the NUS community and the wider public so that they can benefit as many people as possible,” Prof Pang added.

A former senior Yale-NUS librarian, who wanted to remain anonymous, told ST that the library’s collection size is estimated to be between 40,000 to 45,000.

Photos and videos of employees from a recycling company loading the books onto a truck on May 20 had circulated among Yale-NUS alumni and were later shared on social media, drawing sharp criticism from alumni who called the disposal wasteful and distressing.

The books, tightly packed in translucent white plastic bags, were seen stacked in large quantities along the pavement at the drop-off point of the ...