Progress on Singapore Memory Project

Mr Seng Han Thong asked the Minister for Communications and Information (a) if he will be able to give an update on the Singapore Memory Project and a breakdown of the number of memories collected in terms of audio, video and written media and the languages used; (b) whether the aim to collect 5 million personal memories by 2015 can be achieved; and (c) what are the communication efforts made to create awareness among all Singaporeans of all ages and all races to share their memories.

The Singapore Memory Project (SMP) by the National Library Board (NLB) provides the opportunity for every Singaporean to contribute their memories via any format – through words, photos and video. We have been focused on engaging Singaporeans and encouraging them to contribute their memories, shared stories and experiences that would bond us as communities, and as a nation.

NLB has collected more than half a million4 personal memories in various formats, of which, 67% of them are in text format and 32% in the form of photos. The remaining 1% is in the form of videos. About 90% of the memories collected

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are in English while the others have a good mix of Chinese, Malay and Tamil. The non-English groups are mainly collected through interviews conducted as part of the SMP’s outreach programmes to the heartlands.

The target of collecting five million personal memories is part of the process of building a rich collection of memories, which would be the base for developing and curating our national and community narratives, offering multiple perspectives to the many experiences we shared. While the five million personal memories to be collected by 2015 is a quantitative indicator of mass participation, the project’s main focus remains to work with Singaporeans to build narratives that capture the values, ideals and aspirations that they hold dear to their hearts. This is an ongoing effort, and will go beyond 2015, becoming a permanent feature of NLB's work.

NLB has adopted a hybrid approach of using both physical and digital communication channels to reach out to and engage Singaporeans of all races and ages. An example of NLB engaging Singaporeans via physical communication channels is by going out to the heartlands to interview older residents, who may be less adept in writing down their memories. This was done through road shows at housing estates (for example, Toa Payoh) and by engaging students to interview the senior citizens of these areas. Students from Nanyang Girls High School and Victoria Junior College have interviewed residents from Yuhua and Rochor respectively. SMP's volunteer group – Memory Corps5- trained the students and gave them tips on how to conduct interviews with the older residents. Efforts have also been made to use mass media channels to reach out to young and old Singaporeans across all languages. For instance, SMP editorials are placed in the major newspapers across the four languages.

The SMP also actively engages the media-savvy crowd via the use of digital communication channels, such as the SingaporeMemory.SG web portal (www.singaporememory.sg) and mobile application for contributions to be made directly. The SMP has also built a very active social media presence to communicate with younger Singaporeans, and open up new channels for them to share and contribute their memories. The SMP facebook page – irememberSG – has more than 16,000 fans with posts that constantly receive more than hundreds of "likes".

I would like to encourage all Singaporeans to continue sharing their stories of people, places and events with us through the SMP web portal, mobile application, and the SMP roadshows and events. The memories collected will

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enable future generations of Singaporeans to understand the collective journey of our nation and the many facets of this place we call home.