National Library

Made a visit to the National Library yesterday in hope to get book sources for Anita's policy assignment. It was not really the encouraging or resourceful place to go (unless thousand of students had flocked the library in search for policy related books!). The overall trip was not up to my expectation. I have been to the Shah Alam library and MPSJ library in Subang. Both are so much better then the national library. Books are so old, some too old! Majority books are not allowed to be borrowed. What is a library when you cannot borrow books?!?!?!??! Then Kenny told me; "perhaps they scared kua if everyone borrow books, they run out of books????" Trust me, i am a librarian, i know it is possible to overcome such a problem! If a normal secondary school library can, apatah national library!!!!Only books in level 1 can be borrowed - which are not helpful books i called it. Either than the rude loud staff, old computers, confusing search program, quiet spacious room and old rotten lockers ouside, there is nothing much to brag about not to talk about. I feel stupid being there. I dunno, maybe it is the environment or maybe it is just me, but i don't seem to find any interesting thing to read about. Everything look - stagnant! There is like pratically nothing much i should say despite the 4 level of knowledge they have and a BLOODY thick Malaysia Novel displayed at the entrance to level2.

Despite that fact, there is something quite interesting that Kenny found out, which i later told the Soong sisters. Me & Kenny went for a quick lunch at their canteen while the Soongs stayed at level 2 doing their readings. As we endure the quite huge spacious hall out to the entrance, down left-right-left-right weird design of staircase out the library, to the outdoor and into a dark passage way - we have reach the canteen. First thing i saw was, "funny" food. Everything looks dry, used and erm, i dunno la! I just bought a packet of Snips, 2 Sugus stick, 5 keropok lekor (which was fresh from the kitchen) while Kenny ate their nasi campur. I took some scoops, it was really not that bad! I mean the nasi was ok! But Kenny told me something disgusting which i agreed. There is this mosquito-fly zapper hung right above the food displayed. Imagine what happen if the mosquito-fly gets zap! Where will they fall???? GAWD ! Of course there is this tray that like prevents it from falling anywhere but if in any occasion that a fly could end up in a curry or rendang or whatever that is displayed there, it would be like "kena loteri" ... Moreover, i would not risk eating some mosquito-fly's buntut, kepala, kaki or kepak which got de-tached due the the zap!

Overall, i shall say that - a country's national library reflects the country's identity. Make a visit there, and judge for yourself!

Malaysia Boleh!