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Let Bookstores be Bygones? Memories and Materiality of Bookstores on the Pages of the Singapore Memory Project

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Abstract

In this article we examine the memories of bookstores revealed in entries made to the Singapore Memory Project. Two main themes appeared in these memories: the bookstore as a material place and the bookstore as part of wider life events. Our findings reveal that bookstores (1) have played roles in the life routines of many Singaporeans, (2) are theatres of materiality, and (3) are places where social interaction can take place. From this evidence we argue that the physical bookstore, albeit being dismissed as a dying breed, still does have a number of resources to draw on in its fight with online bookselling.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information, Nanyang Technological University, 31 Nanyang Link, Singapore, 637718, Singapore

    Brendan Luyt

  2. Ortigas Greenheights Subdivision, 15 Pearl Avenue, 1920, Taytay, Rizal, Philippines

    Karryl Sagun

Authors
  1. Brendan Luyt
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  2. Karryl Sagun
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Correspondence to Brendan Luyt.

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Luyt, B., Sagun, K. Let Bookstores be Bygones? Memories and Materiality of Bookstores on the Pages of the Singapore Memory Project. Pub Res Q 32, 139–147 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12109-016-9447-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12109-016-9447-6

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