The NAFA Library arranges its materials using the Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC) – a hierarchical system based on 10 major categories. Please see the below:
Lending English books Includes: aesthetic, marketing management, art history, architecture, sculpture, jewellery design, drawing and illustration, painting, graphic arts, multimedia, fashion and costume, interior design, photography, music, dance, theatre & drama, literature and history.
Lending Chinese books Includes: Chinese art history, Chinese calligraphy, Chinese painting, Chinese music, Chinese drama and literature.
Lending Southeast Asian Arts books Includes: Singapore and Southeast Asian art.
Reference English books Includes: arts dictionaries and encyclopedias, rare and valuable books.
Reference Chinese books Includes: valuable Chinese calligraphy and painting books.
Reference Southeast Asian Arts books Includes: valuable local and ASEAN artists' art books and exhibition catalogues, some of them from 1940s.
Periodicals 
The Library subscribes to more than 154 periodicals titles. Here is the list of e-journals
in alphabetical order.
Audio Visual (Lending and Reference) MaterialsIncludes: CDs and DVDs on Southeast Asian arts and Singapore films, as well as LPRs and LDs on classical and contemporary music.
Complete Editions of Music Score 
The Library subscribes the complete edition of selected composers, i.e. Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, Debussy, Liszt, Schubert and Schumann through the kind donations of the Estates of Leong Yoon Pin, Estates of Lucien Wang and Ong Lip Tat. Reflecting the latest findings of musicological research, these scholarly-critical complete editions are published as close as possible to the composer’s original intentions to serve performing musicians and scholars.
List of the Complete Editions
- Bach, Johann Sebastian
- Beethoven, Ludwig van
- Chopin, Fryderyk
- Debussy, Claude
- Liszt, Franz
- Schubert, Franz
- Schumannm, Robert
CELEBRITY COLLECTION
The Celebrity Collections is so named because it comprises personal papers and items donated by Singapore pioneer artistes. It includes the Lucien Wang collection, Shen Peng Kwang collection, Kwai Cheng Peng collection and the Leong Yoon Pin collection.
Mrs Lucien Wang (1909–2007) is Singapore’s pioneer musician and music teacher. She has taught famous musicians in Singapore, to name a few, Lim Jing Jing, Ong Lip Tat and Toh Chee Hung. In 1979, she received the Public Service Medal (Silver) from President Sheares, a first for a local musician. Among her collection are her private letters, official correspondence, photographs, scores, books, paintings and calligraphies by pioneer Singapore artists like Lim Hak Tai, Pan Shou and Shi Xiang Tuo. To watch related video, click here.
Prof. Shen Ping Kwang (b. 1922) started his music teaching career in 1958 in Sabah. In 1974, he and his family moved to Singapore where he was offered the post of senior lecturer at the Institute of Education (Music Dept). He also became Vice-President of the Singapore National Theatre Composer Circle. He was also the Honorary President of the Association of Composers (Singapore), Consultant of the Lion City Poetry Association (Singapore), Founder of the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (Music Department), Founding President of the Hua Xia Philharmonic Society and Chairman of the National Theatre Club. Among his collection are books, CDs, cassette tapes and scores.
Mr Leong Yoon Pin (1931–2011) was a Singapore composer, conductor and educator. He provided consultancy to Nafa in the set up of Nafa’s Music department in 1982. He was honoured with the Cultural Medallion. Among his collection are his private notes, correspondance, scores, books and memorabilia.
NAFA HERITAGE COLLECTION
To commemorate NAFA’s 70th anniversary in 2008, a NAFA Heritage Collection was established in the Library, with the following objectives:
- to establish an archive of NAFA’s historical documents, to serve as a research centre for future efforts
such as compilation of year books, etc. - to reinforce the importance of formulating a systematic collection of NAFA’s information resources to
ensure future documents pertaining to NAFA are archived for posterity. - to create in visitors the awareness of NAFA’s extensive history from an organized collection of
information resources.
SHI XIANG TUO COLLECTION
The Shi Xiang Tuo Collection was donated by the son of the late Shi Xiang Tuo, who was a renowned calligrapher, seal-engraver and Chinese ink painter, and also one of NAFA’s pioneer instructors. This collection comprises rare and valuable out-of-print Chinese books on arts and literature, some of which are as old as 300 years.
TANOTO FOUNDATION CENTRE FOR SOUTH EAST ASIA (TFCSEA) COLLECTION
The Tanoto Foundation has donated funds towards the set-up of a formalised system of collection, classification, archival and digitization of the Academy’s Southeast Asian (SEA) Arts resources. The Tanoto Foundation Centre for Southeast Asian Arts(TFCSEA) is believed to be the first known regional centre dedicated to archiving Southeast Asian arts resources, with the aim of facilitating research in Southeast Asian arts. The facility, with a floor area of 35 square metres, was formerly known as the NAFA SEA Arts Room. The collection comprises more than 12,000 items ranging from books, brochures, posters, photographs, slides and post cards that span from 1940s to the present. The collection features Singapore artists and the Singapore arts scene, and covers arts-related books and other materials on Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. Most of the materials were donated by NAFA staff, students and alumni. Some of the these information resources have been digitized and made available to members at Tanoto Foundation Centre for Southeast Asian Arts @ NAFA