SINGAPORE, May 21 -- The National University of Singapore (NUS) has issued an apology following an "operational lapse" in handling hundreds of books from Yale-NUS College, which is scheduled to close this year.

Yesterday, photos and videos emerged showing books from the Yale-NUS College library packed into trash bags and loaded onto a recycling truck.

The images sparked an outcry among students and alumni who called for the preservation of the collection.

Associate Professor Natalie Pang, from the NUS University Library, told Channel News Asia (CNA) today that the disposal was part of standard library practice.

She explained that excess books are "routinely rehomed" in other NUS libraries or given to faculty members and sometimes stud...