Imagining libraries of the future
SINGAPORE:
From the use of data analytics, to possibly even virtual reality in the future
- public libraries in Singapore are undergoing a transformation in a bid to
remain relevant in an increasingly digital world.
Just
over a week old, the new Sengkang Public Library is home to more than 125,000
books, digital content and customised spaces for different age groups.
It
is the first of four new libraries opening this year in what some may call next
generation libraries - no longer just a place to read and borrow books, but
also increasingly where the community can come together and learn together as
well.
Nirmala
Kumar, a 53-year-old who has been a librarian for more than 15 years, notes
that not only are library users different, her job has changed considerably as
well.
"When
I joined NLB, the day started with manually returning returned books. We needed
to take each and every book and we needed to check, sort it in the sorter and
stack it in the compartments. Then we had to put it in the trolley again and
shelve it back. It is quite a tiring and tedious job,” said Ms Nirmala.
But
Ms Nirmala's load has been lightened recently all thanks to a new machine,
which automatically scans and separates returned books into different bins
before they are shelved.
About
3,000 books are sorted every day and this frees Ms Nirmala up to do other
tasks, like curating books and planning programmes at the library.
"We
were so excited to see the machine sort itself, so we don't need to bend down
and take each and every book to sort,” she noted. “We can spend more time
engaging with the patrons."
CHANGING
LIBRARIES A CONSTANT: LITERATURE PROFESSOR
But
rewind to the library's early beginnings and one would realise that change has
been a constant.
From
the opening of the National Library at Stamford Road in 1960 to the rolling out
of mobile libraries and other permanent branches, libraries have constantly
adapted to meet society's evolving needs.
There
are now 26 public libraries around the island.
"For
many years, there was only one library in Singapore and then the need was felt
that as more people became literate, the demand for going to the library
(increased), because most people couldn't afford to buy the books,” said
Associate Professor of English Literature Kirpal Singh, who teaches at the
Singapore Management University.
“So
the idea of decentralising and having branches of libraries took place. Then
very soon, I think, the political leaders decided that the library was a very
good place to try and build a nation … Now I think we feel that our nation is
in fact quite built, even though it's still evolving, the thinking again is
what is the library now going to be used for?"
According
to the National Library Board (NLB), there were 2.3 million members in 2015 -
up from 1.95 million in 2005 and about half a million in 1995.
But
a study on adult reading habits last year found that while 69 per cent of
respondents said they read at least one book in the past year, only 19 per cent
read more than once a week.
Most
also did not find reading as stimulating as audio-visual content and just over
half read books borrowed from libraries.
"For
me personally, I don't visit libraries anymore, it's just a preference for me
to purchase books from book stores like Kinokuniya," said 24-year-old
undergraduate Joshua Huang.
Jason
Chia, 24, agreed: "I don't really visit public libraries anymore. I used
to do so when I was young, to borrow books and read, but now not really because
most of the stuff that we can read is actually online. There are many e-books
as well, so there's not really a need for a physical library anymore."
REVAMPING
EXISTING LIBRARIES
That
is why a revamp of existing libraries is underway, in the hope of getting more
to use the space.
“We
want the library to remain relevant to Singaporeans and even to stay ahead by
anticipating their needs. So we do this by engaging feedback from them, from
the community when we design the libraries,” said Ms Tan Chui Peng, acting
deputy director of the Libraries of the Future department at NLB.
“It
has evolved as we look at how each library can provide targeted services to
cater to the community's needs. For instance at Pasir Ris, we notice there's a
higher proportion of teens and young working adults, so we have designed teen
space for public libraries at Pasir Ris. Over at Sengkang, there's a higher
proportion of younger families, so we created this 'tween' space for growing up
children."
Other
young Singaporeans Channel NewsAsia spoke to also had different ideas on how to
transform the space.
“I
would imagine there's fewer books actually, maybe there's fewer book shelves.
More space. Maybe more bean bags,” said 24-year-old Ian Chow.
“Maybe
virtual reality could be something that we could move towards because when we
were young, we were always reading story books and someone would be reading to
us,” noted 21-year-old Ong Yu Lin. “But if we can wear the virtual reality gear
and really see whatever is going on inside the story book, it would be really
interesting for the kids and for the older people as well."
BRINGING
TECHNOLOGY INTO THE LIBRARY
Technology
is indeed one key aspect public libraries are looking into.
For
instance, NLB hopes to improve its mobile app, which already allows users to
borrow books. It also intends to promote its e-books more aggressively and has
started displaying real-time data in some libraries of popular titles that are
being borrowed.
The
new Bukit Panjang Public Library will also feature an immersive storytelling
area with lights, sound effects and interactive visual projections for
children.
"Data
analytics will continue to be used very heavily to analyse behaviour of our
library users. The other one is virtual reality … especially in enhancing their
experience when they visit exhibitions,” said Mr Lee Kee Siang, NLB’s chief
information officer.
“It
must be seamless for them to be able to access the information, to retrieve
them, as well as on the online platform and on the mobile. So it is the whole
integrated experience that we're looking at."
Source
| http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/imagining-libraries-of-the-future/3627484.html
Regards
Pralhad
Jadhav
Senior
Manager @ Knowledge Repository
Khaitan & Co
Upcoming Event | MANLIBNET 17th Annual
International Conference on 15-16 September 2017 at Jaipuria, Noida, India
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