The National Library of Singapore experience: harnessing technology to deliver content and broaden access

Abstract

PurposeThis paper seeks to focus on the efforts of the National Library of Singapore (NLS) to make accessible resources to users who may not come to the library physically or resources that the library may not hold or own, and to discuss some of the initiatives launched by the NLS in the past five years, including the encyclopedic Singapore Infopedia, the landmark collaborative project between the NLS and Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) that initiated NewspaperSG, and the Singapore Memory Project, a nationwide initiative to build a national digital collection of materials about Singapore.Design/methodology/approachThe paper takes a descriptive approach.FindingsWith libraries the world over facing the challenge of meeting the needs of users in improving access, the National Library of Singapore (NLS) has, in the past decade, sought to explore ways in which remote reference services can be improved and access to its collections in the online space enhanced.Originality/valueThe paper gives an insight into the latest developments at the National Library aimed at servicing its remote users.