Case Summary: National Library Board of Singapore (NLB)

The National Library Board of Singapore (NLB) https://www.nlb.gov.sg/main/home serves an entire nation. NLB consists of the main library and 29 branches, with more than 1.9 million items in its collection and 2.6 million digital resources, providing information to its users in four languages–English, Tamil, Malay, and Chinese. There are 11 vocabularies in all that are used in indexing its holdings, search and retrieval, and user interfaces in all languages.

Maintaining this diverse collection, ranging from rare artifacts and photographs to books and journal articles, requires a robust infrastructure and a balance of linguistic systems. Established in 1995, the library had access to newer technology options. It also had a very ambitious acquisitions program and needed to organize, catalog, and make the rapidly growing collection available to the public as quickly as possible.

Access Innovations helped the National Library Board of Singapore implement advanced library software, elevating the user experience with intuitive, multilingual interfaces and custom catalogs. These solutions support NLB’s strategy to modernize, digitize, and improve discovery for patrons through AI and automated systems. Working with the technical and cataloging teams, Access Innovations developed system designs for cataloging, automation, and improved 4-language retrieval interfaces. We improved library cataloging speed and accuracy by implementing new technical support systems using Data Harmony MAIstro for all vocabularies across required languages. Specifically, we auto-index as much material as possible, which allowed the technical staff time to work on the items that were more difficult to catalog. We helped upgrade library management systems to more effectively manage digital, print, and online collections, supporting the library’s digital transformation. Data Harmony technology supported the new, intuitive interfaces for the library catalog, making it easier for users to search and access materials.