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Titel / Title Singapore’s library system and its place in a smart nation.
Author / Autor

Henkel, M., Scheibe, K., Zimmer, F., & Stock, W. G.

 

Source / Quelle

 

LIS 2019. Proceedings of the International Conference on Library and Information Science. Sapporo, Japan, January 19-21, 2019. Vol. 5, No. 1 (pp. 9-47). Taipeh, Taiwan: International Business Academics Consortium.
Language / Sprache English / Englisch


Abstract
Singapore’s National Library Board (NLB) and its National Library, Public and Regional Libraries as well as the National Archives are considered one of the best library systems on a global scale. In this city-state, we are able to identify governmental master plans to consolidate and to develop a knowledge society and a knowledge-based economy since 1981. The current Smart Nation plan aims for comprehensive digital innovations in the country. Our research question is: What is the place of libraries in the ongoing development of the knowledge society and the smart nation Singapore? In this article, we are going to define “smartness” of a city or a state and describe Singapore’s way towards a smart nation. We outline the tasks of NLB and its institutions, the physical as well as digital resources, NLB’s services (for instance, OneSearch and the Singapore Memory Project), important programs (e.g., activities to foster digital literacy), NLB’s social media activities, and, finally, user participation (following design thinking) in the development of NLB’s services. We conclude the study with a list of assets of NLB regarding the country’s way towards a knowledge society and smart nation. Likewise, we mention challenges as the underdeveloped level of information literacy of Singapore’s people. In contrast to many other countries in the world, the libraries in Singapore play an important role on the way to knowledge society and smart nation as the NLB makes sense of community and is a vital part of Singapore’s national identity.

Keywords: Singapore, Libraries, Smart Nation, Knowledge Society, National Library Board (NLB), Public Libraries, National Library, National Archives of Singapore, Library Resources, Services, Programs, Cultural Heritage, Reading, Digital Literacy, Information Literacy, Social Media, Citizen Participation

Intranet: PDF

 

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