biblio asia outline.indd - National Library Singapore

Library patrons may choose tobrowse the open shelves or checkthe online catalogue to select the titlethey want. Thereafter, they may seekthe help of trained Library Assistantsat the Audio Room who will assignthem a station for viewing or listening.However, some audiovisual materialssuch as audiocassettes for languagelearning, slides for historical topics andLPs for classical music are housed in theRepository Used Collection and maybe reserved at the Information Counterat a nominal fee of $1.55 per item.JustAsk!By Wan Wee Pin, Acting Manager,INVENTAudiovisual Servicesat the Lee Kong ChianReference LibraryBy Hameedah Ibrahim, Reference Librarian,Lee Kong Chian Reference LibraryBackgroundThe fields of library and informationscience are changing and growingrapidly especially in the past thirtyyears. Technological advancementhas created a new wave ofaudiovisual products in the marketsuch as videocassette discs (VCDs)and digital video discs (DVDs).Started in 1983 when the Arts ResourceCentre was set up at the ReferenceServices Division, National Library,the Audiovisual Collection in the LeeKong Chian Reference Library hasgrown to about 20,000 items in thefour official languages. It has becomean important research resource thatcomplements the print collectionsto meet the informational andreference needs of library patrons.Materials in the Audiovisual Collectionare available for browsing at theSingapore and Southeast AsianCollections on Level 11. Librarypatrons may use any of the 10dedicated stations in the AudiovisualRoom on a first come first servedbasis. The Audiovisual Service isavailable from 10.00 am to 9.00 pmdaily except public holidays.Service ProvidedThe service is categorised into:Heritage Audiovisual Service,Audiovisual for Learning and Trainingand Audiovisual Service On-demand. Awide and diverse range of audiovisualmaterials such as videotapes, compactdiscs, VCDs, DVDs, laserdiscs,audiocassettes, slides and long playersrecords (LPs) are available. Librarypatrons with a strong interest inSingapore, heritage, current affairs,visual arts documentaries, business,management, history, languageand social science should definitelymake use of the collection.Challenges and OpportunitiesIn order to meet the challengesand service standards in providinggreater choice of format, the LeeKong Chian Reference will:• continuously acknowledge andrespond to customer demandsin addition to closely monitoringcustomer preferences, trends intechnology and publishing, and• review the collection developmentpolicy regularly to respond to a newand continuously changing informationservices marketplace.ConclusionIn today’s digital information age, wherea greater choice of format competeswith content diverstiy, the Lee KongChian Reference Library will continueto balance the needs of its librarypatrons against content selection anddevelopment. To avoid sacrificing thequality and depth of the collection,the Lee Kong Chian Reference Librarywill be acutely aware of customer needs,be sure that the library has a clear andfiscally realistic focus of purposeand cooperate with other communitylibraries to share resources. At thesame time it will focus on safeguardingthe available materials andintellectual contents for future use.So, visit the Audiovisual Room today foran enriching and fulfilling experience.Singapore has been in the throesof a burgeoning new beginningfor the last few years with wordslike “innovation”, “re-training” and“creativity” being bandied aroundalmost on a monthly basis throughall stratum of society. Many seemtotally caught up with the need tosee things with new eyes or to thinkout of the box as they chase thelatest fad theory or thinking.However, they fail to realise thatthe elixir they are looking for is justright in front of them if only theypay a little attention? How do youto get people to think differently?You get them to ask questions. It’sthat simple. More than just a questfor answers, the act of askinga question enforces a changephysiologically and mentallybecause it is a reflection of one’sdesire to know more and one’sadmittance of one’s inadequacies.The latter is crucial; only until weare able to admit we do not knowsomething, will we be able to geton the path of finding the answer.If we know it all, what else isthere to intrigue and stimulate ourcuriosity? Human progress andgrowth cannot be possible withoutthe desire to search for alternativesor to discover the new. With nocuriosity, the human race will ceaseto exist.For a long time, we always claimthat Singaporean students do notlike or do not want to ask questions;they are too quiet and keep theirviews to themselves. Checkourselves this instance and ponder:Do we ask questions? Do we try tofind out more?A story relates that a group ofteachers, wanting to find theimpetus to get their students toask questions, went to Japan fora study trip. However, when theywere there, not a single one ofthem asked their Japanese hostsany questions!That is the basic premise of thenew campaign that the NationalLibrary Board (NLB) is introducing.A multifaceted campaign, JustAsk aims to educate, cultivate andencourage library patrons to askany questions they may have andto inculcate in them a questioningmind and culture.Just Ask has three major components:Skills, Services and ContentOver the next six months, patronswill be exposed to workshops andprogrammes that will teach themhow to ask questions and how tofind the answers for themselves. Theskills they learn will equip them todeal with questions and questioningtechniques throughout their lifetime.NLB will also be introducing newresearch and enquiry services thatwill allow participants who havequestions to easily gain accessto the answers through differentmediums. The newest kid on theblock will be the SMS ReferenceService where patrons can merelypunch a few buttons to send in theirquestions.Finally, NLB will be showcasingthe databases and resources thatwe possess. For a start, we willbe targeting the three sectorsof Business, Arts and Educationand show how we can becomea valuable information supportsystem for these professionals.To raise the profile of the campaignand to spread the need to askquestions, Just Ask has also createdwhat we call Just Ask Ambassadors.Our line-up of interesting Ambassadorsincludes the likes of Dr Woffles Wu,cartoonist Colin Goh, Dr William Tanand the NUS Everest team.Look out in the coming monthsahead for many related activities,promotions and workshops allgeared towards getting people toask more questions and to developa more innate enquiring character.We are not trying to “evangelise”but simply reminding everyone ofthe truth they may have forgotten;to get them to reflect, dramatise andgrossly magnify what we alreadyhold true. If the Just Ask campaigncan plant the seed of a questioningculture amongst the people, wewould have succeeded, for the realquest for knowledge begins not withinformation but with inquisitiveness.For more details of the series ofactivities related to Just Ask, visitour website www.nlb.gov.sg or pickup a brochure at a library near you.28 29