United Nations Public Service Awards Case Studies

Over the last two decades, libraries in many parts of the world have been suffering from a decline in usage. A 1992 survey revealed that the public found the comprehensiveness and accessibility of the collections, services, and facilities in Singapore’s libraries inadequate. Only 12% of the population visited a library at least once a year and membership was decreasing. Libraries were congested, book pages were tattered and torn and they were either old (the average shelf-life of a book was 11 years) or not sufficient in number and variety. In addition, many carts of unshelved books were left unattended in crowded aisles. Long queues formed to borrow or return books and the perceived standard of service was “average” compared to the other public sector services, as staff was unhelpful or unapproachable. Staff development was weak as most spent their days mending damaged pages and book spines, which was necessary to keep the service running. Professional librarians were unhappy that they were doing little professional work.

Public libraries generally offer similar collections and services. Few improvements were made in the 1980s, and the Singaporean system continued to lag far behind that of other developed cities. For example, in Glasgow, Scotland, one public library served 65,000 people, versus one library for every 200,000 people in Singapore as cited in the 1992 survey. Libraries were old-fashioned and uninviting, as were most government buildings. In addition, it became clear that the traditional practice of replicating public libraries with similar collections and services in housing estates in Singapore was no longer the best way to cater to the diverse needs of the community.

Singapore is a multi-racial society and there is a need to ensure that no segment of the society becomes marginalised by the lack of access to knowledge. By delivering learning and knowledge conveniently and affordably, Singaporeans could develop their personal knowledge and learning skills, seek opportunities and adapt flexibly to the changing economy. Singapore’s drive to become a knowledge-based economy has accelerated over the recent years and there is a need for libraries to provide real-time access to knowledge for Singapore to succeed in a globally competitive environment.

Other strategic challenges were the library’s roles in providing lifelong learning opportunities for the population at large, especially the disadvantaged and senior citizens. There is a need to offer individuals the avenues and resources for personal growth and development; and helping customers navigate and access credible and authoritative information in this Internet Age. Finally, the library faces competition from other leisure choices such as the Internet, and other forms of entertainment and lifestyle pursuits for the discretionary time of its customers.

While the library acknowledges its traditional role as a custodian of the nation’s literary heritage, promoting literacy, reading and providing reference services, it is also fully aware of its new roles of delivering services for the nation’s social and economic development.

What is the initiative about? (the solution)
The National Library Board (NLB) was formed in September 1995 and embarked on 2 major initiatives to provide Singaporeans with a world-class library system via the L2000 Master Plan (1995-2005) and subsequently via the L2010 Master Plan (2006 – 2010). One of the NLB’s first priorities was to reduce the queuing times and improve service quality. NLB was the first public library in the world to use Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology to develop its Electronic Library Management System (EliMS). RFID tags were used in each item in the libraries’ collection to ease its identification and subsequent management. EliMS was estimated to have saved NLB $50 million in manpower costs, which would otherwise have to be incurred to hire an additional 2,000 staff to manually process book returns and loans to reduce queuing time. EliMS had also helped NLB make more of its collection available, thus maximising the utilisation of each book as well as reducing the borrowing and returning queue time from a typical 45 minutes to virtually zero. Another impactful innovation had been in terms of the library’s ambience. For instance, furniture and lighting were made more user-friendly; several libraries had cafes on the premises where users could take library materials and use them as they deemed fit, even while consuming food or drinks. Library layout was modernized, and furnishing made more comfortable. To provide easy access to the public and cater to the varied needs of its different customer segments, NLB introduced libraries within shopping malls as part of its network. Originally meant as a stop-gap measure as planning library buildings required a long lead time, these shopping mall libraries have since become lifestyle libraries that are irresistible attractions in their own right and that contribute about 40 percent of all loans and attendances despite amounting to less than 20 percent of the total space in the library system. The library@esplanade is an example of a lifestyle library catering to the specific customer’s needs. A one-stop resource library for the performing arts, library@esplanade also offers information and services in the areas of music, dance, theatre and film. Another initiative was the digital library, found at www.eresources.nlb.gov.sg. It is NLB’s one-stop information portal around the clock complementing its existing network of physical libraries. NLB’s 24-hour remote access digital resources saw 72 million retrievals in 2008 and delivered a lot more information directly to the patrons regardless of location. Leveraging the search engine optimisation technique, NLB redesigned its website architecture to enhance discovery of its e-content via Google, Yahoo! and MSN (GYM). A comparison of page views before and after the trial showed a 362-fold increase in usage, from 400 accesses per month to 145,000 per month. As an indicator of quality services, the NLB’s compliment to complaint ratio was 18:1 in 2008. Today, library’s visitorship is 36 million a year, and loans 29 million a year, 2-3 times more than in 1995.

Who proposed the solution, who implemented it and who were the stakeholders?
In June 1992, Mr George Yeo, former Minister for Information and the Arts in Singapore, set up the Library 2000 Review Committee and appointed over 100 senior representatives from the public, academic and private sectors to review local library services and recommend improvements. Their recommendations were contained in the Library 2000 report. Dr. Tan Chin Nam, then Chairman of the National Computer Board (NCB) and then Managing Director of the Economic Development Board (EDB) was appointed Chairman of this Committee. On 1 September 1995, Dr. Christopher Chia, a former senior executive at the National Computer Board, was brought in as the NLB’s new chief executive to implement the recommendations made by the L2000 Review Committee. In September 2004, Dr N Varaprasad joined NLB as its chief executive and spearheaded the implementation of the recommendations made by the L2010 Committee members and focus groups contained in the Library 2010 Master Plan to further develop NLB’s collections, services and capabilities, and exploit new possibilities brought about by changes in the digital and internet environment. Everyone in NLB, from the Chief Executive to the Team Leader, contributes to solutions and innovations in many different ways, so much so that innovation has become an integral part of NLB’s culture, leading to a steady stream of solutions to solve problems, large and small. This structured approach originated from a very informal and intuitive process based on the principle of bringing people together from different areas who could provide different ways of looking at problems. NLB takes a proactive approach in generating and gathering ideas by focusing on processes to generate ideas internally through staff and externally through customers, suppliers and partners. The Staff Suggestions Scheme (SSS) is a key mechanism for individuals to contribute ideas. To catalyse ideas generation, NLB employs techniques such as thematic suggestions where specific problems or issues are described and publicised for individual staff to suggest solutions. Communities of Practice (COPs) bring together staff who share similar interests or work areas, to discuss issues and generate insights and ideas to improve current practices or other organisational areas. Staff brainstorming sessions are forums that provide opportunities for staff to offer or generate ideas. Customer inputs that become ideas for innovation are obtained through customer feedback and suggestion forms, customer satisfaction surveys and the customer hotline, as well as focus groups. For example, Customer focus groups for library@esplanade involved students, teachers and practitioners of the performing arts. NLB manages its partners and suppliers by proactively working with them to identify and develop innovation opportunities or solutions. Partners and supplier opinions are gathered and if assessed to be practically feasible are implemented via projects. NLB evolves its services though a partnership with its staff from all levels, customers, suppliers, vendors, Library Board members and supervising Ministry.

Describe how and when the initiative was implemented by answering these questions
a. What were the strategies used to implement the initiative? In no more than 500 words, provide a summary of the main objectives and strategies of the initiative, how they were established and by whom.
At the strategic level of the Library 2000 Master Plan, NLB aims to deliver a world-class library system that is convenient, accessible and useful to Singaporeans through: (1) organisational leadership, defined as a flexible structure and an effective management system; (2) technology to speed up, streamline, and improve service to patrons while increasing the efficiency of library operations; and (3) human resources to attract, train, retain, and motivate high-quality staff. Under the Library 2010 Master Plan, NLB aims to bring the world’s knowledge to Singapore to create a positive social and economic impact. The five outcomes identified by NLB include the following: - First stop for Asian content and services; - Information and knowledge services powering the economy; - Self-sustaining learning communities; - Public libraries as social learning spaces; and - A supportive environment for library, information and knowledge professionals. At the operational level, NLB’s strategies are implemented as corporate projects using the Project Management Methodology, which enables NLB to plan and manage the design process in terms of resources, schedules and scope in an effective and efficient manner. The methodology also helps NLB to manage multiple product and service development projects as well as collaborate with other agencies and vendors who can help us deliver the outcomes, leveraging on the strengths of different partners. For example, NLB and its technology partners were jointly awarded the International Certificate of Grant of Patent in December 2000 for the invention of the RFID application in the tracking and monitoring of books. NLB’s desire to satisfy customers’ needs drives the organisation to reinvent itself relentlessly through creative yet practical strategies. Three essential strategies were deployed throughout the years: - Bring libraries to the people; - Lifestyle approach; - Programmes and Exhibition. The most substantive effort was to bring libraries to the people. The first shopping mall library was opened in March 1996. Today, there is a total of 8 shopping mall libraries within NLB’s network of 23 libraries. Libraries are also brought into civic centers and community hubs to create a robust learning environment and to bring convenience to customers. NLB also moved to make the library suit the citizen’s lifestyle. Making the library a cool place enticed non-users to use it as a meeting point. In doing so, non-users are attracted to use library services and introduced to the learning environment. The lifestyle approach meant that users could co-evolve library services. One such result of co-evolving was the Teen’s Library at Jurong Regional Library. It is the first library in Singapore to offer a dedicated service for teenagers called “Verging All Teens” (V.A.T). Embracing a digital lifestyle and returning books at any of the library branches’ bookdrops at anytime met the needs of most users. NLB’s creative programming and exhibitions further opened the library to traditional non-customers in an unthreatening style. Further, roadshows and promotions brought NLB’s brand to the common man. With the wave of easily accessible digital information, NLB embraced the challenge by identifying and providing web services.

b. What were the key development and implementation steps and the chronology? No more than 500 words
NLB uses information and communication technology to deliver innovative products and services, to enhance the quality of the learning experience, cut costs, and improve internal processes, and communication. NLB also worked on changing the public’s image of the library from a book repository to a place for the people to learn, explore, and discover; and to rebrand librarians as service-oriented “information providers” rather than custodians of materials. In its move to bring libraries to the people, the NLB opened the first shopping mall library in March 1996. In order to introduce changes quickly via organised teams, NLB adopted the Project Management Methodology to help staff in developing an idea from its inception to its implementation. In 1997, NLB launched a full-fledged business process reengineering (BPR) exercise via project teams to achieve quantum improvements. Teams were given six months to come up with concrete improvement targets and implementation plans for various processes that directly contribute to the services offered to customers. For example, Time-to-Market (i.e. time between selecting a title for acquisition and the title being available for borrowing) was significantly reduced by 18 weeks in total turnaround time. Inspired by the RFID technology, the NLB saw the potential of this technology to solve the problem of queues by implementing self check-out. NLB prototyped the RFID-enabled library successfully and showcased it to the Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore in November 1998. To entice users to visit libraries, NLB changed the libraries’ look and feel by featuring clean, open, modern, comfortable surroundings and cafes such as Starbucks and snack bars. Library @ Orchard, the first lifestyle library at a shopping mall was opened in October 1999. With many automatic services already in place, the NLB started the world’s first Do-It-Yourself (DIY) library at the Sengkang Public Library in 2002, which aimed to provide a level of service that is basic, useful and adequate for most customers with minimal staff. Since 2005, NLB is guided by the Library 2010 Master Plan to provide a trusted, accessible and globally connected library and information service network to promote the growth of a knowledgeable and engaged society. Various innovative services ranging from those that offer added convenience to busy Singaporeans to solutions that ensure nobody is left behind have impressed customers and are first-of-its kind in the world. Examples include Library in Your Pocket - a convenient service that allows customers to access library services, download e-books or view library programmes on the go via mobile phones, or using SMS to get an enquiry answered. Other projects with a higher ‘human quotient’ factor include community outreach partnerships such as a free delivery service for customers who are home-bound, called Project Deliver Me, where volunteers are ferried by volunteer taxi-drivers to deliver books specially requested by these customers; MOLLY – a fully wireless mobile library bus that regularly visits children in special needs schools and homes; and our annual Charity Book Donation where previously-used books from our libraries are specially donated to charities.

c. What were the main obstacles encountered? How were they overcome? No more than 500 words
A key challenge for NLB was having to manage staff uncertainty and train them for new job areas to prepare them to run the library services business from a very manual service to an IT focused and self-help system where users do not have to wait for staff to help them. This challenge was overcome by assuring staff that nobody would be retrenched due to the planned transformation. Mass communication sessions were held and participation in the change effort was encouraged at all levels through the Staff Suggestion Scheme. Further, all staff were provided training to prepare them for their enhanced customer service roles using computers to reduce fear of technology or the challenge of dealing with customers. Staff were briefed very early on that book-stamping and other such routine and low value-add activities that could be automated would be automated. There was a heavy emphasis on reviewing and improving the processes. The NLB management team felt that low value-added processes not only reduced efficiency, they created an unsatisfactory work environment and lowered morale. This affected the way staff served the library customers, leading to poor perceptions and complaints, and further lowered staff’s performance. To ensure that all staff were aligned in the same direction, the NLB management emphasized goals and intentions and demonstrated sincerity and commitment to ensure that all staff clearly understood and believed in the message. Also, all staff were trained in project management and business process re-engineering techniques to facilitate implementation of improvement and innovation projects. In addition, , targeted quality circles involving staff were encouraged to improve on the quality of their work. A second key challenge was the existence of outdated processes that were not effective. A lot of the improvements were addressed through better use of IT systems and more targeted performance measures. In 1998, the NLB developed a set of service standards and performance measurements to manage targets in operations and customer services for all its branches so that the library’s performance evaluation process is shifted from supervisory discretion to a more objective system that required inputs from peers and customers to nurture the total quality mindset within the organisation. A third challenge was to cause a mindset change. Before the transformation, staff had the public sector mentality of taking conservative approaches in work. During and after the transformation, staff were given greater flexibility and authority to contribute ideas and to consider “out-of-the-box” alternatives. Rather than see IT or the Internet as harbingers of a reduced or marginalized role for libraries, NLB successfully exploited both to improve library services and enhance access from home, offices and schools as well as relieving library staff of mundane activities to focus on customer services and other value-added services. For example, GoLibrary was introduced to allow users to search and register for programmes online prior to visiting the libraries. This innovative service won a top international marketing award in 2009.

d. What resources were used for the initiative and what were its key benefits? In no more than 500 words, specify what were the financial, technical and human resources’ costs associated with this initiative. Describe how resources were mobilized
The L2000 report was submitted and approved in March 1994. In September 1995, the NLB was formed to transform the Library 2000 vision into reality by focusing on building infrastructure and re-engineering processes to lead library development in Singapore. The NLB secured government funding of S$1 billion in 1996 for the following eight years. The major part of the funding was for the revamp of the collection, the technological systems, 10 new public libraries, and a new building for the National Library that would serve as an architectural landmark showcasing Singapore’s achievements as a knowledge economy. In addition, NLB gave the staff better remuneration, new designer-conceived uniforms, business cards, and an improved workspace by increasing the number of workstations, giving all staff e-mail and free Internet access in the library in order to enable the NLB to deliver existing services and introduce new ones via the Internet infrastructure. The IT systems were networked and processes standardized so that library branches could behave as part of a network of libraries instead of stand-alone libraries. A new library management system was installed to manage the planned growth. The collections, purchasing and logistics processes were also centralized for efficiency gains. In the area of recruitment, NLB emphasized the drawing of creative talent from various diverse fields such as biosciences, business, marketing, IT and others to promote diversity, staff confidence and to get new ideas. The rapid prototyping approach gave NLB the ability to try and experiment with new ideas and transplant experiences gained from a successful project to another project, which resulted in massive improvements. Hence, NLB was able to open three libraries every year compared to one library every three years before the transformation, a nine-fold increase. In 2005, NLB secured government funding of S$100 million to fulfill the L2010 Master Plan by redefining the purpose of libraries in the knowledge economy. The major part of the funding was to build on the existing infrastructure to further engage the community as well as build Asian collections and to support innovation, enterprise and knowledge production across Singapore as a whole. Resources were mobilized by forming project teams with each team focusing on a project with clear deliverables, e.g. set up a new public library. Funds were allocated based on requirements and the projects were monitored closely to ensure that the outcomes were achieved within budgets and timelines.

Is the initiative sustainable and transferable?
NLB’s initiatives are sustainable and transferable as they are supported by the following factors: a) Strong, clearly expressed shared values All staff in NLB are committed to a common set of core values i.e. commitment to customer service and excellence; valuing the community; working and sharing together; passion for learning and taking responsibility. These core values are regularly communicated to staff and built into the staff appraisal system. b) Future-orientation and commitment to stakeholders NLB’s vision for the future is well documented in the Library 2010 Master Plan. The master plan will build on the excellent work done by NLB over the past decade to propel the earlier vision to greater heights. c) Strong learning culture In NLB, every staff plays dual roles – both a learner and a teacher. The values of the organisation demand that staff learn from each other through formal and informal ways. Knowledge-sharing and fostering a learning behavior is a characteristic of all NLB staff. d) Reception to new ideas Staff are committed to learn best practices from models such as bookstores and museums to less obvious models such as banks, supermarkets, music megastores, clubs and the science center. NLB is constantly looking to other industries for new benchmarks in order to meet the changing demands of library users. NLB also stays close to the private sector to keep abreast of cutting-edge developments outside the public service. NLB has responded positively to frequent requests from local and international organisations to share its service quality and organisational transformation journeys. Such requests tacitly recognise NLB as a thought leader in the world of library services management. An example of inter country collaboration was in 2004 when NLB collaborated with the Thai Government to set up a Resource Centre within the Thailand Creative & Design Centre (TCDC) to foster the country’s creativity and inspire innovative ideas among design professionals and entrepreneurs. NLB’s roles were in library conceptualisation, service and design planning, digital library implementation and setting up of an automated library management system. NLB staff were also seconded to Bangkok to set up the operations and train staff of the TCDC. Another example of inter country collaboration was in 2006, when NLB was engaged by Singapore’s RSP Architects, Planners & Engineers to provide customised Total Library Solutions to the new WeiFang City Public Library in Shandong Province, China. From the proposal and design of the Library Concept, Library Facilities Planning, Library Services Development & Deployment, and Library Manpower Capability Development to its implementation, NLB planned , managed and coordinated the entire project. In 2007, NLB was appointed as the consultant to the new library at Sripatum University (SPU) in Thailand. These libraries are now running successfully on their own, using the NLB model of operations and managing of quality services.

What are the impact of your initiative and the lessons learned?
a) Impact The innovative use of technology had propelled NLB to the cover of the 2 January 2001 inaugural Networking Section of the Asian Wall Street Journal. In an article entitled “Libraries get high-tech boost”, the libraries in Singapore were touted as being “trendsetting” and “historic”. NLB moved dynamically forward from this point and won the prestigious Singapore Innovation Award (2001), Singapore Quality Award (2004), Singapore Distinguished Public Service Award (2004 and 2007) and Singapore Service Excellence Award (2009). The library has achieved much with free membership to Singaporeans, practically zero queuing time to borrow and return books, over 800,000 on-line ebooks and journals, digitised newspapers, on-line access to photos and over 5000 organised events annually. Its visitorship of some 38 million a year, annual loans of 29 million and digital library membership of 1.2 million are comparable to major libraries of the world and outstripped that of other lifestyle activities such as going to the cinemas and community clubs. It nurtures an organisation-wide Customer Service Culture by putting in place a comprehensive customer service training programme to equip staff to manage customer feedback and demands, and empowers its 1,000 employees to delight the customers they serve. NLB is well-regarded worldwide and has been appointed by the International Federation of Library Associations, based in The Hague, Holland, as its Regional Office for Asia-Oceania since 1 Jan 2006. NLB’s achievements have been documented and discussed at top business schools such as Harvard, INSEAD, Yale, Warwick and the National University of Singapore (NUS), which have written business case studies on its transformation, innovativeness and strong customer-orientation. b) Lessons Learnt To succeed in managing organisational changes, NLB has adopted an inclusive, open and transparent management style to rally support from the staff. NLB is committed to communicating openly and honestly. Conscious to avoid working in isolation, staff constantly consult and keep each other well-informed. They freely share with each other their ideas, skills and knowledge for the betterment of NLB as a whole. Despite the initial discomfort of staff with the changes, they appreciated and supported the new changes after they understood the NLB management’s good intents and sensed their sincerity and deep commitment to bring about positive changes. The importance of engaging all staff, customers, suppliers, community, Library Board and Supervising Ministry in the development of NLB is another key lesson learnt. c) Critical Success Factors The key elements that contributed towards the success of NLB’s initiatives are: (1) organisational leadership – the ability of the leadership to rally all staff and stakeholders to work towards achieving organizational success, through its vision, commitment and perseverance. ; (2) technology – the effective use of technology to speed up, streamline, and improve service to patrons while increasing the efficiency of library operations; and (3) human resources – the ability to attract, train, retain, and motivate high-performing staff. These 3 factors put together enabled the NLB to plan and implement its plans effectively, with the support of its stakeholders from within and outside NLB.


Institution Name:		National Library Board Singapore
Institution Type:		Government Agency
Contact Person:		William Loh Vee Lian
Title:		Manager
Telephone/ Fax:		065-63424435
Institution's / Project's Website:		065-63424411
E-mail:		william_loh@nlb.gov.sg
Address:		278 Marine Parade Road #B1-01 Marine Parade Community Building
Postal Code:		449282
City:		Singapore
State/Province:		Singapore
Country:		Singapore

The Problem

Solution and Key Benefits

Actors and Stakeholders

(a) Strategies

(b) Implementation

(c) Overcoming Obstacles

(d) Use of Resources

Sustainability and Transferability

Lessons Learned

Contact Information