Achieving the Ables: Reimagining the Digital Discovery Services at the National Library of Singapore

Abstract

The NLB Digital Masterplan articulates the joint vision and key digital strategies of the National Library of Singapore (NLS) and Archives, in enriching the digital library experience for our patrons through 5 key capabilities or ABLES.

The 5 ABLES are envisioned to be: FindABLE, ExpandABLE, UsABLE, DeliverABLE, and PreservABLE.

Digital preservation and sustainability will be embedded as an organisational principle underpinning all digital collection activities. The inherited digital infrastructure of NLS will be refreshed, along with backend and frontend digital services, utilising the latest library information technologies and metadata modelling methodologies from Linked Data, Knowledge Organisation System, to text mining.

There will also be strategic reliance on a planned amendment of the Legal Deposit legislation, as well as implementation of new business models of access/reuse that will push the boundaries of National Library copyright exceptions, in order to accomplish these objectives.

Through the optimisation of these ABLES, it is hoped that the newfound ease of experiencing and using the NLS digital collections, would in turn help to ensure a future where every Singaporean has easy access to Singapore’s past, is then inspired by Singapore’s past, and cherishes his or her personal part to play in weaving the fabric of the nation.