Libraries as Co-Creators: Developing a Living Digital Encyclopedia with Communities

Abstract

The Encyclopedia of Singapore Tamils (EST), launched in August 2025 by Singapore’s President, Tharman Shanmugaratnam, is the first bilingual digital reference work dedicated to documenting the 200-year history, heritage, and contributions of the Tamil community in Singapore. Developed jointly by the Centre for Singapore Tamil Culture (CSTC) and the National Library Board (NLB), the EST represents a significant milestone in community-led knowledge creation and culturally inclusive librarianship. With more than 400 entries each in English and Tamil spanning history, arts, literature, education, media, organisations, politics, religion, and notable personalities, the EST addresses longstanding gaps in accessible and authoritative information on Singapore Tamils.

This paper examines the EST as a model of collaborative digital heritage development, highlighting how volunteer contributors, researchers, educators, and cultural practitioners worked alongside librarians, cataloguers, and digital heritage specialists to create a sustainable and publicly accessible resource. The paper discusses the technical and curatorial frameworks underpinning the encyclopedia, including bilingual metadata structures, multilingual accessibility, digital discoverability, and community editorial workflows. It also explores the concept of the EST as a “living encyclopedia” , designed to evolve continuously through ongoing community participation and editorial stewardship.

By presenting the EST’s development process, governance model, technical innovations, and community impact, this paper offers insights for libraries and cultural institutions seeking to co-create heritage knowledge with communities. It argues that collaborative digital encyclopedias can play an important role in amplifying minority voices, strengthening cultural resilience, and enriching national memory within increasingly diverse societies.