Singapore Libraries Bulletin Blog : Library Association of Singapore

As you will be aware, on 23 May 2007 the UNSW Vice Chancellor announced the closure of UNSW Asia after this semester.

As students are still attending classes and will be sitting for examinations from mid-June until the end of the month, Library Services will continue as normal, including a period of late night study hall hours so that students have a conducive place to prepare and sit for their examinations.

Limited library facilities will be made available for staff until they move on.

As you will appreciate, this is an extraordinarily difficult time for both users and staff but Library Services are endeavouring to provide all the support we can until the final closure.

When more precise information is known we will share it with you.

Thank you for all the very supportive messages we have received.

Contributed by Isabella Trahn, UNSW Asia Library

With effect from 31 Jan 2007, Ngee Ann Polytechnic (NP) Library has been renamed Lien Ying Chow Library.  A Gallery was also set up in honour of Dr Lien Ying Chow, one of NP’s founding fathers.

Dr Lien played a pivotal role in the establishment of Ngee Ann College, the predecessor of Ngee Ann Polytechnic, in its early days. 

Dr Lien was a successful entrepreneur, banker, hotelier, property magnate and philanthropist. The naming of the Library after Lien Ying Chow and setting up of the Lien Ying Chow Gallery is intended to achieve two objectives. Firstly, it is to keep Dr Lien’s vision and memory alive and allow NP students to remember NP’s rich history and heritage. Secondly, through the Lien Ying Chow Gallery, our students will be inspired by Dr Lien’s many sterling achievements. They will be able to learn from his legendary business acumen and emulate his many admirable qualities such as perseverance, tenacity, philanthropy and humility. 
 
Taking pride of place in the 67 sq m Gallery are story panels highlighting Dr Lien’s rags-to-riches story, his legendary business acumen, services to the country, commitment to education and passion for community service, his sterling achievements such as the awards that he had won, as well as tributes from his friends, business associates and family.

In addition, students can also browse a collection of some 150 books and multimedia titles on successful Asian entrepreneurs, pioneers of Singapore, philanthropy and the Chinese diaspora. 

All these are aimed at inspiring our students to emulate his admirable qualities such as perseverance, tenacity, philanthropy and humility, fire their spirit of entrepreneurship, and inspire them to achieve their own greatness and give back to society.

Contributed by Chris Ng Kok Lian, Reference Librarian, NP Library

The Lien Ying Chow Library, Ngee Ann Polytechnic launched SuperSearch on 28 Apr 2006 to give its users a one-stop shopping experience for their information needs.

Prior to the launch of SuperSearch, users looking for information could only search the Library’s subscribed electronic databases one at a time.  At times, they may not be fully aware of the range of databases relevant to their topics of interest, or they may be deterred by having to understand the search syntax unique to each database.  Thus, the return on expensive investments in database subscriptions could not be optimally realized.  

The technology driving SuperSearch is the WebFeat federated search engine, from WebFeat. It links disparate information sources transparently through a single user interface, enabling simultaneous searching across different vendor’s databases upon executing a search.  We have customized our front-end to present databases by categories according to the academic disciplines and also by popular types of resources such as OPAC, e-books and newspapers.

After a year of implementation, we have observed a marked increase in the usage of many of the subscribed databases.  SuperSearch has features which overcome some major weaknesses normally encountered in a conventional search process: 

1. Simultaneous searching — users have the option to search on the default databases that have been pre-selected, or to select any other databases of interest for inclusion in the search. Savvy searchers who are familiar with the search features of the original databases could also click on hyperlinks to access the native mode to conduct their searches on the specific database.
2. Metasearching –- SuperSearch saves time and effort as users are now able to access and search databases more efficiently.  The response is fast, and searches are quick and convenient. The user who needs to do comprehensive research need not repeat the same search strategies across different databases. Searches are executed simultaneously across a number of databases at one go. 
3. Search syntax — users no longer have to grapple with different search syntax that differs across different vendors’ products.  Keywords or phrases are input into the search boxes, the Boolean operators have been defaulted and the search can be immediately executed. As some users have aptly feedback, “Make searching simple for me. I don’t want to grapple with strategies, just give me the info.” 
4. Search interface – the intuitive common user interface is an advantage. There is no need for users to re-orientate themselves to different search interfaces and no learning curves across different vendor’s products.

Some of the benefits to the Library from this implementation includes:

• SuperSearch has enabled the Library to reap maximum returns from the investments in database subscription costs.  It has raised the profile of all our subscribed databases, including the more obscure ones as they are now prominently displayed upfront. 
• Connectors to many databases are already available as WebFeat is an established search engine. Only connectors to local databases had to be developed. This greatly speeded up the implementation time. 
• The ASP business model meets our needs.  The licence fee over a three-years’ commitment period is only a quarter of the cost compared to a one-off pricing model.  This model has many advantages:
  • Relieves the Library of the complexities and manpower costs to maintain any hardware and software. 
  • 24×7 monitoring of the WebFeat database translators off-site, with self-executing upgrade files installed at the remote server. 
  • Upgrades are transparently implemented by the WebFeat technical team.  This ensures that when we access SuperSearch, the software version is always current and up-to-date.
  • Gives the Library freedom to migrate to other systems should there be other better federated search engines on the market in the future.    

SuperSearch has enhanced the virtual experience of our library users. Feedback from our users have been very positive:

“It is good, efficient and fast. We can save a lot of time searching.” Ling Sze Ling, Electronic & Computer Engineering Student

“One time search, comprehensive and convenient.” Sean, Early Childhood Education Student

“No more hassle and trouble doing projects!” Nurul Izzah, Early Childhood Education Student

“Super Search is very useful as it could cover and search through many areas at one go.” Yip Khai Yew, Business & Accountancy Lecturer

“No more hassle and trouble doing projects!” Koh Siew Kheng, Electronic & Computer Engineering Lecturer

Contributed by Agnes Ng, Circulation Manager, NP Library