Embracing Change at Singapore's Newest Polytechnic
Library
In 2002, Celestine Lau joined
Singapore’s Republic Polytechnic Library to help plan and prepare for its
opening in 2003. As a librarian, she works closely with academic staff to
ensure library services support the university’s learning environment and
respond to the changing needs and expectations of its users. Library Connect
reporter Bee Lan Swee, an account development manager with Elsevier Singapore,
asked Celestine to share some of her library’s innovations and experiences
with us.
LC: Would
you say the Republic Polytechnic Library is a traditional library?
Celestine Lau: RP Library is not a traditional library in the sense that
we don’t subscribe to the ‘silence is golden’ rule. Unlike some other
libraries, it is not just a place for study and research but a vibrant place
for discussion and for exchange of ideas. It is a place to relax and a place
to learn.
At the library we cater our services to suit RP’s
‘techno-savvyness‘. We don’t have recommended reading lists or red-spotted
books due to the nature of the problem-based learning approach taken here, and
thus we have a wide range of titles/authors for each subject. Every student
and staff member at the Republic Polytechnic has a personal laptop and
wireless card which enable them to access electronic databases anytime,
anywhere when logged onto the polytechnic’s network.
LC: What’s different about the Republic Polytechnic Library?
Lau: Well, to begin with, we believe in doing things differently. Also,
our students learn through the problem-based learning (PBL) approach and the
library is a supporting arm of the PBL pedagogy. In fact, we go beyond
supporting our students’ academic pursuits. We also support the polytechnic’s
belief in holistic education by providing musical instruments to support our
students’ extracurricular activities, as well as holding interactive and
enrichment programs in the library.
Another
distinctdifference is the fact that the RP Library caters to the leisure
reading needs of our users with a leased collection from the National Library
on a rotational basis. This allows us to keep up with our users’ tastes
without having to invest too much money.
The library embraces
technology to enhance services. For example, we provide users with remote
communication with library staff via instant messaging for inquiries and help.
We also support the campus’ paperless concept by relying on the library
website and email to relay announcements and messages.
We use
the existing library system to extend our loan services beyond books and other
multimedia resources to audio-visual equipment such as digital cameras, video
cameras and webcams. This exposes our students to the use of technology,
making them more techno-savvy in the workplace.
And we are
always open to experimenting with new technologies to tweak traditional
library systems and functions.
LC
: If you were to describe a library you worked in five or ten years ago and
the library you work in now, what would be the most significant changes you’ve
seen?
Lau: Other than how technology has changed the
ways information can be stored, organized and retrieved (which is ongoing),
libraries in the past were not as customer-focused or user-driven as they are
today. We preferred to adhere to our traditional ways. In the past, users had
to adapt to the library system. But over time, libraries (as with other types
of organizations) have realized we need to continuously rethink and reinvent
our role and how we deliver our services. Librarians now need to adapt to
technology and initiate changes to keep up with our users’ changing needs and
expectations.
LC: What do
you see as the forces driving change in a library environment?
Lau: I see these forces as external market forces — our users and their
needs, for example, but also technological changes. Most importantly, one of
the key forces for change should come from within the library, i.e.
librarians. Librarians need to recognize and accept change but also initiate
change to improve our profession and our services.
LC: We’ve read that the polytechnic’s objective is to add value to
the student’s intellectual make-up in terms of problem-solving skills and
lifelong learning attitude. How does the library achieve that objective?
Lau: The librarian’s role at RP is, in fact, no different from the
familiar librarian role, i.e. librarians do not know the answer to everything,
but we can show users how and where to find it. Our library plays a major part
in exposing our students to the vast resources available for exploration. To
ensure they don’t get lost in the maze of information, we equip them with
information searching skills which will arm them to suceed in PBL at RP and
beyond.
LC: Can you say a
bit more about problem-based learning and how the library goes about
supporting it?
Lau: PBL is a self-directed learning
process in which students learn investigative and exploratory skills that
bring about learning and the curiosity to learn more. The PBL approach returns
the responsibility, ownership and joy of learning to the student. True
learning comes about when learners make sense of their own experience and
thinking by creating, and not simply receiving, knowledge. At RP, we’ve set up
a learning environment and culture in which our students can learn more
effectively by engaging in collaborative and metacognitive activities.
Students work in teams throughout each day to build various approaches and
solutions to the problems they receive. A holistic assessment approach,
including daily reflections and peer evaluations, is complemented by regular
facilitator feedback to help students improve.
The library
has been designed with an array of ergonomic furniture and spaces to
facilitate PBL group discussions among students. We encourage discussion in
open reading areas rather than restricting students to silence. However, we
still provide a quiet reading room, one that contains the silence rather than
the noise — the reverse of the traditional library. We also have power points
throughout the library together with campus-wide wireless capability enabling
Internet connection anywhere, and facilitating discussion and access to
information.
LC: How involved is the library with the
learning environment online? Does this approach encourage or increase use of
online resources?
Lau: RP is a paperless campus,
something the library strongly supports. We encourage the use of online and
electronic information via our databases as much as we do with the print
collection. Since every student is equipped with a laptop and wireless
connection, staff and students can access our databases anywhere on campus and
even from home. PBL does not restrict students to referring to a particular
reading list or specific title when solving problems, and we find our online
resources are as popular as our print collection as a source of reference.
LC: How has the polytechnic’s embrace of new technologies affected
library services?
Lau: With everyone hooked up, there
is now improved communication and flow of information with our users both
within and beyond the library walls. We also keep up with the times by
providing the latest technology tools to our users.
LC: What innovative services or facilities are available in the
library?
Lau: As I mentioned earlier, we loan out
audio-visual equipment such as IM (instant messaging) communication and
webcams. In addition you’ll find PCs equipped with multimedia tools for
conversion and editing of video recordings readily available in our library.
Such tools are usually only available to students in restricted laboratories.
LC: What else goes on in the library?
Lau:
We cater to leisure as well as academic needs of our users. The library’s
services and facilities offer something for every student. There’s a vast
collection of books, magazines, DVDs and online resources to choose from. The
library is equipped with an Xbox station, music stations, plasma TV and DVD
players to help students unwind.
We also provide self-check
machines, scanners and a 24-hour book returning service for the convenience of
all students and staff. Our online catalogue allows users to check their
borrower records and collection details anytime, as well as make reservations
and renewals.
All these services, like the online databases
and other electronic resources, are well used.
LC: What services or facilities have proved most popular with
students?
Lau: The discussion areas and of course the
Xbox station.
LC: How do
you go about ensuring you’re always switched on to what your users want?
Lau: We work closely not only with academic staff but also with students,
observing information-seeking behaviors and obtaining regular feedback. Annual
user surveys are conducted and feedback from students and staff is looked into
immediately. We also use feedback channels such as the Staff Suggestion Scheme
and Quality Service Management Program. In addition, we hire student
assistants and work very closely with them.
Significantly, it
helps that the library is always accessible to staff and students beyond its
walls, especially via instant messaging.
LC: How do you work with faculty?
Lau: We
have regular staff-sharing sessions from which we gather faculty feedback and
exchange and share new ideas and ways to improve our library services.
LC: What are the demographics of your user group?
Lau: We have a mix of local and foreign students which adds flavor to
campus life. Our students are your usual hip and trendy polytechnic teenagers.
But they are somewhat different as they are experiencing the PBL regime and
enjoy the privilege of wireless connection on campus. Therefore, it’s
particularly important for the library to be a hip and cool place where these
teens want to hang out.
LC
: Have you had to recruit people with non-traditional library skills to
support the services you offer?
Lau: No, but we have a
lot of support staff in other departments with whom we work closely. Their
expertise is just as important as traditional library skills in making our
library what it is today.
LC
: How do you market the range of services offered by your library?
Lau: A number of ways, including announcing new arrivals and other news on
the library webpage, emails, e-newsletters, orientation briefings to staff and
students, information skills workshops and staff-sharing sessions.
LC : Do you get the word out to your users that your library is a
pioneering, cutting-edge sort of place?
Lau: Our main
aim is to support the PBL concept our users work within. However, we do let
our users know what sets our library apart from the traditional library, most
of them are used to libraries being quiet and solemn. In turn, they have shown
us innovative ways of using the library to further enhance our contribution to
the PBL system, for example, having facilitators conduct coaching sessions and
discussions with students.
LC
: RP has a big change coming up when it relocates to a new campus in 2006.
What will the new library be like?
Lau: There will be
a new two-story library with the latest stock of books to meet our students’
research needs. Other than the expansion in space, the library will continue
to provide the same range of services to our students. Where applicable, we’ll
update our services to keep up with the times. For example, we’ve realized
that music stations stocked with CDs are now out of date and our users are
into MP3. This is one area we’ll be improving on as we move into this exciting
new phase for the library.
About the Republic Polytechnic Library
The Republic Polytechnic (RP), Singapore’s 5th Polytechnic, welcomed its first
students in July 2003. Education at RP is not just about classroom learning.
It’s about embracing a new learning pedagogy, living in a highly conducive
learning environment, and engaging in diverse activities to support the
well-rounded growth and development of the individual. The library supports
this new learning environment with an innovative design and concept and a
growing collection of about 32,000 volumes. Equipped with furniture and spaces
designed to facilitate problem-based learning (PBL) discussions and brainstorm
sessions, the library, like the rest of the campus, is completely wireless,
offering mobile access to electronic information and the Internet.
Experiential and exploratory learning as part of the PBL process is encouraged
at the library through multimedia and multisensory mediums like musical
instruments and computer games. At RP, learning takes many forms and no two
learning experiences are the exactly the same. Coming to RP is about
experiencing a unique culture and environment created to foster future leaders.
