Chief Executive’s Message

November 12, 2005 marks a major milestone in the learning journey of Singapore in its 40th year as a nation. The National Library Board is pleased to announce that the new National Library building will be officially opened by the President of Singapore, Mr S R Nathan. I would like to thank all Singaporeans for their patience and support during the period of construction. You are the reason for us to celebrate this auspicious occasion.

We have entered into a new phase of global competition. Economies have progressively become knowledge-based, with knowledge and services replacing capital and commodities as the main drivers of economic growth. The knowledge-based economy, together with new info-communications technologies heralds the death of distance and separation. It has created an on-demand and “Inform-me” culture where information needs to be made affordable and available. With that, patrons now want us to help them find and validate information from disparate sources. Successful economies of the future will be determined by ‘Knowmatics’ or ‘Knowledge Science’ and ‘Knowledge Technology’. They provide the tools for the effective processing and application of knowledge for the common man and the experts alike.

The National Library will support Singapore’s aspiration to become the global brain reserve of the twenty-first century. As a premier information institution and a national knowledge manager, we have repositioned ourselves to support research and development. We will function as a gateway to knowledge experts and resources. We will also coordinate resource sharing between research institutions and build-up strengths in areas that power the competitiveness of Singapore’s economy. The National Library recognises its role in aggregating Singapore’s knowledge assets and we will continue to ensure easy access to them. We will make it possible to bring all the knowledge spread across domains or disciplines into a single or unified system of conglomerated or embedded system so that the average Singaporean can attain expertise in several domains within a short span of time. Whilst we facilitate knowledge creation, we need to simultaneously equip Singaporeans with the necessary skills to make productive use of knowledge. Encouraging life-long literacy and self-improvement would be a major initiative of the National Library in going forward.

This library will be home to an outstanding Asian and Southeast Asian collection network, the largest of any in Asia. The National Library will be a dynamic, resource-rich, downtown destination – an essential gathering place that inspires learning, invites interaction, collaboration and improves access to knowledge for everyone. A public-private partnership will ensure the excellence and financial viability of the National Library and its services.

Finally, we would like to encourage you to continue learning and exploring, for Knowledge ignites Imagination, and with imagination, we create endless Possibility.

N Varaprasad (Dr)
Chief Executive
National Library Board, Singapore