Singapore recently had the honour of hosting the IFLA (International Federation of Library Associations) World Library and Information Congress (WLIC) 2013 from 17 to 23 August 2013. Over the week, more than 3,500 delegates from 120 countries descended upon our sunny shores to participate in various workshops, talks and events related to the conference.
As the hosting country, we set up an eye-catching booth in the exhibition hall decked in our national colours, featuring demos, project showcases and lots of freebies. NLB, alongside various institutes of higher learning, came together to showcase some of our newest, innovative, and exciting projects.
Our biggest highlight included a new application that now allows patrons to borrow books using mobile devices. Being one of the first public libraries in the world to launch such a service, this application caused some buzz among the library folk, both local and international, and even garnered media attention on the local news. This service also recommends titles based 
on scanned items and allows for multiple profiles so families can managed various accounts from a single device.
Other NLB highlights included studies on text analytics and geospatial analytics that focus on connecting library content and harnessing user data for collection planning, initiatives employing business analytical 
tools to aid management of library collection and Linked Data to increase visibility of NLB’s resources, the Singapore Memory Project memory kit, as well as NLB’s innovation journey, brought alive through interactive digital media.
The innovation brochure showcases NLB’s innovation journey through the use of augmented reality and interactive print. More than a physical brochure, viewers are able to discover and explore dynamic information, links, videos, pictures and more, using their mobile devices. Thus, the brochure embodies NLB’s efforts to bridge the physical and digital worlds and make knowledge come alive. Find out more about NLB’s innovation journey here.