Information Excellence

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Making the most of our Data

Various data initiatives like big data analytics, geospatial information mining capability, data warehousing and collection planning, demonstrate the importance of such technologies for NLB in the quest for informational excellence.

Upcoming technologies in the area of big data analytics and geospatial information mining, will allow NLB to leverage on them to mine the vast amount of information NLB current has in its possession of reading trends, patron demographics, loan and browse patterns and special patron demands.

In the arena of big data analytics, NLB has begun our foray into this exciting new technology area, with the use of the Apache Mahout and the related Hadoop Framework.

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Clik here to view.Unstructured data currently makes up a huge and growing portion of the content that NLB holds. The unstructured data includes patron title recommendations, patron loan information and article title information. Connecting these data will allow NLB to make content much more discoverable.

In the first instance of a Proof of Concept (PoC) for the use of big data analytics, NLB has utilized text analytics to perform “key phrase extraction” to connect such content. The extracted key phrases are then used to perform searches which throw up other related content. These connections ensure that further discovery around the key topics are just 2 clicks away.

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This system of pre-processing was introduced to NLB’s Infopedia, [1] a search-engine friendly micro site. It makes use of this approach alongside manual recommendations from the librarians. These manual recommendations by librarians are added as Librarian’s Recommendations and provides a 1 click access to related content.

In addition, NLB is currently working on additional PoCs with Apache Mahout, particularly in the areas of content enrichment, clustering and classification.

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Clik here to view.For geospatial information mining, NLB has been able to work together with the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) to overlay the information that we have with the relevant geospatial information system that SLA possesses. This has provided NLB with insights in various areas of planning. Besides providing NLB with the ability to plan for new physical library locations, it is potentially also able to allow NLB to identify, target and focus our collection planning based on library patrons’ needs and habits. As the plethora of information that NLB is able to collect increases, there exists a possibility of using the information gathered through this initiative, for other planning purposes.

Through the use of the data warehousing and collection planning systems, NLB was able to optimize and better manage our collection of library materials.

In particular, the Materials Tracking and Management System (MTMS) provides for visibility and management of physical library materials from the time items are ordered for delivery to NLB, to receiving and subsequent processing, right up to point of delivery to NLB. The main highlights of the MTMS include:

• Real-time or near real-time track and trace of all materials procured and received
• Inventory management of all materials in the Library Supply Centre (LSC) as well as multiple external warehouses
• Resource management of all personnel and material handling equipment in LSC

With the implementation of the MTMS, vast improvements have been seen in:

• Enhanced Inventory Track and Trace ability in terms of inventory accuracy and lower loss/damage rate
• Higher inventory integrity in terms of how inventory is tagged and located
• Higher productivity achieved in terms of better effectiveness and efficiency in library planning and operations
• Further inventory optimization and time-assured delivery services
• · in terms of better understanding of demand patterns, life-cycle cost structures and cost drivers

The examples presented previously are some examples of work in the areas of exploration and work NLB has embarked on. It bears testament to the importance NLB places on information excellence. All the initiatives form part of NLB’s strategy to gain a competitive edge and make the most of all the data and information we have.

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