Visitors suggest book ideas, service and programme improvements to co-create well-loved library spaces

The National Library Board (NLB) is celebrating Customer Appreciation Day on 1 September to honour all its library visitors. These include customers who have made suggestions to expand the library collection, and improve programmes and services. NLB values these suggestions and implements feasible ideas to enhance the overall library experience.

Mrs Elaine Ng, Chief Executive Officer of NLB shares, “Our customers are our most important partners in our journey to improve. By involving, consulting and co-creating with our customers, NLB hopes we can continue to be a well-loved public service.”

44 visitors are given special recognition on this occasion. They include 15 visitors who posted suggestions on books to add to the library's collection through the social media initiative “Fill Our Shelves, Suggest a Book”, and the 25 top book borrowers from children to senior citizens.

The library has recognised four visitors who have been spotted for their gracious behaviour by library staff. Dr William Wan, General Secretary from the Singapore Kindness Movement has given them awards during Customer Appreciation Day. In conjunction with Customer Appreciation Day, NLB continues organising an array of activities at various libraries for visitors to enjoy from 1 to 8 September.

Effectives Ideas from Customers

NLB values customers' suggestions and implements feasible ideas to enhance the library experience for visitors. Ideas from library visitors that will be implemented include:

NLB will be fitting new books with smaller spine labels. These labels will take up considerably less space on the book covers, making book titles, authors' name and other information more reader-friendly.

NLB will be starting the school holiday Double Up loan promotion two weeks earlier. This is to enable students who have finished their examinations to borrow more books for reading even before the holiday starts. The next loan promotion will kick-off from 20 October 2012.

Daytime session to be held for NLB's “Fun with Tots” programme to cater for stay-home mothers and their young ones. NLB will be implementing daytime sessions at seven public libraries.

Rewards for Top Contributors of Fill Our Shelves, Suggest a Book

For the first time, NLB introduced an initiative asking library visitors to suggest and vote for new books for the public libraries. This three-month online customer engagement project ended in July. Three top contributors with the most number of suggestions and 12 who recommended books which received the highest number of votes will be given prizes. The initiative attracted over 1,700 suggestions for books and more than 2,500 votes. Books recommended fall under the categories of Travel, Business and Management, Social Sciences, Children, Youths, Comics, Computer & IT, Fiction, Health & Fitness, Philosophy & Psychology, Science & Technology, and Others.

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From 1 September 2012 onwards till 31 December 2012, visitors to all the 24 Public Libraries can contribute their treasured memories of the libraries at the information counter.

Members of the public are also welcome to participate in a photography contest about their unforgettable library memories. They can enter the contest by submitting their captioned photographs at the Singapore Memory Project portal (http://www.singaporememory.sg/campaigns/myhomemylibrary). This contest will close on 31 December.

Library Etiquette Drive with Singapore Kindness Movement

To further encourage consideration among library users, NLB is partnering the Singapore Kindness Movement (SKM) to display library etiquette posters in September.