Curtin Malaysia librarian gives talk on digital initiatives to Sarawak municipal librarians

Miri – 23 August 2019 – Reference librarian Nora Hii of the Library and Learning Commons section of Curtin University Malaysia (Curtin Malaysia) was recently guest speaker at the Local Authority Librarian Management Workshop held at a leading hotel here in Miri.

The annual workshop, organised by the Community Education Unit of the Ministry of Local Government and Housing, Sarawak, was attended by the heads of all municipal libraries in the state.

Hii delivered a paper on ‘Digital Initiatives in the Library Sector’, highlighting the advent of digital libraries and how Curtin Malaysia’s library has embraced new technologies and evolved from a traditional library to a modern one incorporating both conventional and digital library systems.

“Going digital does not mean foregoing traditional library processes completely. It can be used to complement and enhance traditional practices to improve a library’s effectiveness.

“In in today’s technology-rich learning environment, we have to evolve with the times, to keep pace with new technologies and the preferences of library users. Ultimately, it is to make libraries more efficient and user-friendly, and to make learning and knowledge acquisition more conducive and engaging,” Hii remarked.

She said the use of the Internet and smart devices, and the fact that users want to get information quickly and easily, have to be taken into consideration. To cater to this demand, the Curtin Malaysia Library has invested in self-loan machines that allow users to bypass queues at its circulation counter and make the borrowing, returning and renewing of books relatively hassle-free. It has also introduced a smartphone application called BookMyne that allows them to renew or reserve books online.

Hii added that most of the library’s processes have gone paperless, particularly the various forms it uses, which are all now electronic and easily accessible online. Curtin Malaysia’s sophisticated Intranet also helps the library manage online bookings for its discussion rooms, computer rooms, learning commons and other study areas.

In addition, the library has invested substantially in eBooks, expanding its collection to over 420,000 titles, and users at Curtin’s international campuses in Malaysia, Dubai, Singapore and Mauritius have access to a considerably larger collection and other online resources at Curtin University’s library in Perth.

Hii said that the state’s libraries should likewise consolidate and share information to enable the public to access information more easily, especially now that the government sector is very much into building a digital economy and the libraries are adopting digital library frameworks.

Hii’s involvement in the workshop was part of the Library and Learning Commons section’s commitment to supporting local libraries, which includes giving talks, conducting training, and generally helping them improve their facilities and services.

The section currently serves over 4,000 students and staff at Curtin Malaysia. Its facilities include The Library occupying approximately 16,100 square feet on three floors and two common study areas across the campus. The three spaces combined can accommodate over 700 users.

The Library’s current collection consists of approximately 32,800 printed books, 4,300 audio-visual items, 500 print journals, 420,000 electronic books, 160,000 electronic journals and 600 online databases.

Resource librarian Nora Hii an advocate for digitalisation of libraries.

A computer room at the Curtin Malaysia Library where users can access online resources.