I am ALA INTERNATIONAL SPOTLIGHT is one of several new initiatives by ALA President 2018-2019 Loida Garcia-Febo to expand ALA’s global presence. By highlighting and recognizing talented international members from different regions around the world, ALA is truly a global association with a strong mission in supporting library workers and advocates. Each month, I am ALA INTERNATIONAL SPOTLIGHT will feature a new international member who will share how ALA has supported their work and how they see the profession today. This month, we feature Felicia Chan, librarian, National Library Board, Singapore.
Can you tell us about yourself and your work?
Hi! I am Felicia. I am a librarian working in the National Library Board, Singapore. Truth is, I have always wanted to be an author more than a librarian but when the opportunity to be a librarian offered itself, I took it and never looked back. I have worked in public libraries for over 10 years, starting out as a children’s librarian, moved on to content development for seniors and then tried my hand at library planning. This allowed me to work on our Libraries of the Future Master Plan, which was the development strategy for public libraries in. I also had the opportunity to work on the concept and design of three libraries, two of which had already re-opened. Now I am the branch manager of two of our public libraries, the Central Public Library and our volunteer-supported library-@-chinatown, which are both are unique and special in their own way.
To give some context, the National Library Board of Singapore, has three arms – the Public Libraries, the National Library and the National Archives of Singapore. I reside in the Public Library side of the family. The Central Public Library is right in the heart of town and sees many programs, events and talks catering to people from all walks of life, in particular the adult working community. It also houses My Tree House, a green children’s library with a programming and collection focus on eco-literacy. The most striking feature is a tree canopy which was constructed out of recycled bottles.
library-@-chinatown is a Chinese Arts and Culture-themed library which was the first to experiment with a patron self-service model run by volunteers. The library works with different partners to bring in programmes such as Chinese calligraphy, and workshops on Chinese opera information and traditional crafts. The library also supports interest groups that are centered on Chinese history and culture.
I think I am extremely fortunate to work in libraries. Not only does it feed my natural interest in the written world but it also gave me an opportunity to help others through encouraging literacy and reading. In my previous portfolio, I had the opportunity to consider what the future of libraries would look like in Singapore, as well as how the services that we offer in libraries would evolve. To ensure that everyone would be on the same page, I worked on a framework to support these changes and had the opportunity to test some of these ideas out in two libraries that I worked on – Pasir Ris Public Library and Bukit Panjang Public Library. In the first, I focused on the presentation of content where I worked with the architect to re-design the bookshelves to support more front-facing collections. It was a huge challenge for me because it involved more calculations and math than I thought it would – when we changed the design of the shelves, we had to change the way of calculating how many books should be in the collection. Today, this base formula is used in our newly renovated libraries.
In the second library I worked on, on top of shelving, I also thought about how people interacted within the space. Again, we challenged the architects to design shelves that would make books more discoverable. The end product was shelves which has every tier angled differently so that patrons could browse more easily. We also explored other ways to conduct storytelling for children, and we piloted an immersive storytelling room with multiple projectors that allow for sound and images to be projected on walls. While the idea of a 360-degree space was not a new idea, scaling it down and simplifying it so that it became easy for librarians and volunteers to use it was a challenge. This immersive storytelling room has been very well-received by children, and we hope to bring it to more of our libraries.
Libraries aside, I have not actually given up writing. As part of my work, I had the opportunity to write a children’s fantasy trilogy which formed the basis of a reading programme meant to encourage boys to read. This project led by my colleague was presented at IFLA 2010, where it also won the ALA International Citation Award in 2011. Text of paper presented at IFLA.
The work I do is mainly in Singapore, although I have helped with some library-related training in developing countries in a personal capacity. ALA IRRT has also given me an opportunity to contribute on a broader level in the International Papers and Projects Sub-Committee, and I look forward to doing more for the global community.
Why is it important to be a librarian today?
There is no dispute that librarians and knowledge go hand-in-hand. While there are people who challenge the need for libraries and librarians because information is much more accessible today, I firmly believe that access to information does not equate to knowledge. I believe that in today’s world, the role of information professionals is more important than ever before because they help people navigate the turbulent waters of our information landscape. From information literacy, media literacy to actually making sense of information – librarians not only promote access but also facilitate dialogues that help people understand what is happening around them. This is one way to build a more understanding world.
Tell us three words that describe you?
Passionate, Curious and Tenacious
How as ALA helped you in your career?
To be honest, I am very new member in ALA. However, I have been at the ALA Annual twice and have been subscribed to the listserv for a long time. ALA to me is a beacon of inspiration – it is full of passionate library professionals and library lovers who never fail to re-energize me and remind me how important our profession is. It is easy to get caught up in day-to-day work and sometimes we lose sight of the bigger picture. However, the generous sharing and openness in communicating both ideas and struggles among ALA members always remind me that we are not alone, and that the challenges libraries face are universal despite the different contexts.
ALA has showed me that the library community is stronger together than it is apart. I have also benefited intellectually from the resources available on the ALA website – in particular Libraries Transform, as it has provided me with a starting point from which I used to think about our own library master plan. Helping out in the IRRT sub-committee is my way of giving back to the ALA community.
Are you an ALA international member? We want to recognize ALA’s international members; they are important to us. To be considered for the ALA International Member Spotlight, please fill out this short questionnaire.
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