By NUS Libraries Research Matrix Team
NUS Libraries’ Digital Strategy and Innovation Cluster, who manage Tech Central, posing with their Presidential Citation
NUS Libraries received a prestigious Presidential Citation from the American Libraries Association during their Annual Conference held from 27 June to 2 July in San Diego. Awarded annually, the ALA Presidential Citation recognises exemplary services and projects that draw attention to libraries outside the United States, that are creating positive change, demonstrating sustainability and providing a model for others.
NUS Libraries was the sole recipient of this year’s ALA Presidential Citation, which commended NUS Libraries “for creating a space that connects the library, faculty, public sector, and NGOs, providing technology that can be used to support the sciences and humanities, and for building a centre that serves as an example to others around the world.”
Virtual Reality devices and applications are one of the many capabilities available at NUS Libraries’ Tech Central
Tech Central is NUS Libraries’ technology-enriched playground, featuring immersive and interactive technology facilities to stimulate and enhance education and research. NUS Libraries is the first academic library in Singapore to design and house such a space, featuring a 360imx theatrette which enables the viewing of 360° films and presentations, simulation and visualisation tools, 3D photogrammetry, virtual reality, augmented reality, broadcast-quality audio recording, lightboard and digital scholarship lab. To date, NUS Libraries’ Tech Central facilities in Central Library and Medicine+Science Library have engaged at least 3,500 active users and academic collaborators, and the number is steadily rising.
Tech Central also features a 360imx theatrette which enables the viewing of 360° films and presentations
“NUS Libraries’ Tech Central team is deeply grateful for the award. We see it as a validation of our commitment to utilizing technology for digital curation, digital humanities research and creation in a scalable, sustainable and innovative way,” said Dr Magdeline Ng, Vice University Librarian and Cluster Head of Digital Strategy and Innovation at NUS Libraries. She added, “We see this citation as recognition of the impact of the team’s work towards excellence in using librarianship and digital scholarship for learning and research, serving as an exemplar for libraries around the world.”
Tech Central is continually evolving, and already has a steady pipeline of upcoming projects and collaborations spanning the fields of biodiversity, cartography and museum studies with NUS community stakeholders. At the University level, there is renewed emphasis on harnessing our libraries and museums as multi-disciplinary resources that enhance learning and engage with our communities.
Congratulating the NUS Libraries team, University Librarian Associate Professor Natalie Pang said, “Through research projects, programmes and collaborations, our librarians and specialists are at the forefront of library innovation – co-creating learning experiences and digital scholarship outputs that contribute to the NUS community and beyond. I’m proud of what they’ve achieved and look forward to the growth of Tech Central in the years to come!”
