On Friday, 30 April 2021, the annual LAS-NLB Virtual Professional Sharing session took place. Following the session’s success in 2020, Library professionals from a variety of academic and public institutions in Singapore came together to share important lessons and operational improvements with an audience of over 200 participants.
A total of 8 representatives from 5 different institutions shared their organization’s various operational improvements and professional development efforts in line with this year’s theme of “Breaking the Barriers of Time and Space: The Dawning of the New Age of Libraries”.
An address by the new LAS President, Dr Sadie-Jane Nunis, framed the session as a start of a new era, a new age for Libraries. Everyone in attendance urged to look forward and play a role in shaping the new role of Libraries in the future.
Following that, the presenters shared how their organizations adapted to the COVID situation of the last year, from responding promptly to integrating MOOCs, to swiftly integrating online access troubleshooting into inquiry management procedures. Two organizations also shared their efforts at using Project Management skills to improve how the Library team can successfully implement impactful changes and projects. Other presentations shared how Library professionals can keep up with knowledge sharing and professional development and the usage of new technologies like robots in public libraries.
Robust questions and answers from the audience elicited thoughtful responses and facilitated sharing and discussion amongst the presenters. The session wrapped up successfully with a promise for more discussions and sharing in the future.