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Case Study: National Library Board Singapore: Delivering Cost-Effective

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DOI: 10.1142/9781944659806_0027

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 PART 6
CASE
National Library Board Singapore:
12 Delivering Cost-Effective Service
Excellence Through Innovation
and People
Jochen Wirtz and Thomas Menkhoff

Length: 10 pages

The National Library Board (NLB) Singapore is a

statutory board that managed to become a serial
innovator. Its globally leading innovations in the
library context include shelf-reading robots,
and even entirely self-service libraries. NLB’s
consistent focus on excellent service delivery
reinforced its commitment to innovation. Key
levers were effective strategic leadership, a smart
innovation strategy that made heavy use of technology — such as app-delivered self-service
technologies, crowdsourcing, and robotics — as well as a people-centric staff culture. NLB
managed to co-create attractive libraries of the future together with different types of community
members, such as volunteers and corporations, ushering in a new age of citizen involvement
while also preparing both the library and the population of Singapore for the knowledge demands
of the 21st century. This case study describes NLB’s drivers of successful innovation.

Study Questions

1. What are the main transformation waves the National Library Board (NLB)
has gone through?
2. How did NLB manage to create a strong culture of innovation and service
excellence?
3. What did NLB do in terms of staff capacity-building in order to expand the
propensity for innovation? Download the full case:
4. What was the role of technology and digital services in transforming NLB
and improving the customer experience?
5. How did organizational strategy and culture drive NLB’s digital transformation
and innovation outcomes?
6. What else could NLB do to continue staying ahead as a “library for life” so
https://www.worldscientific.
as to achieve its visionary goals of “Readers for Life, Learning Communities, com/doi/suppl/10.1142/
and a Knowledgeable Nation?” y0024/suppl_file/y0024_
Case12_free.pdf

Case Studies 589

 PART 6
CASE
National Library Board Singapore:
12 Delivering Cost-Effective Service
Excellence Through Innovation
and People
Jochen Wirtz and Thomas Menkhoff

The National Library Board (NLB) Singapore is a statutory board that managed to become a serial
innovator. Its globally leading innovations in the library context include shelf-reading robots, and
even entirely self-service libraries. NLB’s consistent focus on excellent service delivery reinforced
its commitment to innovation. Key levers were effective strategic leadership, a smart innovation
strategy that made heavy use of technology — such as app-delivered self-service technologies,
crowdsourcing, and robotics — as well as a people-centric staff culture. NLB managed to co-
create attractive libraries of the future together with different types of community members, such
as volunteers and corporations, ushering in a new age of citizen involvement while also preparing
both the library and the population of Singapore for the knowledge demands of the 21st century.
This case study describes NLB’s drivers of successful innovation.

© 2018, updated 2021 by Jochen Wirtz and Thomas Menkhoff. Vol. 46, No. 1, pp. 59–80; Jochen Wirtz (2020), “Strategic Pathways
to Cost-Effective Service Excellence," in Eileen Bridges and Kendra
Parts of this case drew from the following academic research Fowler, eds, The Routledge Handbook of Service Research Insights
articles: Jochen Wirtz and Valarie Zeithaml (2018), “Cost-Effective and Ideas. Abingdon-on-Thames: Routledge, Chapter 14, pp. 423–
Service Excellence," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 440.

Case Studies C12.1

 implemented, such as establishing a network of national
reference libraries and a three-tier public library system of
regional, community, and neighborhood libraries, as well
as assisting in the setting up of school libraries and the
development of specialized libraries for specific sectors.
A coordinated national collection strategy was initiated
to provide comprehensive coverage of Singapore’s literary
and publishing heritage. This culminated in the core
collection of the Lee Kong Chian Reference Library with
more than 300,000 items featuring materials in various
formats (microfilms, maps, audio-visual materials,
ephemera, posters, and print publications) related to the
political, economic, and social-cultural history, as well as
literature on Singapore. As Singapore developed into a
THE NATIONAL LIBRARY BOARD’S global knowledge hub offering information on regional
businesses and cultures, Wave 1 laid the foundation for
JOURNEY OF INNOVATION safeguarding the documentary heritage and intellectual
memory of the country in keeping with its aim to build
The National Library Board’s (NLB) vision is an
a literate, informed, and participative society.
ambitious one, to say the least. The vision’s stated aim
is to achieve “Readers for Life, Learning Communities,
Another strategic goal was to ensure that the libraries would
and a Knowledgeable Nation.” Correspondingly, it
offer quality service through market orientation. The
describes its mission thus: “We make knowledge come
innovative use of radio frequency identification (RFID)
alive, spark imagination and create possibilities.” To be
technology-enabled self-service allowed customers
able to deliver on its mission, NLB became one of the
to perform the check-out and return transactions
most innovative libraries globally, having unparalleled
themselves. As waiting times were minimized, customers
member satisfaction while showing the highest labor
could engage with the library more proactively. In a bid
productivity of libraries globally; it was even featured in
to remain relevant in an increasingly digital world, the
academic research to examine how NLB could become
National Library Board (NLB) launched the eLibraryHub,
an organization that delivers cost-effective service
enabling users to access digital content easily from an
excellence! Naturally, this massive endeavor could only
online portal without having to be physically present at
be approached with significant and sustained innovation,
the libraries.
and a massive deployment of technology.
New strategic and symbiotic linkages between the
THE NATIONAL LIBRARY BOARD’S government, businesses, and the general public were
formed to ensure that NLB would meet the needs of
VISION Singaporeans in the 21st century. Through initiatives such
as the Friends of the Library Programme, NLB involved
The Board’s innovation objectives were outlined in community members, reaching out to volunteers whose
several master plans that envisioned the establishment personal preferences and abilities were matched with areas
of a world-class library system which sought to meet the within its libraries. By organizing enriching programs for
learning needs of a rapidly developing young nation. The children from low-income families or delivering books
Board evolved through four waves of transformation, to those unable to visit libraries, volunteers made a real
each successive wave building on what was achieved difference and felt that they were a part of something
through the previous wave’s master plan. greater than themselves.

Wave 1: Library 2000 Wave 2: Library 2010

The focus of the early transformation effort in Wave Wave 2 of the National Librar y Board’s (NLB)
1 was to develop and expand the infrastructure of an transformation had an even stronger focus on information
adaptive, world-class public library system in Singapore technology, supporting the leadership’s desire to achieve
that would be convenient, accessible, and useful. Several higher productivity in library services. The reengineering
strategic undertakings were formulated and subsequently of business processes had stretch targets in five key

C12.2 Case 12 ▪ National Library Board Singapore: Delivering Cost-Effective Service Excellence through Innovation and People
 PART 6
areas: (1) Time-to-Market, (2) Time-to-Checkout, (3) Wave 3: Library 2020
Time-to-Shelf, (4) Time-to-Information, and (5) Library
Wave 3 was launched in 2016, with the motto “Readers
Planning, Setup, and Renewal. This also included greater
for Life, Learning Communities, and a Knowledgeable
emphasis on user education, so that library users could
Nation” to create more learning communities and
fully appreciate and explore the breadth of the collections.
inspiring spaces across Singaporean society.
The key thrusts of NLB’s digital strategy included the
To promote reading, learning, and literacy, the National
following:
Library Board (NLB) rolled out various reading programs
• Creation of immersive reading experiences inside tailored to the needs of different demographic groups.
physical library spaces with e-reading stations, They include Early READ for children up to 6 years,
multimedia video walls, and mobile services. The kidsREAD for children of ages 4 to 8 years who are from
latter included the NLB Mobile app, which could be low-income families, and READ@School for students of
used to borrow items and bypass the queue at book- ages 7 to 17 years.
borrowing stations.
• Pushing personalized content and recommendations An example of NLB’s concept of an “Inspiring Space”
to encourage users to read more. This was enabled is the historical Former Ford Factory site which was
through patron analytics, smart displays, and devices. once the assembly plant of the Ford Motor Company of
Malaya. On February 15, 1942, it became the site where
• Increasing NLB’s outreach through presence in the British forces surrendered Singapore to the Japanese
spaces outside its libraries, such as personalized Imperial Army. In early 2017, the building reopened to
recommendations on partner platforms and spaces. mark the 75th anniversary of the start of the Japanese
• Productivity-focused automation and self-service Occupation of Singapore. It features archival records
technology to optimize staff deployment and and multisensory displays to bring history to life. After
enhance patron convenience. For instance, thanks a public call for donations of historical materials such
to reservation lockers, patrons were able to collect as Japanese textbooks or oral history accounts covering
reserved items outside library opening hours. the years 1937 to 1954, NLB received more than 400
donated items.
• Data-driven library operations and collections
planning allowed NLB to plan effective library As a guardian of historical knowledge, NLB’s HistorySG
services, optimize content usage, and provide relevant projects, such as the Former Ford Factory, are critical for
collections to users. presenting Singapore’s collective memory to the young
and old alike. As a Straits Times journalist emphasized,
The innovative efforts by NLB to create digital libraries “To entrench its place in the community, one would want
culminated in the OneSearch Service, an online search the young to see the library as less a staid repository
portal for information spread across a variety of resources, of tomes and more a throbbing hub of open minds,
spanning NLB’s libraries and archives databases as well connecting physically and digitally over a host of ideas
as the National Heritage Board’s museum repository of and creative impulses.”4
artefacts and artworks. Through the OneSearch Service,
users could conveniently retrieve a wide range of digital How did a statutory board like NLB manage to become
content (books, magazines, audio-visual materials, an award-winning serial innovator? Key fundamentals
e-books, photographs, films, maps, etc.). underpinning NLB’s innovation success included: (1) an
effective innovation leadership and innovation process,
As more people were reading online, NLB’s “eRead” (2) a strong focus on (technology-enabled) service
resources offered digital and audiobooks, newspapers, delivery, (3) an enduring culture of staff involvement and
and magazines from various genres and in English, innovation, and (4) innovation through co-creation and
Chinese, Malay, and Tamil. Capable of retrieval from a 3 Ps (people, private, and public sectors) engagement.
wide range of digital content including books, magazines,
audio-visual materials, e-books, photographs, films, oral
history interviews, and maps, NLB once again achieved
service excellence with technology as an enabler.
4 “Libraries as Hubs for Creative Learning,” The Straits Times,
October 12, 2015.

Case Studies C12.3

Wave 4: Making the National Library NLB’s leaders managed to ask the right strategic questions
Board a Joyous Place of Learning with and followed through them decisively, step after step.

More Digitalization
The National Library Board (NLB) continued to adapt
and transform to keep its libraries and archives relevant.
In 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, NLB enhanced
its mobile app, Archives Online collection, and National
Library information databases. Under the motto
“Experiment, fail, succeed,” NLB continued to innovate
as envisaged by its 5-year Strategic Libraries and Archives
Plan 2021–2025 with the focus on making NLB a joyous
place of learning and reading for all.

NLB also rolled out digital kiosks in 25 of its libraries for

senior members to access some 200 digital government
services and help seniors to make appointments for
virtual one-on-one consultations with government
agencies via a video conferencing pod, and ambassadors
were around for those who needed more advice on how
to access digital platforms. The goal was to train 100,000
seniors by March 2021 so that they could effectively use
online resources, QR codes, e-newspapers, and e-books.
Exhibit 1 Shelf reading robot
New digital learning zones and learning pods featured
dedicated digital learning zones and spaces with Exhibit 2 Critical aspects of a Strategic Innovation Cascade*
interactive screens that allowed users to browse
e-magazines, e-newspapers, and e-books. Many books 1. What’s Our Purpose?
and magazines were displayed on interactive virtual Why innovate, and on the basis of what kind of objectives?
bookshelves and library patrons could borrow them by 2. Where to Play (Where Not to Play)?
simply scanning the QR codes on the screens. Learning Where should the innovation’s focus and scope be?
pods were equipped with interactive screens and access to 3. With What Intensity?
e-resources such as more than 5,000 video tutorials. There How much innovation (e.g., incremental or radical) is wanted?
was also a colorful children’s zone with communicative 4. How to Win?
multimedia stations where kids could select their books. How should corporate innovation goals be pursued, and which
unique value proposition should they be based on?
5. With Whom to Innovate?
TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP With whom should collaboration be (e.g., internal partners and/
or external complementors), and where are the innovation
AND INNOVATION PROCESS boundaries?
6. With What Capability Assets?
From the beginning, senior management exhibited How can it be ensured that people in the organization are
strong, transformational, and intrapreneurial leadership capable and motivated to make innovation work?
as it worked with Singapore’s public administration to
7. With What Management Systems?
enhance organizational efficiency, digitalization (e.g., as How can working relationships be structured and organized to
part of the computerization of the entire civil service), “get things done” innovatively?
and service delivery. All levels of staff within the National What business processes need to be built in order to create and
Library Board (NLB) were galvanized for technological capture innovation value?
and organizational change as the Information Age How can strategic innovation matters be tracked and innovation
was ushered in. If one looks at the innovation strategy efforts be evaluated?
development process as a series of cascading stages where
*As an innovation strategy tool, the Strategic Innovation Cascade can point
each stage derives from or acts upon the results of the management’s attention to critical questions that need to be answered to
preceding stage (see Exhibit 2), it becomes clear that make innovation work.

C12.4 Case 12 ▪ National Library Board Singapore: Delivering Cost-Effective Service Excellence through Innovation and People
 PART 6
are fully run by volunteers. Through this kind of novel
service co-creation, NLB involved community members
and public organizations, such as CP1 Pte. Ltd. (the
property developer for the Chinatown Point shopping
center) and Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple, based
on the 3 Ps sector motto (People, Public, and Private).
It enabled NLB to tap into the knowledge, input, and
resources of the wider community, contributing to
Exhibit 3 Autonomous Bookdrop improved public service delivery.

What is Our Purpose/Where Should We Gradually, NLB further strengthened its customer
Play? value proposition with a focus on “non-customers,”
and demonstrated the ability to create and capture new
The National Library Board’s (NLB) mission, “We make demand as evidenced by its “Verging All Teens” program
knowledge come alive, spark imagination and create rolled out in the Jurong Regional Library (the first library
possibilities,” and innovation objectives were derived to hold a space created for teens by teens), and My Tree
from several master plans envisioning the establishment House, the world’s first green library for children (created
of a world-class library system. National development in collaboration with City Development Limited) to
goals, such as becoming an internationally competitive promote learning and reading for life in line with the
nation and a cohesive society with a strong national “Library 2020” vision. The colorful indoor setting
identity, paved the way for NLB to find the right “playing changed the perception of reading, while the décor was
field” in terms of its vision, mission, localities, product made of recyclable or environmentally friendly resources
and service categories, customer segments, channels, and completed with energy-saving furnishings. Such
etc. Encouraging Singaporeans to discover and celebrate partnerships with private companies added to NLB’s
the joy of reading propelled many of its nationwide capabilities in developing and improving public libraries
reading initiatives such as “Read! Singapore” (2005). The while serving as a touch point for these organizations to
initiative was aimed at promoting a culture of reading give back to the public.
fiction among Singaporeans, and a key component of
the initiative was the promotion of short stories that
With What Capability Assets?
were cross-translated. Presented in Singapore’s four
official languages, the initiative featured meet-the- All this would not have worked if not for a strong
author sessions, book club sessions, writing workshops, foundation comprising a set of reinforcing capabilities
storytelling sessions, and book-derived workshops and competency-enhancing activities, such as the Master
for children and adults. This allowed the public to be of Science in Library Science program for library staff
more hands-on with the library’s initiatives. Important (developed together with the Nanyang Technological
questions that NLB’s leadership team had to answer University in Singapore), embedded in a robust culture
concerned the Intensity Level of Innovation Efforts (With of learning and innovation.
What Intensity?) and the strategic approach toward
pursuing innovation goals on the basis of a compelling With What Management Systems?
value proposition (“How to Win?”). The outcomes of
Besides good innovation governance and strategy
such strategy decisions included the deployment of
execution in general, the National Library Board (NLB)
radio frequency identification (RFID) technology to
established various supporting management systems
enable self-service borrowing and returning, as well as
(e.g., for innovative information technology deployment
the development of a new mobile application enabling
such as the OneSearch service). Rather than focusing on
library members to borrow materials using their mobile
traditional librarianship duties, staff across all levels were
devices on the go (see Exhibit 6).
motivated to provide ideas for innovation and engage in
new initiatives such as crowdsourcing. The latter became
With Whom to Innovate? a core component of NLB’s Citizen Archivist Project,
The National Library Board (NLB) became a leader in which enabled the public to contribute to the nation’s
co-creation. An example of this boundary-spanning intellectual memory. NLB’s success in innovation was
collaboration approach was the 2013 opening of the driven by numerous value-adding business processes,
library@chinatown where whole day-to-day operations such as rapid prototyping and open innovation, and an

Case Studies C12.5

Exhibit 4 Examples of innovation processes and strategic actions taken by NLB

Organizations Positioning
The organization generates, The National Library Board (NLB) involved its own employees in the innovation process
gathers, and screens creative through various initiatives. An example of its “dare to try” innovation spirit and ideation
ideas from all sources. process was the BlackBox program. It consisted of (i) a call for ideas, (ii) an innovation
competition, (iii) development and trial, and (iv) the presentation of findings and
recommendations to senior management.

While testing out technology-based ideas, NLB employed a rapid prototyping approach called
proof of concept (PoC), through which NLB could safely and economically assess the viability
of an idea by developing small-scale projects. By maximizing time and resources within a
limited period of time, the PoC approach helped NLB to evaluate the viability of ideas and
minimize the financial risks they might pose.
The organization incorporates Predictive data analytics enables NLB to forecast user demand for new and existing titles
new developments and changing which, in turn, leads to more efficient resource management and greater service quality.
requirements into innovations.
The organization involves NLB proactively maintained and expanded partnerships with overseas libraries, government
employees and partners in the agencies, non-profit organizations, private organizations, as well as communities.
new product/service design.
The library@chinatown was Singapore’s first volunteer-run public library that was co-
developed with and managed by the community for the community.

NLB’s mobile library, Molly, brought library services to orphanages, children’s homes,
and special education schools such as Pathlight School (a school for autistic children) in
collaboration with SBS Transit Ltd. and Comfort Delgro Pte. Ltd.
The organization has a relationship NLB aligned itself effectively between several customer segments and its customer strategy,
with customers to identify and in line with its overall mission. An example was its engagement with seniors above the age
address innovation opportunities. of 60 and examining their requirements for productive leisure, mental stimulation, and social
engagement. Tools deployed to understand their (future) needs included customer dialogue
sessions and customer feedback channels.

Customers were involved systematically in library renovation projects or when niche library
spaces were designed for community members via face-to-face sessions and customer
relationship management (CRM)-enabled feedback loops.
The organization reviews To ensure that innovation projects delivered the intended outcomes, NLB carefully managed
management of innovation projects the end-to-end maturation journey of an idea. Key milestones included planning, followed by
and validates them. business cases, project management, and post-implementation review.
The organization seeks breakthrough One strategic goal of NLB was to make its content discoverable with the help of digital
improvements in key business services. NLB’s Mobile app, the revamp of its Archives Online, the Oral History Interviews
processes for value creation. Portal, and the OneSearch search engine were examples of e-services that were rolled out to
facilitate easy access to content on Singapore and to NLB’s resources.
The organization evaluates and One hallmark of NLB’s innovation culture was co-creation powered by the strategic belief in
improves its management of the importance of harnessing the power of collective wisdom via public participation.
innovation processes for product,
service, and business process
innovation.

Source: Various NLB materials such as its Innovation Award Report.

C12.6 Case 12 ▪ National Library Board Singapore: Delivering Cost-Effective Service Excellence through Innovation and People
 PART 6
integrative performance measurement approach. NLB gradual evolution of citizen engagement.
even deployed the use of geospatial analytics to better
understand the borrowing behavior of library users As an example of innovative service co-creation, the
across the island. library@orchard won the prestigious President’s Design
Award for its outstanding interior design in 2015. Its
At the structural level, several innovation processes were space design was informed by the ideas and proposals
implemented to create and capture innovation value. This contributed by Orchard Road “regulars” and other
provided a conducive environment for all ideas to be members of the public in collaboration with design
considered and then further refined for implementation thinking experts from Singapore Polytechnic (SP). The
(see Exhibit 4). Through the establishment of strong three development phases included (i) observing target
channels for internal communication within NLB, staff users and understanding their needs and “pain points”
was kept informed about organizational changes and via interviews, (ii) ideation based on the results of data
also encouraged to make suggestions for improvements. collection efforts, and (iii) development of prototypes
NLB’s leadership team created a strong foundation for to obtain user reactions and to appreciate customer
greater innovativeness by putting in place systems for preferences. At the Pasir Ris Public Library, a new
effective people management (e.g., training programs on (volunteer-run) teen’s mezzanine with comfortable
ideation and innovation management) and innovation multifunctional furniture and a doodle wall for self-
process management (e.g., idea generation approaches expression and discussions was created for teenagers.
together with staff, customers, suppliers, and other
partners). While the impetus was to adopt advanced
technology to improve work processes, NLB’s leadership CULTURE OF STAFF INVOLVEMENT
involved all levels of staff as part of the change efforts
in order to create a trustworthy and engaged work AND INNOVATION
environment.
Future-proofing the libraries and expanding the nation’s
learning capacity with the aid of information resources
FOCUS ON TECHNOLOGY-ENABLED provided a purpose for many organizational members
and ultimately helped the National Library Board
SERVICE DELIVERY TO LIBRARY (NLB) to achieve its strategic objectives. All librarians
USERS were encouraged to build up relevant competencies
and human capital alongside the transformation of the
Over the years, the National Library Board (NLB) library aimed at reaching Level One certification from the
continuously rolled out numerous digital services Singapore Workforce Skills Qualifications in 6 months.
(self-service technologies) aimed at making its content Thus a culture of staff involvement was built from the
accessible. organization’s beginning.

NLB’s innovation was successful because it was both While public organizations elsewhere were stereotyped
technological and non-technological. This was in as being bureaucratic, NLB gave its staff the autonomy
line with academics’ and consulting firms’ findings and empowerment to voice their opinions and raise
that it was organizational strategy and innovation suggestions. The adoption of the Staff Suggestion Scheme
culture, not technology per se, that drove the success of served as a channel for staff across all levels to share their
digital transformation efforts. NLB used technological ideas to be evaluated by the heads of the divisions and
innovation not as an end goal but as a means to free up then approved online. This was not a token exercise.
resources so that they could engage in other forms of For example, as early as in 1997, when the scheme was
innovation, mainly co-creation for service excellence introduced, 60% of 2,239 suggestions received were
and productivity with external parties. implemented. This sent a strong signal to all levels of
staff that contributions were taken seriously and that the
Technologically enabled service innovations pioneered organization was genuine about constant incremental
by NLB, such as book drops, self-checkout machines, and improvements. Tools such as the BlackBox program (see
borrower enquiry machines, became standard features in Exhibit 5) ensured that the ideas and innovation potential
new libraries. They exemplified a positive trend where of NLB’s staff were fully exploited.
innovation efforts by NLB were accompanied by the

Case Studies C12.7

 Resources Recommendations
Kick-start and Support and Rewards

Present
Call for Competition PoC finding to
Ideas management
• Learning • Round 1 • Winning • Mid-term
journeys • Final ideas and update
competition commence
• Innovation • Final
PoC
workshops presentation

Exhibit 5 NLB's BlackBox program

To sustain innovation efforts, NLB realized that it innovation work with the same tight planning, budgeting,
was key to invest in people. Librarians’ competencies and reviews that are applied to existing businesses
were developed over the years in line with changing can create a “trap.” One remedy is to add flexibility to
customer expectations. The form in which knowledge planning and control systems; for example, by providing
was processed and interpreted evolved even if the core special funds for new opportunities. NLB did just that.
services of providing research and references services To support the passage of ideas from initial planning
to the public remained. Traditional librarianship to postimplementation review, various means and
had to be further professionalized, moving beyond channels were instituted. The BlackBox program (held
cataloguing and referencing to research, synthetization, biennially) was spearheaded by the Technology and
and packaging of information. To aid in this upgrade, Innovation division (see Exhibit 5) and has helped to
NLB signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) identify numerous potential innovative projects. Winning
with the Nanyang Technological University in 1998 to teams were provided with funds, mentors, and financial
offer the Master of Science in Library Science degree resources to conduct a 6-month proof-of-concept.
to library staff. These formal academic qualifications
helped librarians specialize in information and navigate One of the projects spawned out of BlackBox was Quest,
the Information Age, serving readers all the same. Many a trading card game aimed at encouraging young boys
more MoUs followed to facilitate knowledge sharing on to read. Quest won the American Library Association
technical systems and innovations with academics. Presidential Citation for Innovative International
Projects in 2011. The continuity of the BlackBox program
Other capabilities that were built for librarians included exemplifies NLB’s strong innovation culture.
skills to develop specialized collections, including arts,
multi-culture, and Singapore; the productization of Another effective innovation management approach
information services to provide reference answers to adopted by NLB was the involvement of staff in projects
the public on an online database, namely Singapore that featured cross-divisional teams. The formation of
Infopedia; specialized information services in business such work groups broke the functional silos and allowed
information and customized information; cataloguing staff from all levels to come together. Cross-functional
and indexing newspapers on the digital space through the project teams reduced hierarchy and bureaucracy,
Dublin Core standard; and cybrarian services for users bringing together various domain experts to be involved
to communicate remotely on the eLibraryHub. as team members and manage and implement projects
together. The re-opening of revamped libraries like the
Specialization in these roles helped NLB to increase the Pasir Ris Public Library in 2015 provided clear evidence
range of services delivered to customers as well as serve of the benefits of cross-divisional collaboration between
a wider segment. Knowledge across different areas also staff from the Public Library Service, Properties and
helped to expand the scope for innovation. Facilities Management division, and Technology and
Information division to ensure that the library provides
As we know from innovation studies, trying to make up-to-date services across all functions on time.

C12.8 Case 12 ▪ National Library Board Singapore: Delivering Cost-Effective Service Excellence through Innovation and People
 PART 6
Exhibit 6 Components and outcomes of the National Library Board’s breakthrough innovations

Innovation Strategy Components NLB’s Innovation Strengths

Component: Citizen Engagement and Co-creation and volunteer-delivered services multiplied impact and reach:
Collaboration Through Co-Creation • library@orchard
• library@chinatown
Outcome: Greater social engagement • Pasir Ris Public Library
of NLB’s stakeholders • Citizen Archivist project aimed at greater public participation in the archival process
(e.g. volunteers)
Component: Making NLB Content Digital services facilitated easy access to content on Singapore and NLB’s eResources:
Discoverable Through Digital • NLB Mobile app
Services • Revamp of Archives Online
• Oral History Interviews Portal
Outcome: Effective harnessing • OneSearch Portal
of digital (e.g. self-service)
technologies
Component: Buffering Front-Office Resources saved through technologies were channeled to higher value tasks:
Activities from the Back Office • Auto-sorter system
• Self-service reservation system
Outcome: Organizational efficiency • Shelf-reading robot
gains through resource optimization

The success of this mall library led to the co-development

INNOVATION THROUGH CO- of library@chinatown alongside a panel of experts on
CREATION AND 3P (PEOPLE, Chinese culture comprising educators, academics, and
media experts. Opened in 2013, the library’s main
PRIVATE, AND PUBLIC SECTORS) purpose was to promote Chinese art and culture. It was
also a step-up from volunteer programs for all its day-
ENGAGEMENT to-day operations were fully run by volunteers. These
volunteers not only addressed basic queries but also
One of the first instances of public involvement with the
brainstormed engaging library programs for the public.
National Library Board (NLB) beyond the traditional
Customer satisfaction, in fact, registered higher in these
library usage was during the rollout of the Verging All
volunteer-run libraries; library@chinatown had the
Teens program in the Jurong Regional Library. It was the
highest customer satisfaction rating, proving that NLB’s
first library created for teens by teens, meant to inspire
careful design and planning over the years not only
each other to read more about the creation of relevant
matched user behavior and expectations but gratified
library spaces. Thanks to youth’s input, the Teens Library
them even more as users were directly involved in the
had unique features catered to this target group including
library’s activities.
music, décor, stage performances, and even a graffiti wall.
This section of the library was publicly run by volunteers.
Co-creating with public and private organizations
allowed NLB to participate in other projects beyond
NLB’s co-creation approach eventually expanded
the library, combining its internal strengths with the
beyond the daily running of operations to the very
business know-how of these organizations. In 2011, NLB
conceptualization of libraries. This was particularly
led the Singapore Memory Project for the Singapore
important for mall libraries, because they were set apart
government, reaching out and partnering with other
from the regional, neighborhood, and national libraries
institutions, which included heritage agencies and
in terms of space, location, and curated collections. The
research institutions, to kick-start a memory movement.
library@esplanade became Singapore’s first performing
Through their shared expertise, the partnership enabled
arts library. Taking in feedback from the arts community,
the creation of a new wave of knowledge assets in a
it boasted an exhibition space and performing stage
Library 2.0 environment. The term “Library 2.0” refers
alongside a niche collection of books, screenplays, and
to the application of interactive and collaborative
music scores.

Case Studies C12.9

 (multimedia) web-based technologies to library services GOING FORWARD
and collections. For example, the public could contribute
their own perspectives in the form of videos, photographs, The National Library Board’s (NLB) strong staff culture
and web links to the platform, with NLB playing a key provided a conducive environment for innovations to
role in the curation and archiving of these assets. occur, supported by leadership, strategy, innovation
culture, capacity building, formalized processes,
The Citizen Archivist project, a crowd-sourcing portal information technology mastery, and 3P partnerships
launched in 2015, tapped on the public’s knowledge and for co-creation. The adoption of both technological and
wisdom for its extensive collections of archival records. non-technological innovations enabled NLB to engage
This encouraged more public participation in the archival stakeholders such as the public in unprecedented ways.
process. Citizens’ involvement in the description and Although innovations usually started internally within
transcription of archival records directly contributed the organization, through suggestions from the staff
to the greater accessibility of Singapore’s intellectual seeking to improve customer delivery, these novel and
memory in the form of archives. value-creating ways of doing things eventually diffused
outwards and had a far-reaching impact on the scope
Another example of 3P participation was the development and depth of NLB’s services.
of NewspaperSG, a digital archive of Singaporean and
Malaysian newspapers published between 1831 and With transformation as a continual process rather
2009. With the support of Singapore Press Holdings, than an end goal, the question arises whether NLB can
the leading publisher in Singapore, NLB was granted rely on its existing approach to continue to succeed in
permission to digitize The Straits Times from its first issue delivering cost-effective service excellence in an area of
onwards. Once again, it was the fruitful partnership with rapid technological advancements.
different stakeholders that allowed NLB to broaden its
range of services offered to the public, maintaining its
commitment to customer-centricity.

Study Questions

1. What are the main transformation waves the National Library Board (NLB) has gone through?
2. How did NLB manage to create a strong culture of innovation and service excellence?
3. What did NLB do in terms of staff capacity-building in order to expand the propensity for innovation?
4. What was the role of technology and digital services in transforming NLB and improving the customer
experience?
5. How did organizational strategy and culture drive NLB’s digital transformation and innovation outcomes?
6. What else could NLB do to continue staying ahead as a “library for life” so as to achieve its visionary
goals of “Readers for Life, Learning Communities, and a Knowledgeable Nation?”

The full book is available

on Amazon. Click to order:
Suggested citation: Jochen Wirtz and Thomas Menkhoff (2021), “National Library Board
Singapore: Delivering Cost-Effective Service Excellence Through Innovation and People”,
in: Services Marketing: People, Technology, Strategy, 9th edition by Jochen Wirtz and
Christopher Lovelock, New Jersey: World Scientific, pp. 589, C12.1-C12.10.

Note: This case study is part of the teaching materials accompanying Services Marketing:
People, Technology, Strategy, 9th edition. The case can be used by the authors and in
courses that use this textbook as their main reference. For other courses and uses,
copyright has to be cleared with Jochen Wirtz, email: jochen@nus.edu.sg.

C12.10 Case 12 ▪ National Library Board Singapore: Delivering Cost-Effective Service Excellence through Innovation and People
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