Singapore Government Press Release
Address by Mr David T E Lim, Minister of State for Defence and Information and the Arts, at the Joint Celebration of Emerging Trends in Library & Archival Service (e-tlas), Asia International Book Fair (AIBF), International Library Expo (ILE), Publishing and Library Asia (PAL), On 24 April 2001 at the Pan Pacific Hotel, Singapore at 7.15 pm
Distinguished guests, Ladies and Gentlemen:
First of all, let me warmly welcome all our foreign guests to Singapore.
The American poet, Davis, summed it up well, when he said: "what is this life, if full of care, we have no time to stand and stare". You have gathered here for a few days to take some time out to learn, share, reflect, and to "stand and share". I hope this will include both time to soak in and enjoy the many advances and changes in your industry, as well as the many activities and happenings in our country.
I thank you for the privilege of addressing you tonight. I thought that for this purpose I would reflect on another well known saying in the English language: "To miss the woods for the trees".
Applied to words, this phrase could mean that you understand the words and the sentences, but miss the deeper meaning in the text. Applied to life, this could mean that we go about our pedantic activities each day, and miss the higher purpose of life.
But tonight, I would like to share two perspectives that relate to what all of you know best – books, and libraries.
"To miss the woods for the trees", when applied to books, could mean that we see books only as a source of knowledge, and miss the larger application and impact that books have on our lives. More than anything else, books stimulate us to think, imagine, dream and aspire. More than just an aid to amassing facts to pass an examination, or complete an assignment, books open up our minds and enable us to make mental connections with fellow human spirits however far away they live, or however distant in time. Books change us, because they change our understanding and expand our perceptions of what is possible. You know this, and I hope that these series of events you are taking part in will enable you to better share this insight with the many readers you work with.
Second, "to miss the woods for the trees" when applied to libraries, could mean that we see libraries as a place for the dissemination and distribution of physical books. But books are only one medium by which we touch human minds and spirits. Up until now, they have proven to be the most effective. But the power of infocommunications technology, and particularly the Internet, has changed this. Books are only a part of our imagination, only one of many media by which ingenuity and inspiration can be shared.
I am sure that over the past few days as well as the next few days you will talk a great deal about how Infocom technologies can be harnessed to transform the nature of what you do. From multi-media formats, to global electronic catalogues, to virtual books and libraries, there are exciting developments in every aspect of your industry.
These are welcome and essential changes. They make up the new infrastructure of the information age. Where we built roads and power plants, today we need to build more bandwidth and databases. Libraries are the new power houses of the information age.
I hope that these two perspectives will be useful to you as you pursue your craft. As information professionals, yours is the wonderful world of helping others discover the treasure store of ideas that curiosity can unlock. You have the knowledge and expertise to play the role of information architects and curators, and to help others navigate this new frontier. I wish all of you well in this task.
Before I close, I want to congratulate the librarians in the region for successfully establishing the Congress of Southeast Asian Librarians (CONSAL) Secretariat. I am told that the Secretariat is already doing good work and it has initiated several projects with your support. I am happy also to announce the CONSAL Outstanding Librarian Award sponsored by Blackwell Book Service. This is another initiative of CONSAL Secretariat that will recognise the outstanding contribution of librarians in the region for the region. The first award will be given next year, 2002.
I am pleased that the CONSAL Secretariat has also created the CONSAL web – the region’s library community portal. I note that the Library Association of Singapore first launched CONSAL Web in August 1999 at the International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) Conference in Bangkok. CONSAL web was itself inspired by the effort of the Malaysian library during the 1996 CONSAL conference in Kuala Lumpur. Since the formation of the CONSAL Secretariat in April this year, the web site was transferred to the Secretariat host organisation — the NLB, which has developed the web into a highly interactive portal with the aim of fostering closer working relations among CONSAL members.
Today, in the presence of representatives from the various segments of the industry in the region, the new CONSAL Web is being unveiled. It is a virtual marketplace, community forum, resource, event and regional centre all rolled into one. It even has an Event Photo Gallery that captures the mood and actions of CONSAL social events.
Individual and corporate memberships in the CONSAL Web give unique access privileges to the user communities in the region. Not forgetting its inherent uniqueness in lowering costs and time involved in research and cultivating relations within the industry. The possibilities are endless.
On that note, I am happy to launch the CONSAL Web and wish each of you a stimulating and fruitful time at the discussions and the exhibitions that you will be attending.
Thank you.