Founding University Librarian

by

Mr Lim Hong Too

A library more like an information center having quite response to research and study needs of staff and students 

Mr Lim Hong Too ... on the need for an automated library

We did not have access to computer at that time at the beginning of NTI

Mr Lim Hong Too ... on the lack of computer facilities then

All other libraries take more than a month to work before their system can go “live”, and your library takes only 15 hours

Mr Lim Hong Too ... on how barcode linking helped shorten the go "live" time

About Mr Lim Hong Too

Mr Lim was born in Hainan, China on 26 December 1932. At the age of five he moved to Malaya with his mother, to join his father who was working there as a Chief Clerk at the Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank in Muar.

After the Second World War in 1945, he joined Chung Hwa High School, Muar, and completed his Junior Middle education. He then joined English High School, Muar, where he successfully completed his education. He went on to earn a Bachelor of Science Degree from the University of Malaya in 1958 and Bachelor of Arts Honours Degree from the University of London in 1962.

He first started his career in education, teaching Mathematics and Science at his old alma-mater Chung Hwa High School, which he later become Headmaster from 1960 to 1961.While he was studying for his examinations he used the University of Malaya Library intensively and this was where his intense interest in library developed. He then joined University of Malaya Library as a trainee librarian. His dedication and good performance earned him a scholarship to Columbia University in New York and where he earned his Master’s Degree in Library Science.

Mr Lim later became a senior library professional in the National University of Singapore and was invited to be the Founding University Librarian of the then Nanyang Technological Institute (NTI).

Mr Lim retired from NTU in December 1995 and professionally as a librarian in 1999. As a professional librarian, Mr Lim was meticulous and precise in his work. He was also farsighted and progressive as he introduced the use of computers in library work and NTU Library became the first major university library in Singapore to have full automation right from the start.

Starting NTU Library

Hear from the founding University Librarian as he talks about the challenges of setting up the library. 
Video length – 2:46 minutes.

Click here for the transcript

When I first talk to Dr Cham, he called me and he said he doesn’t want to have a traditional kind of library. He wants to have a library which is more like an information centre, having quick response to research and study needs of staff and students. I was thinking this kind of library has got to be an automated library. I have in mind that must have a computer-assisted type of library. In the beginning the library did not have a computer, even the University did not have a computer. We did not have computer time so how to start such a library at that time? As you know Dr Cham is very resourceful and always can come out with good advice. He said, “you go and look around the world”. We took his advice. We formed a study tour team and we go around the world and in fact we went to as far as to England. As we are going to England, we contacted British Council for help and the British Council was very helpful at that time. They financed everything. They financed our trip and we formed a study team consisting of myself (University Librarian) and 2 more professional staff. The British Council paid for everything. They even help to arrange our visits in England. We learnt a lot in England but we did not fix up any agreement with them because they are so big. It is very hard even to tell what you want and make them agree to help you. Impossible. So we look around other places.

MALMARC – The Malaysian Online Catalogue

What does it take to elevate a library to international standards and get it to be one of the first digital libraries in Singapore? Take a listen to how Mr Lim manage to do all that and more. 
Video length – 9:39 minutes. 

Click here for the transcript

We decided to join MALMARC (Malaysian Machine Readable Catalogue). MALMARC is a kind of cataloguing cooperative. In fact MALMARC in the Universiti Sains (USM) in Penang under their Librarian, Mr Lim Huck Tee, who happened to be a close friend of mine. Lim Huck Tee, LHT. They always, at that time, say in the north there is one Lim Huck Tee, LHT, and in the south (in Singapore) you also have a LHT. The two LHTs.

We are rather close friends and he started this MALMARC project to serve all the university libraries and their National Library in Malaysia. All these libraries are their members. By taking in NTI Library, they have a member coming from outside of the country. Theirs essentially is the national system. By taking in NTI Library, they became international.

I did not ask them but I guess they were very happy to have us because we helped them to improve their image. All of a sudden, from national they turn international. They were very happy to have us. They were very happy to have us as a member and we were very happy to have them, to join them because we did not have access to computer at that time, at the beginning of NTI. We did not even have a computer and we had finally a computer which was not big enough.

We had to wait but when we joined MALMARC, MALMARC provided the computer and we joined them as a participating member. When we joined them we have our catalogue database in the MALMARC computer. They keep our database in their computer. We are very happy at that time because we did not have access to any computer facilities. They are happy to have us because they turned international. So we are in a very happy relationship with MALMARC.

We were with them for 2 years. They update our catalogue with our database in their computer. They produced microfiche catalogue and updated every month and sent to us. We were having this microfiche catalogue for about a year before we take back our entire catalogue database from MALMARC and they sent it to us via computer tape. At that time we had enough computer facilities in NTI.

In the sense we are very lucky to have MALMARC at that time when we did not have access to any computer facilities. When we are ready, MALMARC send back the whole catalogue database to us, for us to use on our own computer facilities.

At that time we reported that we received their tapes and we ran it on our own computers and we took 15 hours of computer time to complete the whole thing. After the 15 hours our whole system went “live”.

Went “live” means the whole system from acquisition of books, creating catalogue database and serving reader services. All these activities can be started just like that with the help of the computer.

So when we reported that we took 15 hours of computer time to do the work, there was quite a stir within this MALMARC participating libraries because when they took back their computer catalogue database they had to wait for a month to do barcode linking. That is to link the catalogue data with the loan data. You need the barcode linking. All of them have to take 1 month or more if their collection is big.
So it caused quite a stir because we said we took only 15 hours and this 15 hours became very famous at that time. The National Librarian of Malaysia, Mr Wijasuriya, came to see me personally. He said “how come all other libraries they have to take more than a month to work before their system can go “live” and your library takes only 15 hours. How come you can do that? “I said we when we catalogue a book we already done the barcode linking part for every book. We linked the barcode to the book catalogue and therefore it can be used for the loan services.

We do barcode linking at the point of cataloguing. Once cataloguing is done, barcode linking is done and it can be used for reader services whereas the other libraries they have not done this. They have to do the barcode linking and it depends on their collection if their collection is big they need more than a month before the system can go “live”. So Wijasuriya laughed and told me, “Wah you are very clever!” So we laugh.

And that is the thing at that time. If we did not do barcode linking at the point of cataloguing and if we did the same thing as the other libraries in Malaysia, we could have lost a lot of staff time. I think with our size of collection at that moment, we save tremendous amount of staff time in terms of money we might have save millions of dollars in terms of staff time. That is something I think we have achieved for NTI Library by a stroke of the pen. A decision at the right time, and our system became different from other library systems. We are very happy that we achieved this and we save the University millions of dollars.

Behind the Scenes

Seated left is Mr Lim Hong Too and seated right is Mr Lim Kong Meng (Interviewer).

Mr Lim Hong Too (seated on left) taking a break.