We in Singapore are fortunate because we have such a wonderful library system - National Library Board (NLB). I could wax lyrical about the library until the cows come home but let me blog about their Digital Library and how it can be improved.

I checked around with my friends but not many seem to be aware of the Digital Library. Maybe, it is because it is not well marketed by NLB or the system is a little cumbersome to use for the uninitiated. I’ll leave the former for the NLB to sort (BTW, I think their website is quite bad in terms of usability but I digress) and I’ll concentrate on the latter.

Recently, I have been guiding friends on how to borrow media from the Digital Library. Every time I have to repeat the same so blogging about it makes life easier for me, I’ll just point them to this post in the future.

This post is meant for first-timers. In order to borrow digital books (in PDF and Mobipocket formats) or audiobooks (in Overdrive’s proprietary format), do the following:

1. Register with eLibraryHub (don’t ask me why).
2. Remember your username. If you are already registered at eLibraryHub and cannot remember your username (happened to a friend) then call the friendly folks of NLB @ 6332-3255 or drop them an email at helpdesk@nlb.gov.sg.
3. Go to the Digital Library and start borrowing. You’ll be prompted for the username and your NRIC/Membership no./FIN Number.

The reason why many people do not know or do not use the service is because the login screen (shown below) never tells what username to use or where to get a username if the person is not registered. It provides no help or clues whatsoever. This is where the usability fails.

In my opinion, a simple change will dramatically make the Digital Library site more user-friendly. The site just needs to give information to the users on how a username can be obtained and provide contacts for help.

The fact that Overdrive runs this part of the website, I do not know how much control NLB has over customization. However, simple changes can make dramatic improvements, especially, in terms of usability.