KUALA LUMPUR: The National Library of Malaysia is embracing technologies including artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics in its modernisation plan to stay relevant and up to date, said deputy director-general Edy Irwan Zulkafli.
He said the National Library is keeping up with new technologies to offer visitors a fresh and unique experience.
“Our aim is to ensure the library progresses technologically while preserving our nation’s heritage and civilisation,” he told SunBiz on the sidelines of a talk on “Knowledge Management In The World Of Technology’ at the National Library today.
Edy Irwan said as technology rapidly advances, library users will increasingly demand more, so it strives to ensure that it keeps pace with these technological developments. “Whether in the private sector or within libraries, we aim to pioneer technologies that can also be applied at the National Library.”
Edy Irwan said the National Library has already incorporated several elements into its strategic plan for 2024 to 2028, as well as the ICT Strategic Plan of the National Library for the same period (2024-2028). “For example, the use of facial recognition technology is being considered to monitor visitors to the National Library, as well as staff to help detect attendees.”
Additionally, it is proposing the use of chatbots to ease visitor access and interaction with its services. “We have applied for this implementation of robotics. In today’s age, robotics is even used in restaurants, so we are considering these efforts as part of our future ICT development.”
Edy Irwan said a proposed superapps has been suggested to analyse user behavior to recommend appropriate reading materials, similar to the concept of Netflix.
“And Big Data Analytics with projected two data sets every year. Currently, the National Library’s big data is only for descriptive purposes, but it can be explored to move towards predictive analytics,” he added.
The National Library has conducted its “Knowledge Management Talk”, an initiative aimed at exposing staff to the latest trends and, at the same time, engaging virtually with library users to inform them of current trends that can be implemented in libraries.
“During the first session, the panel highlighted the use of commonly utilised applications that streamline processes such as Mind Maps and ChatGPT. All of these tools are meant to assist processes,” Edy Irwan said.
However, he said, ethical use must be emphasised, as uncontrolled use could result in unintentionally appropriating knowledge or ideas from original creators. “Besides this, today’s programme also serves to raise public awareness, and we hope to see its implementation within the National Library of Malaysia itself.”
