Cindy Goh, Director, Digital and Library Services, National Library Board (NLB), Singapore

1. How do you use technology/policy to improve citizens’ lives? Tell us about your role or organisation. 

I lead a team in the Technology Services Group responsible for strategising, designing, and implementing organisation-wide application infrastructure systems and public-facing digital and library services.

Aligned with Singapore's Smart Nation and Digital Government initiatives, I am part of the team driving the digital transformation at the National Library Board (NLB). 

Our work focuses on enhancing the organisation's digital capabilities, delivering seamless access to books and eBooks, and automating processes to improve the efficiency of our services for citizens. Our efforts focus on making knowledge more accessible and library services more user-friendly and efficient.

We've implemented robots to automate the sorting of books and detection of misplaced books on shelves, further streamlining our operations and improving the user experience. Our flagship product, the NLB Mobile app, provides intuitive access to an expansive collection of resources.
 

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2. What was the most impactful project you worked on this year? 

That would be the pilot of an innovative content discovery system. This initiative aims to transform our mobile app into a discovery platform where users can explore our multi-modal content and resources, enhancing their overall learning experience. 

The resources span Singapore's history, culture, and significant events. It includes local music, book reviews, video archives, and various other formats, offering a comprehensive resource on Singapore's past and present.

To achieve this, we are working on an AI-driven recommendation system that provides multi-format item suggestions personalised to each user's content consumption behaviour. These features are being integrated into our NLB Mobile app and will be launched in Q1 this year.

While we use collective borrowing data to enhance our services, we prioritise data privacy and the recommendations are generated using anonymised, aggregated data, so that people’s reading habits are not monitored or disclosed

3. What was one unexpected learning from 2024? 

In 2024, as the environment shifts and emerging technologies/tools, particularly in the realm of AI, are fast changing, embracing change and adjusting to the evolving landscape is essential.

Hence, it is important to remain flexible and open-minded to navigate challenges and seize new opportunities.

4. What’s a tool or technique you’re excited to explore in 2025? 

I'm excited to explore new frontiers in AI-driven technology. My next focus will be on revolutionising our content discovery experience.

One innovation is the use of Generative AI for content summarisation. This allows us to create engaging, bite-sized previews of full-length content. aiming to boost user engagement and encourage exploration of our diverse materials.

We plan to implement AI-powered search functionality and introduce AI-generated summaries alongside traditional search results, further enhancing user interaction with our digital resources.

Additionally, we will explore emerging technologies and advancements on robotics and continue to modernise our applications. 

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5. Everybody’s talking about AI today – give us your hot take on AI and what it means for the public sector.

AI is no longer just a future prospect for the public sector - it's already here, transforming how we deliver services to citizens.

In my view, AI presents a great opportunity to enhance government services, making them more efficient, personalised, and accessible. However, it also brings challenges we must address.

As we integrate AI into public services, we need to prioritise ethical considerations, ensure transparency, and maintain public trust.

In libraries, we are implementing AI-driven recommendation systems and exploring AI for content summarisation and search. We experimented with a new way of storytelling with StoryGen, a prototype using generative AI to create stories from users' prompts, and in the process, to discuss existing authors and works.

We've also developed an AI-powered Chatbook featuring S. Rajaratnam, offering a new way to learn about our shared history through resources from the National Archives of Singapore.

As we embrace these technologies, we remain committed to preserving the human touch that defines libraries. Our aim is to use AI to complement, not replace, librarians' expertise and our community-centric approach.

We strive to balance technology with the value of human interaction in knowledge sharing.

6. What advice do you have for public sector innovators? 

My advice for public sector innovators would be to start by clearly identifying the problem you're trying to solve. Connect deeply with users and citizens to uncover pain points in their interactions with government services.

Once you've identified the issue, conduct a proof of concept to verify that your proposed innovation improves processes and outcomes. Remember that the goal of any public sector innovation should be to improve citizens' lives.

By focusing on real problems and rigorously testing solutions, you can ensure your innovations deliver meaningful impact rather than just introducing change for its own sake.

7. Who inspires you today? 

My team! Their commitment, excellence, and innovative ideas are a constant source of inspiration and learning. Throughout my career, I've gained immense knowledge from bosses and colleagues. I firmly believe that every person I encounter has something valuable that I can learn from.