Open Book: The NLB30 Keynotes Series Explores the Future of Reading and Learning

As part of its 30^th anniversary celebrations, the National Library Board, Singapore (NLB) organised Open Book: The NLB30 Keynotes. A series of moderated conversations held from July to October 2025, the programme brought together thought leaders from diverse fields to explore the future of reading and learning, and envision how libraries and archives can transform into spaces of discovery.

Reading the World

The inaugural Keynote on 21 July, “Reading the World”, focused on the enduring importance of reading and books in an era of global uncertainty, through the eyes of two of Singapore’s distinguished diplomats and thought leaders:

1. Professor Tommy Koh, Ambassador-at-Large with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Singapore, Emeritus Professor of Law at the National University of Singapore (NUS)
2. Professor Chan Heng Chee, Ambassador-at-Large with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Singapore, Honorary Professor at the Lee Kuan Yew Centre for Innovative Cities in the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD)

Mr Gene Tan, Chief Librarian and Chief Innovation Officer, NLB, moderated the event, which was attended by over 400 participants, both in-person and virtually.

The Keynote drew an impressive diplomatic audience, including Ambassadors and representative of fourteen countries, reflecting the international significance of the discourse.

Professor Koh paid tribute to his father, who taught him how to read and imbued in him a curiosity that fuelled his career. Professor Chan’s love for books blossomed in her school days, where dedicated teachers kindled her literary interests.

As witnesses to the evolution from print to digital media, both speakers embraced this transformation while honouring traditional books. While cherishing what Professor Chan eloquently termed “the bookness of books,” they acknowledged digital libraries as the future’s frontier. Rather than seeing the digital space as a threat, Professor Koh captured a timeless truth, that “human beings need stories, and so the platform (libraries) and books will never die,” reiterating the enduring essence of storytelling, regardless of the medium.

In closing, Professor Chan shared her view that libraries are “sacred spaces” in this age of social media. Rather than just being quiet places for study, libraries today remain as vital knowledge centres, making literature accessible and fostering global understanding for the next generation. Her sentiment resonated with audience member, Kayle, 20, who observed that “the only way to learn the cultures of others, and how they live, is through books and the written word”.

The Singapore Writers Festival (SWF) Directors’ Cut: Sing Lit, How Are You?

The second session of the NLB30 Keynotes series illuminated the landscape of Singapore Literature (Sing Lit). It was held on 26 July at the Central Library, National Library Building and live streamed on Zoom.

The talk featured the following past and present Directors of one of Asia’s premier multilingual literary festivals, the Singapore Writers Festival (SWF):

1. Paul Tan, SWF Director from 2011 to 2014, Chief Executive at the Community Foundation of Singapore
2. Pooja Nansi, SWF Director from 2019 to 2023, Chief Publisher of AFTERIMAGE Press
3. Yeow Kai Chai, SWF Director from 2015 to 2018, Journalist
4. Yong Shu Hoong, Current SWF Director

Mr Gene Tan was the moderator for the talk, which was attended by over 250 participants, both in-person and online.

Mr Paul Tan reflected on the festival’s remarkable journey, from an intimate literary gathering to an inclusive celebration that made Sing Lit accessible to both enthusiasts and casual readers alike.

Mr Yong Shu Hoong emphasised the festival’s crucial role in connecting with varied audiences, from local writers to international literary figures. Building on this, Mr Yeow Kai Chai questioned and challenged the conventional metrics of a successful festival, particularly the focus on attendance figures. He suggested that success lies in its ability to create a genuine sense of place and community, a perspective that Mr Paul Tan acknowledged to be a common challenge that all festival directors face.

Ms Pooja Nansi celebrated the festival’s success in dismantling perceptions of Sing Lit as being inaccessible and “cheem”[1]. She emphasised that the festival serves to advocate for the unconditional support of local writers, rather than questioning their relevance.

In closing, the directors celebrated Sing Lit’s organic evolution, acknowledging its need for space and time to flourish. As attending poet Ms Heng Siok Tian, 60, observed, “Time is needed for maturation, and we cannot hurry certain things.”

Yet at the festival’s heart lies its vibrant community, captured in the words of acclaimed writer, Constance Singam: “I belong to a community of people who believe in something, who believe in reading and believe in people.”

The curated list of recommended Sing Lit titles by the speakers of Keynote #1 and #2 will be available on NLB’s website.

[1] Cheem: A Singapore English (Singlish) term meaning complex, difficult to understand, or profound. Singlish is the colloquial English-based creole language spoken in Singapore.

Libraries, Archives, and the Great Wave of AI

We closed out Open Book: The NLB30 Keynotes on 3 October, with the final session exploring the future of knowledge and discovery and how we can navigate the promise and pitfalls of Generative AI, with the heads of the world’s leading library and archives organisations:

1. Josée Kirps, President, International Council on Archives (ICA)
2. Leslie Weir, President, International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA)

Ms Julia Chee, Chief Archivist, NLB, moderated the event, which was attended by a virtual international audience of over 453 participants, from over 17 countries.

As Presidents of their respective organisations, Ms Leslie Weir and Ms Josée Kirps both agree that AI’s influence will cause the library and archives profession to transform rather than disappear. Drawing on past precedent, with libraries and archives being early technology adopters since the 1970s computerisation era, knowledge institutions are well-positioned to adapt and thrive. However, AI will reshape professional roles, requiring continuous learning and strategic focus on uniquely human expertise such as contextual analysis and ethical stewardship. As a piece of advice to librarians and archivists, Ms Kirps emphasised the importance of staying informed through education and training.

An aspect of our profession that may struggle to keep up with AI’s rapid pace of evolution is that of standards and infrastructure adaptation. Ms Weir questioned if traditional metadata standards development cycles can be responsive to the breakneck speed at which AI is moving. New approaches are needed to complement existing discovery mechanisms, particularly as institutions grapple with managing exponentially growing digital collections.

Both speakers identified several future challenges that libraries and archives will face, such as distinguishing AI-generated content from human-created materials, preventing misinformation, maintaining trusted sources, and ensuring easy pathways for users to access human expertise when AI falls short. Ms Weir stressed that libraries and archives must be proactive rather than reactive, staying in the “driver’s seat” to leverage AI for better community service rather than letting AI simply “do something to us”. In closing, Ms Kirps shared her view that AI is not “magic”, but a tool to be wielded in complement to the expertise of librarians and archivists.

Stay tuned to our social media pages for more details on when the sessions’ recordings will be made available for viewing!

Contributed by

Alex Foo, Heng Shi Lei, Jennifer Ho, Mandy Lim, and Nathaniel Chew,

National Library and Archives Board, Singapore.