CDNLAO Newsletter
No. 104, September 2024
About the National Library Board
The National Library Board (NLB) fosters a culture of reading, learning, and discovery through its extensive network of 28 libraries, the National Library, and the Nation3al Archives of Singapore. Emphasising innovation and citizen engagement, NLB provides enhanced access to library resources, services, and archival collections, while continually developing innovative library spaces. Established as a statutory board under the Ministry of Digital Development and Information (MDDI) on September 1, 1995, NLB is committed to nurturing knowledgeable communities and promoting lifelong learning.
For more information, please visit the NLB website, and NLB's Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube channels.
NLB's Culture of Innovation
Launched in 2021, LAB25 (Libraries and Archives Blueprint 2025) outlines NLB's approach to innovation and experimentation in an age of increasing digitalisation and personalisation. Since April 2023, NLB has worked with public and private partners to leverage technology to enhance user engagement with our rich content repositories as part of the LAB25 "Singapore Storyteller" pillar.
In particular, the rapid advancement of generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI) has offered new possibilities for NLB's service offerings and enabled novel ways for patrons to connect and interact with local history. These endeavours also align with the Singapore Government's approach of using "AI for Public Good", where emerging technologies, including AI, are seen as transformational forces that support a Smart Nation.
Since 2023, NLB has launched three prototypes that utilised Gen AI to enhance our service offerings, with two specific to Singapore's local and historical content. In developing these prototypes, NLB adopted a rapid prototyping approach to ensure flexibility and adaptiveness in the development process. This agile method allowed NLB to more nimbly gauge both user demand and product desirability before embarking on more extensive resourcing.
ChatBook
ChatBook: Seven Hundred Years – A History of Singapore
In December 2023, NLB launched its first Gen AI prototype, ChatBook, for user testing. ChatBook was a Gen AI-powered chat service that allowed users to "have a conversation with a book". Based on the book Seven Hundred Years: A History of Singapore (2019), and created in collaboration with authors Kwa Chong Guan, Derek Heng, Peter Borschberg and Tan Tai Yong, ChatBook was also supplemented by selected digital resources from NLB.
This first iteration of ChatBook comprised two versions targeted towards different demographic groups. The first was a web-based version tailored for academics and researchers, which included detailed citations and previews of sources to encourage independent exploration. The second was a WhatsApp version to provide a light and conversational experience for the public.
< Figure 1: Web-based version of ChatBook >
< Figure 2: WhatsApp version of ChatBook >
The user testing for ChatBook was conducted for six months between December 2023 and May 2024, and attracted a diverse group of testers, including academics, students, teachers, librarians, youth, and members of the public. Throughout this period, user feedback was systematically gathered and integrated to improve the overall user experience and refine the outputs provided by the model. More than 1,100 patrons expressed interest in the prototype, with over 700 eventually coming onboard as testers.
User satisfaction with ChatBook was generally positive; more than 80% of testers shared that they had enjoyed the prototype. Multiple users found ChatBook a useful service to better understand Singapore history, particularly for younger generations. However, a common thread in the feedback received revealed users' desire for multi-modal output – users wanted a ChatBook that was more than a book. They wanted, beyond solely text-based conversations, images, audio recordings, and even videos.
ChatBook Featuring S. Rajaratnam
The key learning points from the user testing of ChatBook: Seven Hundred Years – A History of Singapore informed NLB's second ChatBook prototype featuring S. Rajaratnam, one of Singapore's founding fathers. The prototype, which the team started conceptualising in March 2024, included enhanced features such as the presentation of multi-modal content, and the ability for users to converse (verbally or via text) with a digital archivist. It offered visitors a unique and interactive experience to learn about Mr Rajaratnam and Singapore's history through Gen AI-powered responses drawn from content comprising oral history interviews, speeches, and photographs of Mr Rajaratnam from the National Archives of Singapore (NAS), curated NLB resources, and the authorised biography on Mr Rajaratnam by Ms Irene Ng, Writer-in-Residence at the Institute of ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute and award-winning former senior political correspondent and Member of Parliament in Singapore (Ng, 2024).
< Figure 3: Visitors can interact with ChatBook via speech and text to explore multi-modal content >
This second prototype – and the first ChatBook to be made publicly available – is being showcased at the National Library Building from 23 July to 21 October 2024. In an installation reflecting Mr Rajaratnam's interest in reading and writing, ChatBook Featuring S. Rajaratnam is anchored by two large ChatBook interfaces designed to resemble open copies of Ms Ng's authorised biography. Visitors can pose their questions to the ChatBook by speaking into the microphone or using the typewriter attached to each interface, and will receive Gen-AI powered responses and a selection of relevant resources to learn more about Mr Rajaratnam and Singapore's history.
Complementing the digital interface are replicas of archival materials in the surrounding bookshelves, providing another modality for visitors to learn about Mr Rajaratnam's varied contributions. A selection of physical books, such as Ms Ng's biography, is also available at the showcase, alongside links to online resources and eBooks for visitors to further their exploration of Singapore history.
< Figure 4: Replicas of archival materials displayed on the shelves and book displays >
< Figure 5: Prime Minister of Singapore Lawrence Wong (seated) experienced the ChatBook Featuring S. Rajaratnam with Singapore's Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo, Irene Ng, and NLB's Chief Executive Officer Ng Cher Pong (right to left) on 22 July 2024. >
StoryGen
StoryGen, launched as a prototype at the Central Public Library in January 2024, aims to make emerging technologies, such as Gen AI, accessible to the public – akin to the use of technology to teach technology. StoryGen allows users to add their own spin on well-known classics such as Little Red Riding Hood or The Wizard of Oz, alongside local fables from the Malay Annals like "Sang Nila Utama" or "The Legend of Badang", and visualise these stories in an immersive multimedia experience. The showcase is also complemented by curated information and resources on Gen AI.
< Figure 6: StoryGen's Information Panels on Gen AI >
< Figure 7: A patron exploring StoryGen >
StoryGen has been well-received by the public. As of 31 May 2024, StoryGen has received a visitorship of more than 45,000. Over 22,000 stories have been published, with more than 95% of users indicating that they had enjoyed the experience. Due to popular demand, StoryGen, which was intended to run at the Punggol Regional Library until 31 May 2024, was extended at the same venue to 31 October 2024.
Addressing the Risks of Gen AI
Even as NLB pursues the possibilities offered by the increasing sophistication of Gen AI, we remain vigilant about the risks posed, such as misinformation and the ethical use of the technology. To this end, NLB has implemented proactive measures to address these risks.
To prevent hallucinations, NLB uses controlled datasets to ensure the credibility and accuracy of the ingested datasets. Furthermore, extensive testing is conducted on any Gen AI product to refine the model's responses and mitigate any potentially hallucinatory outputs. NLB also takes care to only use materials that we own the copyright to (e.g. Seven Hundred Years: A History of Singapore for the initial ChatBook prototype), hold the appropriate licenses for (e.g. in the case of ChatBook Featuring S. Rajaratnam, NLB had engaged and sought the approval of the author and publisher of the authorised biography of S. Rajaratnam), or materials that are no longer covered under Singapore's prevailing copyright laws (e.g. as part of the base stories used for StoryGen).
A Wealth of Possibilities
From conversations with books to seeing books come to life, technologies such as Gen AI have expanded the means and methods through which NLB patrons can engage with our content. We will continue this journey of experimentation and innovation to harness the potential that such technologies can offer, be it in unlocking our collections, enabling new ways of connection with Singapore stories, heritage, and among Singaporeans, or even improving our processes.
References
Kwa, Chong Guan, et al. Seven Hundred Years: A History of Singapore. National Library Board/Marshall Cavendish Editions, 2019.
Ng, Irene. The Lion's Roar. ISEAS Publishing, 2024.
Copyright (C) 2024 National Library Board, Singapore
