Services at the Lee Kong Chian Reference Library

These include Reference & Information Services; Reference Point; Audiovisual Services; Interlibrary Loan and Document Delivery; Repository Used Collection; Printing; Photocopy and Reprographic Services; and Digital Content.

Reference & Information Services

The Lee Kong Chian Reference Library provides advisory services for research assignments, business ventures and personal interest. Our reference librarians can provide answers to queries, suggest useful search strategies and guide you to relevant and useful resources available at the Library. Researchers from academic to business fields may also make an appointment with qualified reference librarians specialising in the subject area to help clarify and locate what you need.

Reference Point

In addition to the on-site reference and information services, Reference Point also satisfies your reference needs from the comfort of your home. You can email, mail, fax or call Reference Point whenever you have an enquiry.

Audio-Visual Services

A wide range of audio-visual materials on many topics ranging from business and management to the arts may be viewed within the Lee Kong Chian Reference Library. Our audio-visual materials include videotapes, laser discs, digital videodiscs (DVD), video compact discs (VCD) and compact discs. Customers may browse our catalogue to check for titles before applying to view them.

Interlibrary Loan and Document Delivery

Interlibrary loan is available for libraries and government organisations that wish to borrow items from NLB libraries or overseas libraries. This service allows institutional members convenient access to the vast materials from our network of libraries.

The Document Delivery Service supplies documents from NLB’s print and microfilm collections as well as databases of selected overseas libraries for individuals, government organisations, corporate members, NLB’s institutional members and overseas libraries, subjected to the copyright law. Customers may request for details from the Reference Counters at the Lee Kong Chian Reference Library.

Repository Used Collection (RUR)

The Lee Kong Chian Reference Library also provides for consultation access to the older Repository Used Reference (RUR) materials stored outside the Library’s premises. Customers can place a reservation for a RUR book at $1.55 per item; once the book arrives at the library, customers will be notified by post and will be able to consult the RUR item within the Library only.

Printing, Photocopy and Reprographic Services

Customers can print downloaded documents from websites and databases at the multimedia stations, available on levels 7, 8, 9 and 11 at $0.30 per A4 copy. For our customer’s convenience, black and white photocopying services at $0.05 per A4 copy are also available on levels 7, 8, 9 and 11, while quality colour photocopying services are available on levels 8 and 11 at $0.50 per A4 copy.

Customers can also obtain black and white photocopies from microfilms at the photocopying service on level 11. For better quality printouts from microfilms, customers can place a reprographic order at the Reference Counter.

Digital Content

An increasing amount of e-content, whether digitised from our local collections or acquired from our partners and commercial providers, is available through the digital library portal at www.nlb.gov.sg. The digital library portal contains 40 online databases and electronic journals that support researchers by its convenient search and access. Digital content covers Business information, Art, Social Sciences, Science and Chinese databases. Highlights of our databases include Britannica Online, Grove Art Online, Forrester Research, GMID (Global Market Information Database) Euromonitor, REALIS (URA Real Estate Information System), China Infobank and Singapore Pages.