At NanyangTeclmological University (NTU) in Singapore, the staff and organisational
structure of the libraries were drastically
changed around fivc ycars ago in recognition
of the fundamental shift in tlie library-user
relationship. The simple strategy of focusing
cvcryrhing we do on the user has become a
driving force for change.
Currently. NTU has seven libraries, all within
a beautiful and green campus. Thc university
has about 33,000 students, 30% ofwhich
are graduate students. Almost half of all
students are in the College of Engineering, one
of the largest in the world. Faculty and research
staff number over 3,000. Supporting these
users are 102 library staff of which 43 are
professional librarians. Though the ratio of
library staff to user population is low compared
with other similar research libraries, it
has seen a huge increase from just 64 staff in
2004.
To ensure that adequate services are
provided, many of the routine functions are
supported by a large group of paid student
assistants.
At NanyangTeclmological University (NTU) in Singapore, the staff and organisational
structure of the libraries were drastically
changed around fivc ycars ago in recognition
of the fundamenta…