The National Library Board (NLB) is one of the country’s most prominent proponents of reading, learning, and information literacy. NLB has a wide and vibrant range of resources, innovative services, and free spaces that cater to everyone, regardless of age or background.

But behind this incredible success lies a team of passionate individuals, who are driving change to make a real difference in the community. By embracing NLB’s vision of nurturing a love forreading, fostering learning communities, and facilitating a knowledgeable nation, Nadia Amir will join her colleagues at NLB to help to inspire lifelong learning among Singaporeans.

Finding Alignment in Values and Goals

Nadia first discovered the NLB Undergraduate Scholarship through BrightSparks Magazine, which was distributed through her school. Despite receiving offers from multiple organisations, Nadia was drawn to the NLB Scholarship because of the unique opportunities it offered beyond financial aid. “As I am passionate about learning and helping others to learn, I felt that my personal values aligned with NLB’s goals and work. Taking on the NLB Scholarship also meant being able to join a community of like-minded people and work with them on this shared passion,” she said.

But it wasn’t just the scholarship that caught Nadia’s attention. During the interview, Nadia was struck by the collaborative atmosphere and genuine interest of the interviewers and other candidates in fostering a community of learners.

“The interviewers and the other candidates seemed genuinely interested in encouraging others to learn and create a community of learners. I was very comfortable during the interview, and it confirmed my belief that the NLB scholarship and joining NLB afterwards would provide me with a supportive learning environment that would help me thrive,” she said.

For Nadia, the NLB Scholarship was more than just about financial support. It was an opportunity to become part of a community of like-minded individuals who share her passion for learning and making a difference in the world.

With a network of 29 libraries, the National Library and the National Archives of Singapore, NLB offers an unparalleled collection of books and other literary resources. Nadia herself has always been an avid reader and attributes a lot of what she has learnt to this passion. With technology advancing rapidly, she believes that it is critical for libraries to keep up with thetimes. To that end, NLB makes available more formats for reading, including eBooks on the NLB Mobile app, and brings learning opportunities to everyone everywhere, such as through the new Manga Grab-n-Go library at City Square Mall (on till August 2023).

Nadia was particularly drawn to NLB’s culture of innovation and openness, which she believes creates more opportunities to serve the community’s learning needs. “I feel that NLB’s culture of imaginativeness and openness, coupled with how fast technology is developing these days, creates more opportunities to better serve the community’s learning needs and wants. I like this culture and believe that it aligns with my personal values, which is why I’m motivated to pursue a career with NLB,” she shared.

NLB’s vision to develop “Readers for Life” and its mission to “Create Possibilities” also resonated deeply with her personal values, and she is excited to contribute to these goals in her future career at NLB.

Embracing New Perspectives

Nadia is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Social Science (Honours) in Communications and New Media (CNM) degree at the National University of Singapore. She is exploring a variety of disciplines including graphic design, writing, and even User Interface (UI) and User Experience (UX) design. The diversity of modules offered was a major consideration in her decision to major in CNM. “The modules that CNM offered seemed very diverse and there was always something new to discover, which is why I chose to major in it,” Nadia said.

The support NLB has provided is instrumental to Nadia’s academic success, offering her the autonomy to study modules she deems beneficial to her studies. She was initially hesitant to take enrol in a Sociology module as she was unfamiliar with the topic, but with NLB’s support, she gained the confidence to pursue it.

“I was reassured by NLB that the module and the topic would allow me to learn very useful skills that would help me in NLB in future,” said Nadia. “I ended up realising that I also had a strong interest in Sociology and wanted to minor in it.”

Nadia believes that studying Sociology can help her view things from different perspectives, which is essential in effectively reaching out to NLB’s patrons. With the opportunity to intern with NLB nearing, Nadia is eager to apply the practical and soft skills she has learned through her course to promote lifelong learning.

“Through the internship, I’m sure that I will have opportunities to apply the practical and soft skills that I have learned through my course and contribute to NLB’s outreach activities.”

Nadia Amir

Spreading The Joy of Reading and Learning

Nadia has acquired a wide range of practical skills throughout her university education. In doing so, she has obtained an edge that will help her more effectively plan, innovate andpromote programmes for reading and lifelong learning. She has also acquired the ability to think critically, computationally, and creatively, which will be vital for her future role. “I can use these skills to contribute to programmes that keep up with both technological and cultural trends as NLB has already been doing,” she said.

As an NLB Scholar, Nadia hopes to leverage the hard and soft skills that she acquires to work towards the goal of developing a community of learners. “I hope to work towards this goal by leveraging technology and innovation to create new and engaging ways for people to learn and develop their information literacy skills,” said Nadia. “Ultimately, I want to serve the community by contributing to a place where everyone can find the tools and resources they need to succeed in the digital age.”

Nadia believes that NLB is the ideal fit for her because of its commitment to providing free and accessible information for reading and learning. She encourages others who share the same passion for reading and learning to take up the NLB Scholarship. “If you are someone passionate about empowering others to read and learn, as well as want to work in a collaborative environment of like-minded individuals on that shared goal, then do consider the NLB Scholarship!”