THE CONTEMPORARY E-APPROACH TOWARDS NATIONAL HERITAGE INFORMATION RETRIEVAL
In increasingly IT-reliant Singapore where information
and solutions are expected to be instant, the National Archives of Singapore
(NAS) has risen to the challenge by re-engineering the delivery of its
national heritage information.
The result is the Access to Archives Online (www.a2o.com.sg), a one-stop portal for Singapore's heritage information. a2O, allows users to seamlessly search information across NAS' wide range of collections from photographs to maps and oral history interviews. In addition, a2O also allows virtual visitors to view online exhibitions. The portal comprises eight modules, representing various facets of Singapore's heritage information. These are pictures, moving images and sound archives, political speeches, national architectural records, private & governmental records, online posters, and oral history.
The name a2O
is used as an analogy to H2O - an essential element to live.
As much as human beings need water to survive, heritage and culture are
essential parts of our lives. a2O documents the
on-going process of changes and reveals different facets of Singapore
history, values and identity.
In integrating all manual catalogues, inventory lists and indexes, and
digitising frequently-used records such as photographs, historical maps,
building plans, and speeches individuals can gain direct and convenient
access to heritage content via the Internet.
In the development
of the system, NAS has adopted a "bottom-up approach", where
modular sub-systems for each major category of archival holdings were
developed prior to constructing a2O. This approach
addresses the specific features of each category of records and at the
same time allows for concurrent development and deployment. More significantly,
has the advantage of minimising interruption of services should the main
system fail, as each database can be accessed separately via its own server
and URL.
To end-users, a2O has created a more efficient
bridge between users and the archives holdings. It used to be a daunting
task for general users to retrieve the needed information, relying heavily
upon archivists for technical support. Now, the retrieval system is direct,
easy, and timely.
In generating a greater appreciation and awareness of the heritage and history of Singapore, NAS is geared to provide greater access to the archival holdings through the wired platform.
For more information
on Access to Archives Online (a2O), please access:
www.a2o.com.sg
