24 November 2022

13th AUN Rectors’ Meeting: AUNILO Promoting Fast and Detailed Information Sharing Among AUN Member Universities

By
AUN Writer Team

By Boonyanuch Jaroenittikoon, AUN Programme Officer

The previous feature of the 13th AUN Rectors’ Meeting discussed how AUN-TEPL has used technology to improve university talents. This time, the talk is channeled through the perspective of Libraries of ASEAN University Network (AUNILO) under the same sub-agenda from last week’s article, “Driving University Talents Through Technology”, which further expands on the first agenda from the meeting—Driving University Excellence through Regional and International Cooperation.  Dr. Vernon R. Totanes, Chair of AUNIL, has shed light on the growing importance of libraries in providing fast and detailed information on larger international platforms. He also introduced a variety of projects from the Member Libraries that are the fruits of AUNILO’s mission of developing world-class library and information services among AUN Member Universities.

Since its establishment in 2003, AUNILO has held Working Committee meetings annually throughout the decade to plan and formulate strategies for an online resource-sharing system, as well as develop human resources among the Member Libraries. Nowadays, with the current state of technological advancements, libraries in ASEAN universities will be capable of providing fast and detailed information that allows users from a wider community to build on their knowledge more efficiently. 

Here are some examples of the projects created by AUNILO’s Member Libraries:

1. Nanyang Technological University (NTU)

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  • Temi the Robot is an inaugural smart library assistant that uses a knowledge-based system to answer the more frequently asked questions by library users. It can connect users to librarians for more complex enquiries, guide users as a wayfinding tool, and give tours within the library space.

2. Singapore Management University (SMU)

  • The Remote Locker & Self Pick-Up Service was deployed as part of the RFID technology at the Li Ka Shing Library. Users can pick up reserved books 24 hours from the remote locker—a collection point—at their own convenient times. This project is a part of the contactless services that the library has rolled out to support users during the Covid-19 pandemic

3. Mahidol University (MU)

  • Video Abstract for Publicizing Academic Works of Mahidol University Project has been initiated for promoting Mahidol University staff, instructors, and researchers’ articles that have appeared in international databases and are publicised as academic textbooks. This project was established for those who are in the circle of related study fields. Users can access these academic works to build on knowledge everywhere and anytime.

4. De La Salle University (DLSU)

  • Initiatives, Plans, and Innovations on Tech-Integrated Services and Creative Solutions consists of:
    • 1) Cloud-service platforms, namely SAAS, EZproxy, and ExLibris, for 24-hour access to academic resources, library service, and data analytics; 
    • 2) Next-Level Virtual Reference Services (VRS) for Library Online Reference Assistant (LORA); 
    • 3) E-course resource lists solution, and 
    • 4) Self-service culture including self-check-in-and-out of books, cashless transactions, and seat and spaces booking

5. Prince of Songkla University (PSU)

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  • PSU Knowledge Bank was initiated in 2009 as an institutional repository to collect, store, and preserve the digital resources of PSU members.
  • Local Southern Information has been an online database providing access to digital resources of information regarding the Southern region of Thailand since 2018.

On top of the current data-sharing-related projects, AUNILO’s Member Libraries are also working on several more projects that promote academic resource sharing, information exchange, and networking among the AUN Member Universities and academic communities in the ASEAN region. More information can be accessed at https://aunilo.net/

The 13th AUN Rectors’ Meeting has discussed several areas regarding the importance of regional and international cooperation in developing university excellence. Next week will be moving on to the next sub-agenda, “Driving University Through Competition and Cooperation in Rankings/Ratings”. Stay tuned for the upcoming week's article on how the Universitas Indonesia (UI) promotes sustainability among ASEAN universities with UI GreenMetric: World University Rankings; as well as ASEAN University Network Health Promotion Network (AUN-HPN) in the following week.