INWOOD, WV, January 30, 2003 — Speakers of Tamil, an official language of Singapore, can now search the online catalog of Singapore's National Library Board (NLB) in their own language.
The catalog – CARLweb -- is the PAC module of TLC's integrated automation system, CARL.Solution at NLB. This new multilingual solution enables Tamil speakers to enjoy search and display features for greater access to NLB's collection.
TLC has loaded over 4,000 full records to the NLB database, providing interactive cataloging functions for Tamil. Also provided is automatic transliteration from Tamil to Roman characters through TLC's ITS.International cataloging software.
The new capabilities debuted at the opening of NLB's newly refurbished Ang Mo Kio Branch on January 26. The Ang Mo Kio Branch has a special Tamil reading room to showcase new items in the NLB collection. Tamil materials are owned and circulated from all NLB sites, and access is available from all CARLweb connections.
This implementation completes the multilingual suite of services TLC has provided to National Library through CARL.Solution to support Singapore's four official languages: English, Malay, Chinese, and Tamil. Tamil is a regional Indian language that has spread beyond the frontiers of India. It is the language of 40 million people in Tamil Nadu, and the spoken and written language of several millions of Tamils living in Ceylon, Burma, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, South Africa, Fiji Islands, and Mauritius.
CARL.Solution also supports the other non-Roman character languages. The languages are stored and displayed in Unicode, and join the larger family of languages TLC supports. These include Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Polish, and Spanish, in addition to Tamil.
About CARL.Solution
CARL.Solution is used by some of the busiest libraries in the United States, including Baltimore County Public, Denver Public, Los Angeles Public, and the Phoenix Public Library. International users include prominent libraries in Asia and New Zealand, notably NLB, the Singapore Ministry of Education, and Wellington City Libraries in New Zealand.
For more information about TLC, contact Gary W. Kirk at gwkirk@TLCdelivers.com or call 1.770.591.0089. Also, visit www.TLCdelivers.com.