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Mary Ho
Sleepless In Singapore: A Restless Librarian

According to Chinese astrology, those born in the year of the horse are hard-working, restless, and, remarkably, never tired. Mary K. P. Ho, Librarian with the National Library Board in Singapore, was born under this sign and confesses to embody some of these characteristics. Mary's myriad educational pursuits include a Certificate in Theological Studies from Trinity Theological College in Singapore; a Bachelor of Science degree in Organizational Administration from Northwestern College in St. Paul, Minnesota; and, a Masters degree in Library and Information Science from Rosary College (Dominican University) in River Forest, Illinois. Her career path began as an assistant to the Production Manager of a US manufacturing firm based in Singapore, and then as an administrative assistant in a counseling center. She then branched out to library positions in American colleges, a suburban Chicago public library and, most recently, as Head Librarian with the Attorney-General's Chambers in Singapore. 

Mary is an avid traveler, (her passport reflects visits to over half the world's countries), and maintains relationships with those she has met on her various adventures. Without a doubt, Mary's 'restless' side has led her down a diverse and unique path, enabling her to establish relationships with many people all over the world and fostering a global network that spans both her work and personal lives. 

Mary Ho is a small person, (she prefers the term 'compact'), standing only 4 feet 10 inches tall. However, her small stature is overshadowed by her immense determination and commitment to her profession. As someone born under the sign of the horse, Mary is rarely tired and will answer her cell phone at any time around the clock. She sees her role as a 'research partner' with the lawyers in her organization and, like many of her colleagues, derives great pleasure from fulfilling others' research requests and locating obscure documents. Mary goes out of her way to make sure that her clients have all the information available on a given topic and regularly shares with them data that she receives through her electronic discussion groups. 

Mary's clients obviously hold Mary and her staff in high esteem -- the AG Chambers Library and Resource Centre came in the top three 'Best Service Point' in the category of Special Library Services, thanks to a nomination by grateful clients. In addition, Mary herself was nominated into the top three Best Individual Award in this category. Mary conveys the 'unofficial' motto of her library as: "We will climb mountain or hill, go through ditches and tunnels, will beg and even steal to get what you want!" 

Like many of her librarian colleagues, Mary is adept at networking with others around the globe, which proves invaluable when conducting international research. She has an array of contacts on whom she relies for global information, including those contacts made on personal and business travels; former colleagues in the U.S.; professional discussion groups; and, foreign visitors to her office. Mary sees these 'virtual relationships' as critical to success in today's fast-paced, electronic-oriented world. In Mary's opinion, the ongoing discussion groups in which many librarians participate are a way to facilitate the exchange of ideas, receive assistance in securing research information, and keep one's professional development fresh and stimulated. Mary also thinks these professional networks can be a means of personal support for librarians by helping them discover similarities and bonds with others around the world. 

Mary values a wide array of information resources, both print and electronic. When trying to locate information from other countries, she will often tap into local librarians or others on her staff who may possess particular language or cultural knowledge. In addition, Mary sees significant value in the information available through online databases when searching for materials from other countries. Every library user in the Attorney General's Chambers has desktop access to LexisNexis since the new millenium, due to the persistent efforts that Mary put forth to establish this arrangement. She started her secondment to the AG Chambers in summer of 1997. Mary knew that having easy access to a wealth of foreign and international materials would be vitally important in the research needs of her clients.

While Mary embraces technology and the advantages it offers in terms of efficiency and speed, she also believes that solely relying on electronic data can put one in a dangerous and vulnerable position. The library in which Mary works still maintains a traditional card catalog system, even in this day of online global connections. The card catalog is necessary because the library's computer system is still DOS-based, although a Web-based system is planned for later in the year. Furthermore, library users have 24-hour access to the library, though the library staff keeps office hours. 

Mary prefers a balanced research approach, whereby electronic information and communication is utilized, but with a full understanding of the print resources and processes that go into creating this data. If people lose sight of what the information is based on, Mary believes, quality is compromised for speed and people lose sight of the actual meaning of the information. To this end, Mary believes that one of the biggest challenges in this electronic age is for someone to find a way to 'memorialize' the information that one receives in digital form. Mary states, "If I have a subscription to a print publication and cancel that subscription, the actual documents are the value I have from maintaining that subscription. If I cancel a subscription to online information, there is nothing to show that I once had access to that data." Finding a balance between print and digital information will make research more efficient, and minimize the vulnerability that currently exists for those who rely solely on online information. 

Mary admits that, although she is a hard-working 'horse', she is defying one of the key traits by actually getting tired on occasion. She still enjoys traveling, but not with as much frequency as in the past. She is happy to settle into her new home -- sewing, decorating, and entertaining guests who share her love for cats. When she's not at home and not visiting a friend in another country, you might find her playing badminton, reading crime fiction, or doing some window-shopping to stay abreast of the latest trends in fashion and art. Mary's propensity for hard work and building relationships also means that she will succeed in just about any task she undertakes, and probably have a good time along the way.

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