Building a bibliographic network for Singapore

The Singapore Integrated Library Automation Service provides a national bibliographic source, a shared library network, a cooperative online shared cataloguing facility and a national union catalogue for the libraries of Singapore. This paper traces the history of Silas with special emphasis on the building of the database by merging together bought‐in files with the machine‐readable cataloguing of the National Library and other major Singapore libraries. The setting up of a data communications network based on communicating personal computers is also discussed.