Written by Mohamad Syahrul Nizam Md Ishak and Noor Syafini Zamani.

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Sintok, 6 October 2025 – The Sultan Abdul Samad Library (PSAS), Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), has achieved a remarkable milestone by winning two awards at The 7th International Innovation and Design in Library and Information Science (InDeLib 2025) held at Dewan Tan Sri Othman, Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) on 6 October 2025.

PSAS submitted two innovation projects, both of which received international recognition. The MetaDash Team was awarded the Silver Medal for their innovation project entitled “FAsst: An AI-Powered Extension for Smarter Metadata Indexing in Institutional Repositories”, while the Brainnovators Team received the Bronze Medal for their project Books4U@Lib.

The FAsst project has brought significant transformation to the management of metadata in UPM’s Institutional Repository through the application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology. This innovation successfully accelerates the indexing process of UPM’s scholarly articles with greater efficiency and accuracy. As a result, the number of scholarly materials uploaded to the repository has increased substantially, thereby expanding access and reference opportunities for researchers and library users.

The project is led by Mohamad Syahrul Nizam Md Ishak, together with team members Rusniah Sayuti, Nazibah Kamaruddin, Azian Edawati Zakaria, and Nur Faseha Mohd Kadim from the Digital Resources Management Division and the Corporate and Staff Training Division.

Meanwhile, the Books4U@Lib project, developed by the Brainnovators Team through the Quality Innovation Circle (KIK) initiative, adapts existing lockers into book pick-up lockers, allowing users to collect borrowed materials at any time without relying on the circulation counter.

This innovation has produced significant impacts, including an increase in book borrowing statistics through 24/7 accessibility, cost savings compared to the acquisition of new smart lockers, and a reduction in annual maintenance costs.

The team members who presented this innovation were Noor Syafini Zamani, Mohd Dasuki Sahak, Muhammad Aidil Fazli Samsuri, Nabilah Huda Pa’ Su, and Iylia Nulieyana Nasri.

This achievement demonstrates PSAS’s strong commitment to fostering a culture of continuous innovation and creativity in library services, in line with the aspirations of the UPM Strategic Plan to position the library as a Smart Library that is innovative, inclusive, and technology-driven.

Date of Input: 11/10/2025 | Updated: 11/10/2025 | syafini