Singapore's national public library
1°17′52″N
103°51′15.2″E
/
1.29778°N 103.854222°E
/
1.29778; 103.854222
The
National Library, Singapore
is the flagship
national library
of Singapore. A subsidiary of the
National Library Board
(
NLB
), it is located on an 11,304?square metre site in
Victoria Street
within the
Downtown Core
. It is the country's largest
public library
.
[3]
The library has regional branches throughout the country such as in
Jurong
,
Tampines
and
Woodlands
as well as affiliations with academic and professional libraries. The branch libraries are open to the general public and consist of
circulating libraries
. The National Library also consists of
research libraries
, which are also open to the general public.
History
[
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]
The National Library traces its history back to 1823 with the establishment of the first national
public library
as suggested by
Stamford Raffles
, the founder of modern Singapore. It was renamed the Hullett Memorial Library in 1923, co-located with Singapore's first school,
Raffles Institution
, at a site now occupied by the
Raffles City
complex.
[4]
It moved to a separate Library and Museum Building in 1887 under the name of Raffles Library as part of the
Raffles Museum
, before moving to the
Stamford Road
premises in 1960 under the name of the
National Library of Singapore
where it was opened by
Yusof Ishak
, the first
President of Singapore
.
Central Public Library
[
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]
Formerly known as the Central Lending Library at 91 Stamford Road, the collection was relocated to 100 Victoria Street and opened as the Central Public Library in 2005.
[5]
In June 2022, the Central Public Library was completely overhauled, and re-opened in January 2024 as a venue offering a myriad of learning experiences for all ages.
[6]
The lending library is currently home to the Children's Biodiversity Library by S.E.A. Aquarium, and also offers content on Singapore culture, literature and sustainability.
Lee Kong Chian Reference Library
[
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]
Previously known as the National Reference Library, the Lee Kong Chian Reference Library adopted its new name after receiving a
S$
60 million donation from the
Lee Foundation
, founded by
Dr Lee Kong Chian
. It occupies 7 storeys (Levels 7-13) at the National Library Building with a floor area of 14,265 square metres.
[7]
Current building
[
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]
The current building, a 16-storey, two-block development situated in the city's Civic District, replaces the
old National Library
at
Stamford Road
, which closed on 31 March 2004.
[8]
In May 1999,
Swan & Maclaren Architects
won the tender to design the new National Library.
[9]
In March 2000,
Minister for National Development
Mah Bow Tan
announced that that old National Library will be demolished and a new National Library be built on Victoria Street.
In January 2001, Malaysian architect,
Ken Yeang
, split from the design team from Swan and Maclaren, resulting Swan and Maclaren losing the design contract.
[10]
Yeang joined architectural firm T. R. Hamzah & Yeang and the firm took over the design contract for the National Library.
[11]
The library moved to its new home on 22 July 2005, and was officially opened on 12 November that year by the then
President
S. R. Nathan
. It is the flagship building of the
National Library Board
, bringing together the core functions of the old library by incorporating a
reference library
, known as the
Lee Kong Chian Reference Library
(
simplified Chinese
:
李光前?考???
;
traditional Chinese
:
李光前參考圖書館
), as well as a
public library
, the
Central Public Library
, under one roof.
The building, was designed by
T.R. Hamzah & Ken Yeang
.
[12]
On the highest 16th level rooftop, there is a large closed area designed like a bubble called The Pod, used for functions and events. Although not a public viewing gallery, it has a panoramic 360-degree view of the city core and Marina bay area. The plaza on the ground floor has a cafe and is often used as an exhibition space. There are escalators on every floor, from Basement 3 to level 14th. The basement carpark has 246 lots. A number of old bricks from the old National Library building has been incorporated into the present building.
Sections
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]
The main collections found at each level of the National Library Building include:
[13]
- Level B1 ? Central Public Library Collection
- Level 7 ? Business, Science and Technology Collections
- Level 8 ?
The Arts
and
Social Sciences
Collections
- Level 9 ? Chinese,
Malay
and
Tamil
Collection
- Level 10 ? Donors' Collections, Asian Children's Collection
- Level 11 ? Singapore and
Southeast Asian
Collection. Microfilms. Maps.
- Levels 12 and 13 ? Rare Materials Collection (limited access, only with permission)
Gallery
[
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]
-
View from across the road
-
Singapore and Asian Collection, Lee Kong Chian Reference Library
-
Entrance to the National Library
-
National Library Building's "The Retreat"
-
Panoramic view inside Central Public Library
See also
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]
References
[
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]
- Citations
External links
[
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]
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