library@esplanade
Address
8 Raffles Avenue
#03-01
Singapore 039802
Opening Hours
Mon - Sun: 11:00 AM - 09:00 PM
Closed at 5.00pm on eves of Christmas,
New Year & Chinese New Year
Closed on Public Holidays
Bookdrop hours: 8.00am - 10.00pm
IMPORTANT NOTICE
- Patrons who visit our facilities must observe the Ministry of Health’s advisories such as the use of SafeEntry for check in and check out, compulsory wearing of mask, temperature taking, and safe distancing measures.
- For your safety, we have implemented dwell time limits at our public libraries. Click here for information and to book your visit in advance.
- We are gradually resuming storytelling sessions at the libraries with safe management measures in place. Please view our Eventbrite page for the full schedule of our storytelling sessions at the libraries.
Email:
enquiry@nlb.gov.sg
Click
here to get Adobe reader
How to get there
Nearest MRT: City Hall / Esplanade
Bus Interchange:
Buses: 36, 56, 70, 97, 111, 133, 162, 195, 502, 502A, 75, 77, 106, 171, 700A, 857, 960
Click here to view Floor map
Description
The library@esplanade, Singapore's first public library dedicated to the performing arts, was officially opened on 12 September 2002 by Mr Khaw Boon Wan, then Senior Minister of State for Transport and Information, Communication and the Arts.
A one-stop resource library for the performing arts, library@esplanade also offers information and services in the areas of music, dance, theatre and film. Besides the collections, the library is also host to a variety of performing arts related programmes and exhibitions. The library's location on the third level of the Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay is unique within Singapore, and makes it one of the few libraries in the world to be co-located within a performing arts complex. It spans an area of approximately 2,300 square metres.
Unique Features
- 4 ‘Villages’
In keeping with its theme, the library has adopted the metaphor of a village to lay out the collection into four performing arts ‘Villages’: Music, Dance, Theatre and Film. Library resources are categorised by village, with different media formats, print and non-print, found alongside each other, allowing for greater accessibility and convenience. These are the collection highlights for each of the villages:
Dance Village
- Dance performance and instructional videos
- Dance notations
- Books on choreography and dance education
Film Village
- DVDs that include blockbuster, art and foreign language films
- Blu-rays
- Screenplays
- Movie tie-ins
- Books on film production, post-production, film history, film studies, biographies, and various film genres
Music Village
- Music CDs including classical and pop music
- Music performance and instructional videos
- Music scores and sheet music
Theatre Village
- Play scripts
- Opera and musical theatre videos
- Books on dramaturgy, stagecraft and drama education
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Facilities for Performing Arts
The library@esplanade has facilities catered to the performing arts, that are available for rent. These include:
- Screening Rooms
- Piano Practice Room
- Silent Studio
For rental rates and other information on these facilities, please refer to the NLB Facilities Booking page here.
- Reference Collections (RCLOS)
The library@esplanade is home to a number of Audio-Visual reference collections, which may be requested for viewing within the library premises. These include:
- Arts Alive Collection
- W!ld Rice Collection
- Asian Film Archive Collection
For more information on these collections, please click here.
For more info, click on library details
Performing Arts Collection
Open Stage
Silent Studio
Ms. Melissa Kawasoe
Welcome to the library@esplanade, a public library dedicated to the performing arts. Make use of our conducive places to read, lose yourself in our Film, Dance, Theatre and Music collections, explore our special collections from the Asian Film Archive, Arts Alive, and W!ld Rice, attend free programmes at the Open Stage, and check out our Piano Practice Room, Silent Studio or Screening Rooms! We hope that you leave our space inspired by what the performing arts has to offer.