Release Date : 06 Apr 2010
Members of the public can give their books a new lease of life by exchanging them with other book lovers at the event on 24 April 2010
Singapore, 6 April 2010 – For the second year running, the Public Libraries Singapore (PLS) is organising the Book Exchange 2010 on 24 April, at The Plaza, National Library Building, 100 Victoria Street. Book Exchange 2010 follows the successful inaugural launch in 2009 where a total of 57,000 books were exchanged among 5,085 participants. The Book Exchange allows the public to exchange their used books with other book lovers and at the same time, share their passion for reading with one another. Other than giving used reads a new lease of life, this initiative also fosters a reading culture amongst Singaporeans. Through the event, the PLS hopes to promote a vibrant and self-sustaining learning community in Singapore. Book Exchange 2010 is held in conjunction with the World Book and Copyright Day, which encourages everyone, in particular, young people to discover the pleasure of reading. Please refer to Annex for more details.
Said Dr N Varaprasad, Chief Executive of the National Library Board (NLB), "The Public Libraries Singapore (PLS) is pleased to bring the much anticipated Book Exchange back for the second year. The Book Exchange supports our Library 2010 vision of broadening our perspective and knowledge as well as sparking imagination, discovery and possibilities through the love of reading. We hope that through Book Exchange 2010, like-minded book enthusiasts would gather to discover and deepen their joy of reading by sharing their used reads with others, and at the same time bring all generations closer together through the appreciation and passion for lifelong learning."
The Book Exchange also supports the call for Singaporeans to adopt a green lifestyle by incorporating environment-friendly practices, such as recycling and reducing wastage. As an additional part of the efforts to protect our environment, the public is advised to bring along their own bags, as no carrier bags will be provided at Book Exchange 2010.
This initiative will also involve the staff of NLB as volunteers on the event day to promote the spirit of volunteerism and contributing back to the community, which is encouraged under the NLB's Corporate Volunteerism Programmes.
Members of the public can drop off their used books at any Public Libraries from 10 to 23 April 2010, 11.00am to 9.00pm, in return for the book exchange coupons, which will indicate a one-for-one exchange. Adults' and children's fiction and non-fiction books are accepted in any of the four official languages. However, these would exclude textbooks, magazines and audio-visual items. On 24 April, the public can bring their coupons down to Book Exchange 2010 to redeem used reads dropped off by other book lovers at The Plaza, National Library Building, from 8.30am to 6.00pm.
For more information on Book Exchange 2010, please visit the Public Libraries website at www.pl.sg. Members of the public can also call NLB Helpdesk at 6332 3255 or email: helpdesk@nlb.gov.sg for enquiries.
Annex
World Book and Copyright Day
The World Book and Copyright Day is an initiative of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO). It seeks to promote reading, publishing and the protection of intellectual property through copyright by celebrating World Book and Copyright Day throughout the world on 23 April. To pay a world-wide tribute to books and authors on this date, World Book and Copyright Day encourages everyone, particularly young people, to discover the pleasure of reading. The idea for this celebration originated in Catalonia where a rose is traditionally given as a gift for each book sold on Saint George's Day on 23 April.
Please see below for the series of programmes organised by the Public Libraries Singapore in conjunction with World Book and Copyright Day 2010:
1. Musicals - MTL musical writing workshop
As the title suggests, this session is a teaser on writing, incubating, producing, and performing musicals. You will also be clued into the process of Intellectual Property management, in the context of musicals. There will be small-group discussions and interaction. You will get to interact with panel members, who are active members of the musical and performance community in Singapore.
Date: 16 April 2010, Friday
Time: 7.00pm – 8.30pm
Venue: library@esplanade
2. Tamil Book Sharing Session
In this Tamil Book Sharing session, Indian Activity Executive Committees (IAEC) reading session members from the Frontier Community Club will speak on their favourite Tamil books and authors. They will share on what sparked them to read on and why they enjoy reading books in Tamil. Do come along and join us and you are welcomed to share your favourite Tamil book. Admission is free.
Date: 17 Apr 2010, Saturday
Time: 11.00am – 1.00pm
Venue: Jurong West Public Library
3. Avid Reader Forum
Head down to Central Public Library if you are between 9 and 12 years old, love to read and are eager to talk about your favourite books. Not only will you have a chance to talk enthusiastically about your favourite books and discover other wonderful ones, but you will get to meet Singapore's best-selling author Adeline Foo (Diary of Amos Lee) and writer-illustrator Ho Lee-Ling (Samsui Girl). Admission is free and limited to 80 participants only.
Date: 17 April 2010, Saturday
Time: 12 noon – 1.30pm
Venue: Central Public Library
4. Meet the SG Rockers: Music, Copyright and Creative Commons
This session brings together some of Singapore's musicians who are lawyers, some specialising in Intellectual Property laws. Come for a session to listen to them share their experiences in the music scene, how they produce their songs and their thoughts on music and copyright. They will also share their personal views on copyright, from their perspective as musicians. This talk follows the Open Mic session that starts an hour earlier, so you might want to drop by early to catch both events.
Date: 17 April 2010, Saturday
Time: 3.30pm – 4.30pm
Venue: library@esplanade
5. Spot-The-Reader
Reading is FUN! A good novel can pep up your day while a self-help book will provide you with invaluable knowledge to help you succeed in life. The best part is, you can have fun reading a book anytime, anywhere, before an appointment, between meals, after a day of work. So, if you are an avid reader, look out for our volunteers who are also book lovers. Get spotted and be rewarded with tokens.
Date: 23 April 2010, Friday
Time: 11.00am – 3.00pm
Venue: Various venues
6. Chinese Book Discussion
Speaking on “The Black Swan”, a book by Nassim Nicholas Telab, a panel by members of the Chinese CEO Book Club will share with readers the significance of this book and the insights gained after reading this bestseller.
Date: 24 April 2010, Saturday
Time: 2.00pm – 5.00pm
Venue: Woodlands Regional Library
7. Music remixing and DIY publishing workshop
This is a hands-on workshop, for and run by, DIY music enthusiasts. It is an introductory session for those interested in self-recording, producing and publishing their audio, music and podcasts online - with simple and inexpensive recording and computer equipment. The session is free. Participants are encouraged to bring their own laptops and thumbdrives for the session.
Date: 24 April 2010, Saturday
Time: 2.00pm – 5.00pm
Venue: Bukit Merah Public Library
8. Screenwriter's workshop: Creative Techniques in Screenwriting
Join Mark Kwan of the Screenwriters Association of Singapore as we explore creative techniques useful in writing film and TV scripts. This one-hour talk will cover the best ways to conceptualise story ideas and how to develop your initial premise into a workable outline and treatment.
Date: 24 April 2010, Saturday
Time: 6.00pm – 8.00pm
Venue: library@esplanade
9. Adding colours to the world of books with Radio personality Zaza Majid
(MeWARNAi buku bersama personaliti radio Zaza Majid)
A Malay Radio DJ from Warna 94.2FM, Zaza Majid, will be sharing her reading journey and some of her favourite books. She will also extract 'interesting moments' from the book she read and how these moments affect her life. The programme will also include quizzes to engage the audience.
Date: 25 April 2010, Sunday
Time: 3.00pm – 4.30pm
Venue: Woodlands Regional Library
10. eResources at Public Libraries
Enjoy the free eBook collection available at the public libraries and from home. Simply download or read online at your leisure. Simply visit our website www.pl.sg and search using 'NLB SearchPlus' or click on 'eResources'.