SINGAPORE, 1 NOVEMBER 2018 – Singapore’s latest mall library will open in VivoCity on 12 January 2019, promising book lovers here a new exciting venue with the latest features and services. The public library will offer conducive reading spaces for patrons of all ages set against a splendid view of Sentosa. To fit its location and help patrons locate it easily, the library will be named library@harbourfront.
The library, which will be situated at level three of the VivoCity shopping mall, will be conveniently linked to the HarbourFront MRT station, which is connected to the North-East and Circle lines, and the HarbourFront Bus Interchange. “We want our libraries to be as accessible as possible, so that more patrons of all ages can make use of the library to read and learn,” said the National Library Board’s Chief Executive Officer, Mrs Elaine Ng.
The library will be relocated from Bukit Merah Central. The present Bukit Merah Public Library will cease operations from 1 December 2018. After the library has moved out, the community’s grassroots leaders and a few social service organisations will provide a variety of services and programmes at the site. These will include a mini-library and reading corner supported by NLB.
To continue to serve the reading needs of Bukit Merah residents, NLB has also set up another 12 reading corners in the area in the past year. The 12 mini book hubs offer over 5,000 books and 250 seats in total. These corners cater to residents of all ages, from children and students, to adults and seniors.
“The corners offer residents in the Bukit Merah area convenient access to reading resources at familiar locations,” said Mrs Ng. “We worked with grassroots and community leaders of Bukit Merah to find suitable spots to host our books, so that residents can easily access a wide range of reading materials,” she said.
On top of the reading corners, NLB will look into bringing one of its MOLLY mobile libraries to the area fortnightly, to provide residents with additional books and programmes. With this service, they will be able to borrow and return library books conveniently.
Leading up to library@harbourfront’s opening, residents will also be treated to special preview tours of the new library space. The tours will be held one week before the library officially opens in January 2019, allowing them to have a first look at the new features. Information on the tours will be made available in November 2018. More details on library@harbourfront will also be announced in the coming months.