Manga and More at NLB’s New Comics Library

Fully self-service pop-up library at Anchorpoint will have some 11,000 titles including ones in Mother Tongue Languages (MTL), and a children’s section

The National Library Board (NLB), in partnership with Anchorpoint, has opened a new pop-up Comics Library, with thousands of titles that will cater to all age groups. The Comics Library is a full self-service library featuring NLB’s Grab-n-Go service and will open from today, for about a year. This follows the success of the pop-up Manga Library at City Square Mall, which ran from February to August this year.

Located on the first floor near Anchorpoint’s main entrance, the Comics Library is adorned with playful and vibrant vintage comics, inspired by the pop art movement of the 1950s and 60s. The library, which is similar in size to the former Manga Library, will have dedicated sections for children, Mother Tongue Language titles, and a Reference Section for patrons to browse. Seating areas, including bean bags, are also available for patrons to use.

The Comics Library will comprise the full collection from the previous Manga Library, along with new additions as follows:
a. An English-language collection of popular comics and graphic novels (refer to Annex A for examples);
b. A collection of comics and graphic novels available in Chinese, Malay, and Tamil, so patrons can develop a deeper appreciation of their Mother Tongue languages (refer to Annex B for examples); and
c. A separate children’s collection comprising comics and graphic novels in English, Chinese, Malay, and Tamil to provide young readers with opportunities to explore the comics and graphic novel genres (refer to Annex C for examples).

The library will carry 7,500 books for a start, and the collection will gradually grow to over 11,000 titles by early 2024, with 9,500 titles in English, 800 in Chinese, 400 in Malay, and 400 in Tamil, for adults and children to enjoy.

Grab-n-Go Library in a Mall
The Comics Library will continue to feature NLB’s Grab-n-Go service, an automated self-checkout service that gives patrons a seamless book borrowing experience. To check out books from the Comics Library, patrons can simply scan their ID to enter the space, pick out the titles they want to borrow, head to the exit gantry and scan their ID to check out their comics with ease.

Wallpaper Library and e-Read Screens
The library will also have various offerings, including a new Wallpaper Library displaying QR codes so patrons can easily discover and borrow curated e-book collections in the comics, graphic novel, and manga genres. Additionally, the Comics Library will feature two e-Read screens for patrons to browse popular manga and comic e-titles on-site.
NLB’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr Ng Cher Pong, said: “The very positive reception towards the pop-up Manga Library spurred us to work with a partner like Anchorpoint to bring more of such titles, including those in Mother Tongue Languages and for children. The new Comics Library will give our patrons a diverse selection of comics that will make reading fun and accessible to all. This is part of our spirit of innovation and experimentation, to work with partners to create a vibrant Learning Marketplace for everyone, as part of our ongoing LAB25 (Libraries and Archives Blueprint 2025)

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About the National Library Board

The National Library Board (NLB) nurtures Readers for Life, Learning Communities and a Knowledgeable Nation by promoting reading, learning and history through its network of 28 libraries, the National Library and the National Archives of Singapore. NLB also forges strategic partnerships that encourage awareness, appreciation and greater discovery of Singapore’s history through its rich collections in Singapore and the region.

NLB achieves excellence through innovation, focusing on citizen engagement and co-creation, resource and digital innovation. This creates learning opportunities, greater access to library resources, services, and archival collections, as well as a continual development of innovative library spaces. Established on 1 September 1995 as a statutory board, NLB is under the Ministry of Communications and Information.

For more information, please visit the NLB website, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube channels.

For media enquiries, please contact:

Hoe I Yune
Weber Shandwick
Tel: +65 9324 2061
E-mail: ihoe@webershandwick.com

Eric Seow
Weber Shandwick
Tel: +65 9231 3834
E-mail: eseow@webershandwick.com

Annex A
Popular English-language comics and graphic novels available at Comics Library

S/N	Comics and graphic novels	Popular titles and synopses
1	Guardians of the Galaxy. Somebody's got to do it	Join Marvel’s sci-fi heroes – Star-Lord and his squad – as they unite to protect the cosmos from cataclysmic conflicts, dark gods, monsters, and more!
2	Superman. Vol. 1, The unity saga: Phantom Earth	Clark is now looking at the world through new eyes, with new ideas about what Superman could and should do for the city of Metropolis and the planet Earth. His first job? Getting the planet back out of Phantom Zone!
3	Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The Armageddon Game: opening moves	After years of quiet preparations, one of the Turtles' most enigmatic foes, the Rat King, is finally bringing his long-simmering plan to fruition. Follow the teenage mutant ninja turtles as they embark on a dangerous quest to find allies against Rat King's trio of terror.

Annex B
Popular Mother Tongue Language collection of comics and graphic novels available at Comics Library

S/N	Comics and graphic novels	Language	Popular titles and synopses
1	龙猫	Chinese	Discover a comic adaption of My Neighbour Totoro, which tells the story of a professor’s two daughters, Satsuki and Mei, and their interactions with friendly wood spirits.
2	Siapa?	Malay	A story of love and friendship, delve into the intertwined stories and relationships between Amy, Pinky, Azura, and Radzwil.
3	Dr. A.P.J Abdul Kalaam: if dreams had wings	Tamil	This is a graphic novel autobiography of Dr A.P.J Abdul Kalaam, a scientist, writer, poet, teacher, a visionary, and India's 11th president .

S/N	Comics and graphic novels	Language	Popular titles and synopses
1	大侦探福尔摩斯（漫画版）惊天大劫案	Chinese	Join detective Sherlock Holmes as he solves the mystery of a train robbery! Chinese idioms used in the dialogue are marked out for easy learning, with mini-games on the side for readers to use and apply such idioms.
2	Nobita dan Pulau Keajaiban	Malay	Nobita and Doraemon must fight a group of enemies from the future who want to snatch the powers of Golden Hercules, a beetle spirit, for illicit purposes.
3	Kalki's Ponniyin Selvan - New Floods	Tamil	Ponniyin Selvan is a popular Tamil novel by Kalki Krishnamurthy. This novel, based on the Chola Empire, has been simplified into a 7-part comics collection for children. As the pinnacle of Tamil historical novels, Ponniyin Selvan serves as an entry point into the rich history and heritage of the Tamil world.