Five-Storey Punggol Regional Library Officially Opens Today

Level 1

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Details

Toy Library

The Toy Library, maintained by students from the MINDS Fernvale Gardens School, offers regular toys, educational aids, puppets and costumes to cater to different types of play – creative, dramatic or sensory.

Target audience: Children aged 6 years and below

TinkerTots

TinkerTots is an accessible space where children can engage in meaningful play with educational toys to learn about the world through simple DIY tinkering activities under parental supervision. There will be monthly thematic building challenges as well as DIY library adventure sheets to help engage children in sensory activities with their parents and caregivers.

Target audience: Children aged 6 years and below

Stories Come Alive Room

The Stories Come Alive Room uses moving images and text, and light and sound effects to make storytelling an immersive and interactive experience for children aged 4 to 10 years.

All patrons can also enjoy Words That Move, a new showcase unique to Punggol Regional Library’s Stories Come Alive Room. It displays poems by Singapore writers that have been animated with movement, sounds and images. Patrons will be able to interact with poems in the four official languages as they are animated and projected onto the walls of the room. This offers a fun way to experience and appreciate Singapore Literature.

Punggol Stories is the first edition of Words That Move. It focuses on the experience of moving from kampongs to HDB estates. The following four poems will be featured:

• Punggol by Ronald JJ Wong
• 《组屋族》(The HDB Tribe) by 梁文福 (Liang Wern Fook)
•  Kenangan Tinggal Di Rumah Deret (Memories of Living in a Row House) by Norisah A Bakar
• நகர்வளம் (Urban Riches) by அமீருத்தீன் (Amiroudine)
  
  

The poems will be accompanied by English translations and audio options for greater accessibility.

Words That Move: Punggol Stories is part of the larger Punggol Stories trail in the library, which captures the history of Punggol. The trail also includes The Lens of Literature (Level 3) and an exhibition at Singaporium (Level 4).

Target audience: All age groups

 Accessible Collection

The Accessible Collection features 3,000 English books for children and adults with disabilities, their caregivers and their communities. The topics selected were based on feedback from users in the disability community. These include Braille books with text for those with visual impairment, social stories that help persons with disabilities learn what to expect and how to react in specific situations or settings, phonics readers to help patrons with language difficulties, and touch and feel books for people to learn through the sense of touch. There are also books for caregivers who want to learn about specific disabilities.

This is complemented by NLB’s digital collection of eBooks, audio books and databases, enhanced with accessible reader technology for persons with visual impairment.

Calm Pods
(Also on Level 2)

The Calm Pod is a quiet and safe space for adults and children with disabilities to go to when they need a private and calming sensorial experience. It comprises two spaces: a waiting area equipped with sensory aids and a beanbag, and a more private space with padded walls and flooring.

Patrons can communicate with staff via the intercom to gain access to the Calm Pods.

Wheelchair-accessible Book Borrowing Stations
(Also on Level 2)

The Book Borrowing Stations are equipped with wheelchair-accessible tables, as well as increased font size and colour contrast on the interface to increase accessibility for wheelchair users and persons with partial vision loss, including seniors.

Borrow-n-Go

Leveraging Ultra-High Frequency Radio Identification technology, Borrow-n-Go allows wheelchair users to borrow books easily by going through this passageway with the books.

Assistive Technology
(Also on Levels 2 to 4)

Catalogue, multimedia, and print stations on Levels 1 to 4 of the library come equipped with accessible keyboards (large key or high contrast), joysticks and trackballs. These assistive technology devices help persons with disabilities perform functions that might otherwise be challenging.

The large keys on the coloured keyboards help to increase the visibility of the keys and help persons with physical disabilities type more easily. Likewise, the high contrast keyboards come equipped with large print letters, numbers and symbols to increase the visibility of the keys, and enable easier typing for persons with visual impairment. Mouse alternatives such as trackballs and joysticks can be used by patrons with physical disabilities to navigate the screens. Trackballs allow patrons to more easily move the ball to direct the cursor, while joysticks allow for precise selection of items on the screen.

Level 2

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World and Us Zone

The World and Us Zone is a special collection that features stories from around the world and reading materials on themes such as geography, cultures and migration. Children can learn more about world cultures and contemporary concepts relevant to an increasingly digital world in the 21st century, such as cyber etiquette, globalisation, and migration.

The collection includes books contributed by the international Embassies and High Commissions in Singapore. NLB, through its Book Exchange programme, has also collaborated with international libraries, where NLB and the participating library exchange books for their respective collections.

Some of the books in the World and Us Collection include Natural Wonders of Hungary by Áron Mirtse, A Thousand Wonders: A Journey to Discover Italy by Geronimo Stilton, The Inca Empire by Sarah Newman, and Florence: A Painted Dream by Michèle Fantoli.

Target audience: Children aged 4-12 years

Storyteller Cove

The Storyteller Cove features interactive experiences for children to learn and appreciate the history, cultures and customs of different countries through stories. Children can discover more about the writing process, appreciate the visual aspects of stories, and be inspired to create their own stories. This is done through a blend of physical and digital platforms, such as decorated physical structures and animations, DIY activity kits and tactile stations that include story prompts, guided story crafting, prop-making, as well as illustrations from children’s picture books on digital displays.

Target audience: Children aged 7-12 years

Spark!Lab™

Spark!Lab™ is a tinkering space that NLB has set up in partnership with the Smithsonian Institution from the United States of America. Children can participate in hands-on activities independently and create innovative solutions to different challenges, such as creating an item that flies through a wind tunnel and creating a structure to balance on a teetering surface. Children are free to try them out at their own pace, guided by questions for each activity. On top of encouraging children to creatively develop solutions, the activities also encourage family bonding as parents and children can participate in the challenges together.

Target audience: Children aged 7-12 years

 Artease

Artease is a café located on Level 2, offering mains, snacks, desserts, and beverages. Artease has employed persons with disabilities as full-time staff or on internships at its other branches since 2018, and will continue to do so at this branch.

Level 3

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The Lens of Literature

The Lens of Literature, located in the Sing Lit section, is a multimedia interactive showcase of curated poems, novels and short story excerpts by Singapore writers in English, Chinese, Malay and Tamil. The first edition, Punggol Stories, looks at the changes in Punggol.

Punggol Stories at The Lens of Literature presents 16 literary works covering four themes:

• Balik Kampong revisits the village life and natural landscape common in once-rural Singapore
• Life, Interrupted highlights how different communities in Singapore experienced the Japanese Occupation
• Tides of Change captures the transition from kampongs (villages) to HDB flats as the nation urbanised
• Our Future is Now features speculative fiction, presenting authors’ imagined vision of potential changes to come

As part of the multimedia interactive experience, patrons will also get to create their own Singapore Literature through a poetry generator.

Punggol Stories at The Lens of Literature is part of the larger Punggol Stories trail in the library, which captures the history of Punggol. The trail also includes Words That Move in the Stories Come Alive Room (Level 1) and an exhibition at Singaporium (Level 4).

Teenspace

Teens aged 13 to 17 years old can look forward to the Book of Possibilities, featuring artwork installations and content anchored in literary genres popular among teens, such as science fiction and fantasy to spark their interest in reading and learning.

There will also be a series of hands-on workshops and talks for teens, based on trending topics that encourage deep learning and skills-building in learning focus areas including sustainability, digital, science, and reading.

Study Zone

The Study Zone houses more than 80 seats, which can be reserved via NLB’s seat booking system. There are also multimedia stations and a print release station. Patrons can print what they need from the multimedia stations and collect their printouts within the same day during the library’s opening hours. Prevailing charges for printing and use of the multimedia stations apply.

An extended hours area, the Study Zone is open to patrons from 9am, one hour before the library opens, till 10pm, one hour after it closes. Outside of the library’s opening hours, patrons can enter the Zone via the entrance at Level 3 of One Punggol, near Lift Lobby B.

Volunteers Zone

The Volunteers Zone, conveniently located on Level 3 which is a volunteer-managed floor, is a private space for our volunteers to take a break and unwind.

Display of artworks by Special Education schools
(Also on Level 4)

Artworks done by students from Special Education schools are on display at Levels 3 and 4. Participating schools are the Cerebral Palsy Alliance Singapore School, Metta School, MINDS Fernvale Gardens School, Rainbow Centre, and St. Andrew’s Autism School.

Level 4

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Details

ExperienceIT

ExperienceIT is an immersive showcase of emerging technologies and innovations, which are changing the way we work, live, and play. Through interaction with technologies that they might otherwise not be exposed to, patrons can experience first-hand how such technologies work, and explore how they change our world through related resources and programmes.

ExperienceIT is an entry point for patrons, regardless of their level of tech-savviness, to learn more about Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning. Patrons can go behind the curtain to experience how machines can be trained to perform tasks and make decisions, as well as to try besting an AI driver in a virtual race.

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is NLB’s first collaborator for ExperienceIT at Punggol Regional Library. Patrons can also look forward to ExperienceIT exhibits at other library locations later this year. More details will be shared when ready.

MakeIT

MakeIT at Libraries is an NLB initiative that lets everyone learn about and try fabrication technologies that can bring your ideas to life. MakeIT spaces are available at all four regional libraries in Singapore, with the latest at Punggol Regional Library.

MakeIT at Punggol provides facilities and guidance for everyone to come and try their hand at tech-based fabrication technologies, such as 3D printers, digital cutters, robotics, and more. There will be maker programmes and facilities with more inclusive options and accessible features, as well as social good community projects in collaboration with partners such as Salvage Garden, a local maker community focused on low-cost bespoke solutions for persons with disabilities. MakeIT at Punggol will also host weekly meetups for Salvage Garden to share more about their objectives and welcome members of the public who would like to learn to do digital fabrication at NLB’s makerspaces and apply their newfound knowledge for a good cause.

All workshops and materials are available for free for NLB members, and members are welcome to work on their personal projects and ideas.

Punggol Stories at Singaporium

Singaporium is a permanent exhibition space that enables NLB to bring its heritage collections closer to the community. The inaugural exhibition, Punggol Stories, presents selected stories and histories of Punggol.

Punggol Stories at Singaporium has four sections:

• Punggol Pioneers features the start of early Punggol, from its first kampongs and plantations in the mid-1800s, to the communities that made it their home
• Seaside Solace celebrates the leisure activities that drew people to Punggol, especially the seafood and water sports scenes that blossomed in the 1960s
• Farm to Fable pays tribute to Punggol’s agricultural heritage, notably as the primary site of Singapore’s industrialised pig farms in the 1970s and 1980s
• Winding Waterways charts the ebb and flow of Punggol’s development, connecting it to the present day

A highlight of the exhibition is the Memory Map, an interactive installation that features more than 50 memories of historical Punggol. The memories were gathered from the National Archives of Singapore’s oral history collection, as well as corporate and individual contributors.

Punggol Stories at Singaporium is part of the larger Punggol Stories trail in the library, which captures the history of Punggol. The trail also includes Words That Move in the Stories Come Alive Room (Level 1) and The Lens of Literature (Level 3).

Launch

Launch is NLB’s business resource centre that supports individuals, aspiring entrepreneurs and independent workers (including solopreneurs and freelancers) in their entrepreneurship journey from ideation to growth and internationalisation.

Patrons can make use of Launch’s Information Advisory Service, which provides information on market trends, identifying potential markets and customers, and business information literacy assistance through relevant sources, to conduct business idea and market validation. This service is by appointment only, via an online form. Consultations with NLB’s Launch specialists can be done on-site at Launch, or virtually.

Launch will also support its target audiences in three key ways through programmes:

1. Support for developing plans

   1. Business Info Literacy workshops – Training on business and market research by NLB staff and other specialists

   2. Breakthrough workshops – Entry-level upskilling workshops by training providers with relevant experience, on topics such as preparing for the entrepreneurial journey with an innovation mindset, digital marketing, and creating a social media strategy for your business.

2. Advice from experts and practitioners

   1. Masterclasses – Talks and workshops by industry experts, addressing key obstacles in the entrepreneurship journey, e.g. how to build an app or website without coding knowledge

   2. Eye on Asia – Talks by experts on overseas expansion and career opportunities in the region

   3. Demystify series – Expert speakers from financial institutions and relevant government agencies will introduce key concepts and deliver pointers on business registration, intellectual property, and finance-related topics

3. Facilitate connections

   1. Breakthrough networking sessions – Connect aspiring entrepreneurs with experienced ones

   2. Pitch Nights – Get potential funding and pitching practice

   3. Mentorships – Help aspiring entrepreneurs through specific stages of the journey

Visit go.gov.sg/nlb-launch for more information on the programmes.

One of two Internet stations at Launch also features the Microsoft Immersive Reader, a digital reading tool to help people of all abilities, including those with dyslexia, dysgraphia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, emerging readers and the visually impaired, to improve their reading, comprehension, and grammar skills. It enhances the reading experience by improving accessibility and boosting reading comprehension.

Co-working Zone

The Co-working Zone provides conducive, reservable spaces, free-of-charge, for professionals and business owners to hold in-person discussions or focus on individual deep work. The spaces can be reserved via NLB’s seat booking system. Some of the seats are wheelchair accessible.

Read to be SURE Exhibition

NLB’s Read to be SURE initiative encourages patrons to explore multiple perspectives on trending topics, as part of the LAB25 (Libraries and Archives Blueprint 2025) goal to nurture an Informed Citizenry. By exploring multiple perspectives on these topics, readers and participants will benefit from a balanced and credible knowledge base.

The Read to be SURE exhibition in Punggol Regional Library will feature a mix of past topics covered under the initiative, such as:

• Sustainability: Fast Fashion
• Social Issues: Gender Equality
• Technology: Metaverse & Cryptocurrency

From now until 15 September 2023, patrons can engage and interact with the various features, including an interactive quiz station, which introduces them to multiple perspectives of the featured topics.

Multimedia Zone

Patrons can surf the Internet or browse NLB’s eResources on the multimedia stations. There is also a magnifier station alongside the multimedia stations that comes equipped with easy-to-use controls to magnify text and convert text to speech for persons with visual impairment and the elderly.

Level 5

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Programme Room

The Programme Room provides spaces for talks and workshops for all ages, spanning topics like sustainability, digital readiness, and the arts.

Programme

Upcoming Dates

The Breakthrough Workshop: Creating a Social Media Strategy introduces patrons to the various social media tools they can use, learn the basics of social media marketing, and pick up tips to make the most of their social media platforms to give their businesses a growth boost.

5 April 2023

The Laughter Yoga | Mind Your Head x Time of Your Life session introduces laughter yoga, which brings together laughter exercises and yoga breathing techniques to make us feel healthier and more energetic. Laughing also increases feelings of positivity, recharges us, and allows us to connect with others.

6 April 2023

The Buying A Home Within Your Means | Adulting 101 session explores the following questions: Why do people want to buy a home? What are their housing options? And how should they go about it?

10 April 2023

My Digital Life, a series that aims to increase public awareness of current and emerging ways that technology has affected our daily lives. Emerging and trending topics such as 5G, online privacy, media literacy, FinTech, and cyber wellness are covered in free-for-public talks and sessions, to cultivate better understanding and demystification of the technology that now permeates our lives.

13 April 2023
18 May 2023
27 May 2023

The Writers Series is a collaboration with Singapore Book Council, which celebrates the work of Sing Lit writers. This comprises a range of workshops covering topics such as prose construction, zine making, and poetry, in English and the mother tongue languages.

15 April 2023
6 May 2023 (two sessions)
20 May 2023
17 June 2023
25 June 2023

The Options to Build your Retirement Income | Adulting 101 session introduces the possible options to help patrons achieve their retirement goals and the benefits and risks of these options.

17 April 2023

The Breakthrough: Women in tech session features a panel of women who are founders of tech companies. The session will explore how to seize opportunities in a journey of starting up a tech company and break into the industry.

27 April 2023

The Breakthrough Fireside Chat: Women in tech is a conversation with women founders in tech to learn how they navigate unique challenges to get to where they are today. Participants will be able to pick up useful tips for their own entrepreneurship journey.

29 April 2023

Fun and Farm in Old Punggol, a session led by Lee Meiyu, Senior Librarian with the National Library Singapore and Mandy Lee, Manager (Oral History Documentation) at the Oral History Centre, National Archives of Singapore, explores what Punggol was like before the development of the new Punggol Town, when Punggol was known for its leisure and farming activities.

29 April 2023

Curator’s Tour of the Punggol Stories trail by Hannah Yeo, Assistant Curator with the National Library Singapore. The Punggol Stories trail comprises Words That Move in the Stories Come Alive Room (Level 1), The Lens of Literature (Level 3) and an exhibition at Singaporium (Level 4).

29 April 2023
24 June 2023

Public showcase of The Great Make-over Project, which explores what Singapore would look like when our community spaces are reimagined for sustainability. As part of the initiative, participants venture deep into the world of sustainability, meet other passionate individuals and bring to life possibilities that will transform the Punggol neighbourhood into a place that supports sustainable living.

6 May 2023

The Time of Your Life x Get Professional series focuses on vital skills to improve employability, workplace productivity and efficiency. Topics covered include interview and resume writing, managing change and building resiliency.

This series is recommended for jobseekers and working adults and seniors seeking to improve their writing, speaking and interpersonal skills.

9 May 2023
16 May 2023
23 May 2023
30 May 2023

The Time of Your Life x Learning to Learn series for patrons to pick up skills and strategies to learn better, faster, and for longer, including how to commit information to memory and putting it in practice.

This series is recommended for adults and seniors who wish to learn strategies for effective learning.

12 May 2023
19 May 2023
26 May 2023

Kampung Memories from Aukang: Fun, Food, and Festivals, a talk by Shawn Seah, author of My Father’s Kampung: A History of Aukang and Punggol, where he will share about past sights and sounds of Punggol such as food, festivals, and communities that lived in that area.

14 May 2023

SCS Digital Experience @ the Library seminars by the Singapore Computer Society (SCS) where industry experts will provide insights on emerging digital and technology trends and the impact they have on our everyday lives.

20 May 2023
17 June 2023

Tech Bazaar will introduce new and emerging tech (e.g. robotics, virtual and augmented reality, machine learning) to seniors through talks, workshops and hands-on booth showcases.

26-27 May 2023

The Future of Work series of programmes offers free knowledge-building workshops and talks on the skills relevant to the future digital workplace. The series allows patrons to learn more about current and upcoming changing needs at work.

5 June 2023

Green Market is an annual event that celebrates sustainable living and connects the community to green groups and initiatives they can support. With the theme Celebrating Nature: The Weird & Wonderful, the latest edition of Green Market shines light on the incredible biodiversity we live amongst and calls us to cherish and protect our wondrous world.

10-11 June 2023

The Punggol Discovery Bus Trail by Lim Chee Peng, a heritage enthusiast who loves exploring Singapore in search of historical sites and conducting research on their unique stories. Participants will get to join him to visit unique locations, including Matilda House (Istana Menanti), and learn about the history and development of Punggol.

25 June 2023

Artivation aims to encourage patrons to take initiative in their journey of art-making and exploring creative activities through DIY worksheets and guided sessions.

DIY art sessions with minimal facilitation by NLB staff are held every second and fourth Wednesday of the month, from 7pm to 8.30pm

The Time of Your Life x Future of Work series aims to equip seniors with skills relevant to the future digital workplace. Participants can learn about topics such as Emerging Technologies, Digital Marketing, Cyber Safety as well as digital productivity suites.

Monthly sessions from May to September 2023

Role

Description

User education

• Provide basic user education on using NLB’s services, such as book borrowing stations and the NLB Mobile App

• Assist with directional enquiries

Spark!Lab™ Facilitator

• Co-facilitate learning at Spark!Lab™

• Guide children and families who are unfamiliar with tinkering on how to use the space

• Assist to top up tinkering materials and ensure cleanliness of the space

Support volunteer-run space on Level 3 (NEW)

• Maintain and promote the collection in the volunteer-run space, such as through the sorting and shelving of books

• Assist patrons to locate books and recommended reads

Storyteller (NEW)

• Conduct storytelling sessions for children between ages four and six

• Curate a book display of 15 to 20 recommended book titles

Programme Assistant (NEW)

• Prepare for and co-facilitate art programmes for adults

Library Guides (NEW)

• Conduct library tours for the public and share about library features such as ExperienceIT and Punggol Stories

• Conduct one-to-one library tours for persons with disabilities on how to use the assistive technology and other facilities