Singaporium at Punggol Regional Library Brings Singapore Stories to Life With Interactive Showcase
Library patrons will soon be able to learn more about how Punggol has evolved over the years through the first exhibition at the upcoming Punggol Regional Library. Singaporium, a permanent exhibition space at Level 4 of the National Library Board’s (NLB) newest library, will feature stories and history unique to Punggol, as part of the new Punggol Stories trail. Patrons can look forward to an interactive Memory Map installation showcasing memories of Punggol, contributed by members of the community.
In line with the national Forward SG movement under the Unite pillar, this permanent exhibition space aims to bring Singaporeans together through the sharing of collective stories, enabling a deeper appreciation of our heritage and identity. A public engagement session was held on 1 April 2023, Saturday, which gathered more than 20 participants to tour the exhibition and share their feedback. The event was hosted by Senior Minister of State for Communications and Information, Dr Janil Puthucheary.
Participants said they found the exhibition engaging and learnt more about the history of Punggol through it, including how it had Singapore’s first zoo, the farms it had in the past, and the seafood restaurants which were popular with many Singaporeans. They said the interactive nature of the exhibits would appeal to patrons, especially the younger ones, and could spur their interest to learn more about Punggol’s history.
NLB will consider the feedback and ideas shared, as part of its ongoing partnership with the community to shape the features at Punggol Regional Library. This is also in line with NLB’s ongoing efforts under its LAB25 (Libraries and Archives Blueprint 2025) goal to reimagine and bring more learning and discovery opportunities to all, in close collaboration with the community.
Senior Minister of State for Communications and Information, Dr Janil Puthucheary, visited the Punggol Stories exhibition at Singaporium.
[Photo Credit: The National Library Board]
SMS Janil and participants trying out The Lens of Literature, a multimedia interactive display of curated poems, novels and short story excerpts in the Sing Lit zone on Level 3. This interactive feature showcases Punggol Stories, a curation of a Singapore literature focusing on the transformation of newer residential areas like Punggol over the years.
[Photo Credit: The National Library Board]
Participants chat with SMS Janil after exhibit tour. The session saw participants sharing their feedback and ideas on Singaporium and libraries.
[Photo Credit: The National Library Board]
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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 29 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 on 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 (MCI).
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
Leong Jia Yi
Weber Shandwick
Tel: +65 9236 9646
E-mail: jleong@webershandwick.com
Annex A
Description of Punggol Stories Trail in Punggol Regional Library (Words That Move, The Lens of Literature and Singaporium)
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Level 1 |
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Name |
Details |
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Words That Move at the 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:
The poems will be accompanied by English translations and audio options for greater accessibility. |
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Level 3 |
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Name |
Details |
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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:
As part of the multimedia interactive experience, patrons will also get to create their own Singapore Literature through a poetry generator. |
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Level 4 |
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Name |
Details |
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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.
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. |