Our History

The library@esplanade, Singapore's first public library dedicated to the performing arts, was officially opened on 12 September 2002 by Mr Khaw Boon Wan, then Senior Minister of State for Transport and Information, Communication and the Arts. A one-stop resource library for the performing arts, we also offer information and services in the areas of music, dance, theatre, and film. Besides the collections, the library is also host to a variety of performing arts related programmes and exhibitions.

Interesting Facts

• Our location on the third level of the Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay is unique within Singapore, and makes it one of the few libraries in the world to be co-located within a performing arts complex.
• Our library has adopted the metaphor of a village to lay out the collection into four performing arts 'Villages': Music, Dance, Theatre, and Film. Library resources are categorised by village, with different media formats, print and non-print, found alongside each other, allowing for greater accessibility and convenience.
• Amongst other resources, visitors can find instructional and performance videos in our Dance Village, movie DVDs in our Film Village, music scores in our Music Village, and play scripts in our Theatre Village.
• As a tribute to Singapore's film heritage, refurbished vintage theatre chairs from the old Capitol Theatre donated by Capitol Investment Holdings were installed in the library in early 2014.

Reference Closed Access Collection

Our library houses a reference closed access section (RCLOS) which includes the Asian Film Archive collection, the Arts Alive Collection and W!ld Rice Collection, as well as unreleased films and recordings. Advance requests can be made to view the RCLOS collection on site at no charge. Users may access up to two titles per request, and use the rooms for free, for three hours at a time. All requests will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Users may request:

1. In person: Send in request at Customer Service Counter
2. Or send an e-mail at least 24hrs in advance to: enquiry@nlb.gov.sg with the heading “Request for RCLOS viewing at library@esplanade" and include the following details:
   1. Name and contact number
   2. I/C or FIN number
   3. Title & Call No. of film (up to 2 titles per request)
   4. Requested date and time for viewing the film(s)
      

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