1°17′52″N 103°51′15.2″E / 1.29778°N 103.854222°E
| National Library, Singapore | |
|---|---|
 The National Library in Victoria Street, Singapore | |
 | |
| Location | 100 Victoria Street, Singapore 188064, Singapore |
| Type | Public library |
| Established | 1823[1] |
| Branch of | National Library Board |
| Other information | |
| Director | Ng Cher Pong, CEO Lee Seow Hiang, Chairman[2] |
| Website | www |
| National Library, Singapore | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chinese name | |||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 國家圖書館 | ||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 国家图书馆 | ||||||
| |||||||
| Malay name | |||||||
| Malay | Perpustakaan Negara | ||||||
| Tamil name | |||||||
| Tamil | தேசிய நூலகம் | ||||||
The National Library, Singapore is the flagship national library of Singapore. A subsidiary of the National Library Board (NLB), it is located on an 11,304–square metre site in Victoria Street within the Downtown Core. It is the country's largest public library.[3]
The library has regional branches throughout the country such as in Jurong, Tampines and Woodlands as well as affiliations with academic and professional libraries. The branch libraries are open to the general public and consist of circulating libraries. The National Library also consists of research libraries, which are also open to the general public.
History
editThe National Library traces its history back to 1823 with the establishment of the first national public library as suggested by Stamford Raffles, the founder of modern Singapore. It was renamed the Hullett Memorial Library in 1923, co-located with Singapore's first school, Raffles Institution, at a site now occupied by the Raffles City complex.[4] It moved to a separate Library and Museum Building in 1887 under the name of Raffles Library as part of the Raffles Museum, before moving to the Stamford Road premises in 1960 under the name of the National Library of Singapore where it was opened by Yusof Ishak, the first President of Singapore.
Central Public Library
editFormerly known as the Central Lending Library at 91 Stamford Road, the collection was relocated to 100 Victoria Street and opened as the Central Public Library in 2005.[5]
In June 2022, the Central Public Library was completely overhauled, and re-opened in January 2024 as a venue offering a myriad of learning experiences for all ages.[6]
The lending library is currently home to the Children's Biodiversity Library by S.E.A. Aquarium, and also offers content on Singapore culture, literature and sustainability.
Lee Kong Chian Reference Library
editPreviously known as the National Reference Library, the Lee Kong Chian Reference Library adopted its new name after receiving a S$60 million donation from the Lee Foundation, founded by Dr Lee Kong Chian. It occupies 7 storeys (Levels 7-13) at the National Library Building with a floor area of 14,265 square metres.[7]
Current building
editThe current building, a 16-storey, two-block development situated in the city's Civic District, replaces the old National Library at Stamford Road, which closed on 31 March 2004.[8]
In May 1999, Swan & Maclaren Architects won the tender to design the new National Library.[9]
In March 2000, Minister for National Development Mah Bow Tan announced that the old National Library would be demolished and a new National Library built on Victoria Street.
In January 2001, Malaysian architect Ken Yeang split from the design team at Swan and Maclaren, resulting in the latter losing the design contract.[10] Yeang joined architectural firm T.R. Hamzah & Yeang and the new firm took over the design contract for the National Library.[11][12]
The library moved to its new home on 22 July 2005, and was officially opened on 12 November that year by the then President S. R. Nathan. It is the flagship building of the National Library Board, bringing together the core functions of the old library by incorporating a reference library, known as the Lee Kong Chian Reference Library (simplified Chinese: 李光前参考图书馆; traditional Chinese: 李光前參考圖書館), as well as a public library, the Central Public Library, under one roof.
On the highest 16th level rooftop, there is a large closed area designed like a bubble called The Pod, used for functions and events. Although not a public viewing gallery, it has a panoramic 360-degree view of the city core and Marina bay area. The plaza on the ground floor has a cafe and is often used as an exhibition space. There are escalators on every floor, from Basement 3 to level 14th. The basement carpark has 246 lots. A number of old bricks from the old National Library building has been incorporated into the present building.
Sections
editThe main collections found at each level of the National Library Building include:[13]
- Level B1 – Central Public Library Collection
- Level 7 – Business, Science and Technology Collections
- Level 8 – The Arts and Social Sciences Collections
- Level 9 – Chinese, Malay and Tamil Collection
- Level 10 – Donors' Collections, Asian Children's Collection
- Level 11 – Singapore and Southeast Asian Collection. Microfilms. Maps.
- Levels 12 and 13 – Rare Materials Collection (limited access, only with permission)
Gallery
edit-
View from across the road -
Singapore and Asian Collection, Lee Kong Chian Reference Library -
Entrance to the National Library -
National Library Building's "The Retreat" -
Panoramic view inside Central Public Library
See also
edit
References
edit- Citations
- ^ "History of National Library Singapore". nlb.gov.sg. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
- ^ "New Chairman and Chief Executive Officer to be appointed to the National Library Board". mci.gov.sg. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
- ^ "National Library Board > About > History of National Library Singapore". www.nlb.gov.sg. Retrieved 11 February 2018.
- ^ "History of National Library Singapore". National Library Board Singapore. Retrieved 17 May 2014.
- ^ "National Library Board > Central Public Library > About". www.nlb.gov.sg. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
- ^ "NLB to launch 3 new tech prototypes to enhance user experience". YouTube. 12 January 2024. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
- ^ "National Library Board > About > Lee Kong Chian Reference Library". www.nlb.gov.sg. Retrieved 11 February 2018.
- ^ "National Library Board Singapore". Archived from the original on 16 January 2010. Retrieved 2 July 2013.
- ^ "Swan and Maclaren to design National Library". Business Times. 22 May 1999. p. 3. Retrieved 8 March 2023 – via NewspaperSG.
- ^ "National Library design team splits". The Straits Times. 18 January 2001. p. 3. Retrieved 8 March 2023 – via NewspaperSG.
- ^ "Team splits". The New Paper. 18 January 2001. p. 7. Retrieved 8 March 2023 – via NewspaperSG.
- ^ Pearson, Clifford A.: "T.R. Hamzah & Yeang applies its trademark bioclimatic design principles to the new National Library in Singapore" in Architectural Record, August 2006
- ^ "Accessing Lee Kong Chian Reference Library's Resources". www.nl.sg. Archived from the original on 18 April 2013. Retrieved 14 August 2012.
External links
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