Minister Yaacob Ibrahim
Board members
Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls,
Good morning. I am glad to see all of you here today, at the official re-opening of Sengkang Public Library.
2 First of all, let me thank all of you for your warm support over the years. Sengkang Public Library is one of the most popular mall libraries, with an average of over a million visits each year.
3 We renovated Sengkang Public Library to serve the community better. Let me share with you some new features and services we have introduced. The new library has two floors and more seats. The new floor is below us, where we have set up a quiet reading area with the adults’ collection and the newspaper reading corner. The new Sengkang Public Library also has 56% more magazines in English, Chinese, Malay and Tamil compared to before. Do check out our integrated book display and pick up something in print or in e that are hand-picked and recommended by our librarians. If you are interested in an ebook, you can simply scan and borrow it using the NLB Mobile App.
4 As Sengkang has many young families with children, we have set up a new area for children aged 10 to 14 years, called the Tweens’ Space. This library is the first to have such a space. The Tween Space is attractively done up, with flexible seating and writable walls to facilitate group discussions. It has books that appeal to this age group. We will introduce programmes for the tweens based on youth interests such as cosplaying, manga drawing, and games. You can look forward to plenty of exciting activities brought to you by our partners, such as the Photographic Society of Singapore, InstaSG and Singapore Cosplay Club.
5 In addition, we have a vibrant children’s area for the younger ones and a Teens’ Space for the slightly older ones. We introduced these areas not to segregate usage (anyone can check out these sections), but the age focus allows us to target our services and collection for each age group. Our hope to is engage all children and teens, and help them to build a strong reading habit. As mentioned earlier, the adults also get a brand-new space on Level 3. Hence, there is something for everyone in this library.
6 What makes a library come alive is the community. The old library had a Wall of Art for creative works by Sengkang residents. We have continued this tradition with a Community Wall, which will showcase your artistic creations. The artworks currently on display are by Seng Kang Secondary School students, who are here with us today. They have shared with us some fantastic art works, and I hope everyone can take a look later.
7 On your way to the library, you might have noticed the windows display outside. The display is hand-made by our volunteers, who have worked very hard to put it together. I would like to thank this group of volunteers – Chandrika, Nidhi, Aaisha, Rajani, Juay Yee and Debjani. Thank you for helping to make the library a more vibrant place for everyone to enjoy. And there are other community partners, including nearby schools, which have and will contribute to this library’s offerings.
8 Lastly, I want to acknowledge our staff who put the new library together and get ready our operation. They are the faces of NLB to serve you. We also want to give you an insight into how your library is run. So for the first time, you can peek at how your returned books are sorted. Do take a look at the Book Drop later!
9 And if you look around, you may also notice that the new library’s design is inspired by Sengkang’s history as a riverside port and a fishing village. There are waves in cool blue tones that invoke the coastal feeling. I welcome all of you to explore the new facilities, and hope that you will enjoy reading and learning here.
10 Thank you.