By 2030, Bukit Panjang is expected to grow by 15 per cent from its present 139,000 residents.
Bukit Panjang Public Library will reopen on July 1 after 10 months of renovation to meet the needs of a growing population. The revamped library, in Bukit Panjang Plaza, opened yesterday for an early media preview, ahead of the official opening by Minister for Communications and Information, Yaacob Ibrahim.
The library has increased its floor space by 85 per cent, and is now divided into two wings. The old library space has been turned into an adult and teen zone with volunteer-run space that houses discussion areas and a reading lounge.
Associate librarian, Joti Upadhya, 28, says that giving volunteers to control allows the community to take ownership of the space.
The redesigned children’s space includes a storytelling room call Stories Come Alive room that uses images, light and sound effects to create interactive storytelling sessions for children.
Nanyang Polytechnic animation student Nursabrina Muhamad Lokman, 19, who worked on some of the animation featured in the room took inspiration from children’s books and flash animation to engage the young children.
Both new spaces also feature colour-coded way-finding paths linking books by age group and genre, as opposed to the traditional method of finding books using the Dewey Decimal classification system. Ms Upadhya said this creates a journey when users are looking for and reading books. It also helps ease the confusion for children as words can be tough.
There is also a “book mountain” in each wing, which is an innovative shelving design where readers can ascend a gradual ramp, discovering new books along the way.
“It’s really exciting that the library has grown so much, it is now state of the art.” Said Madam Uma Melarcode Dharma Rajan, 44, volunteer as a storyteller.
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Source: The Straits Times, 23 June 2017