The National Library Board (NLB) will build a branch in Punggol with a more inclusive slant as well as revamp eight more libraries from now until 2026.
Ms Sim Ann, Senior Minister of State for Communications and Information, announced this in Parliament on 3 March during the debate on her ministry’s budget.
Libraries, she said, play a key role in connecting people in the digital age and providing a sense of community.
The Punggol Regional Library, which will open late next year at Punggol Town Hub, will offer users with disabilities and children with special needs customised services and calming zones.
It will also house a world children’s literature collection. This is so that “younger Singaporeans can appreciate cultural diversity from an early age”.
NLB consulted stakeholders, including Punggol residents and an advisory panel for persons with disabilities, when designing the library.
Central Public Library in the Bras Basah area will also be renovated. It will be closed early next year for the revamp, which includes increasing the floor area from 3,900 sq m to 4,600 sq m.
The others include Choa Chu Kang Public Library, which shut last June and will gain another floor when it reopens next year in Lot One shopping mall, Queenstown Public Library and Marine Parade Public Library. Four more will be announced after plans are firmed up.
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Source: The Straits Times, 4 March 2020