I’ve been sitting on this post for at least a month, which is weird because the Central Public Library is one of the libraries that I visit at least a couple of times a year. I definitely don’t go there as much as I do to Clementi Public Library or Jurong Regional Library, but I will make trips down because, quite often, books that I want but are not in the other two libraries will be there.

The library is located at Bugis, which is a fairly popular tourist spot. If you want to visit a library while you’re visiting Singapore or if you just want a place to rest, this might be the place for you.

Note: don’t be fooled by the height of the building, the library section is only in basement one. The rest of the floors are taken up by the reference sections (levels 7 to 13: open to public, but you can’t borrow reference books), a drama center, and the National Library Board headquarters.

This library actually replaces an older one that I don’t quite remember. But this building is a green building that has features such as the fact that it’s oriented away from the East-West sun, has light shelves that optimise the use of natural sunlight and reduces the amount of artificial light (although probably not in the basement), rain sensors for the automated irrigation system for the landscaped areas, etc.

I took this photo at the plaza just in front of the doors – according to the library, this open air plaza “admits natural ventilation and daylighting. Stack effect at the open Plaza (i.e. the air from the sides of the building is drawn upward between the link bridges and in-between the two blocks).”

If you’re visiting, you can find the library in basement one – just take the escalator down.

Right next to the entrance is the bookdrop – this is pretty new. The old bookdrop was just a slot in the wall and this is much more transparent. I suspect it’s being rolled out because they’ve tested transparent bookdrops successfully (I’ve been reading a book on the remaking of Singapore’s libraries – review to come!)

For reference, here’s a layout of the library.

The library itself is pretty traditional – mostly displays and shelves. The most innovative part of the library is actually the children’s section, which was opened in 2013.

I actually remember this library making a bit of a buzz in the local papers when it opened. It’s supposed to be the first green library for kids and was “steered by green principles in all facets from design and infrastructure to collection and programming”.

The big tree in the centre is made from recycled bottles and timber. The carpets are made from recycled materials as well.

Apart from the children’s section, the only other physical feature of the library that stands out are these quotes on the fiction shelves!

The library may not be the most innovative but I don’t go to the library for that (although I enjoy the features when I see them) – I go to the Central Public Library for the books. The collection here is great and even if the book isn’t available here, I can probably find it in the reference floors above. There are also quite a few programmes here; the self-help talk that I went to was held at the library and there are other interesting-looking talks as well.

More Information

Central Public Library

National Library Building