Bishan Public Library

Fast Facts  Opening Date: 1 September 2006

 Floor Area: 4,000 square meters
 Collection Size: 220,000
 Target Community: Residents of Bishan, Marymount, and Upper
Thomson
Key Highlights  Pods

Bishan Public Library is well known for its architecture which

captures the look and feel of a tree house with distinctive coloured
pods.

Individual pods are cantilevered off the building’s main facade and in
the building’s atrium to create more private spaces by adding a touch
of individuality within the library. They act as spaces for quiet reflection
by library users.

 Artist Trading Cards (ATC) Club

Artist Trading Cards are miniature art creations measuring 2.5” by

3.5”, and any form of art can be used to create the cards. Participants
learn how to create different types of ATCs and pick up tips to improve
their artwork.

 Seniors’ (Chinese) Reading Club

The club meets once a month for an hour-long book discussion

session in Mandarin. These sessions are facilitated by librarians as
well as members of the reading club. Books discussed are mainly
READ! Singapore titles, short stories/compilations, popular titles, or
titles by local authors.

 Kelab Baca Si Luncai

Kelab Baca Si Luncai is a joint collaboration between Bishan

Community Club's Malay Activity Executive Committee and National
Library Board's READ! Singapore. The reading club aims to
encourage the habit of reading in Malay in children between the ages
of 6 and 12.

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Bishan Public Library
Collection  Collection Size: 204,600 books, 9,913 audio-visual items, 5,487
Highlights serials and local newspaper titles.

 Adults and Young People’s Collection: With about 103,400

volumes in the Adults’ and Young People’s collection covering
the four official languages, the library offers a comprehensive
selection to choose from for reading and information needs.

The Young People’s Collection has materials suitable for teens

from the ages of 13 to 19. It bridges the gap for readers moving
from the Children’s Collection to the Adult Collection.

There is also a large variety of non-fiction books on different

subjects, including Business, Finance, Health and Fitness,
Cookery, Recreational and Travel Guides.

 Children’s Collection: The Children’s Collection has materials

suitable for children from the ages of 0 to 12. With around
116,600 volumes covering the four official languages, the
collection includes books for babies, picture books for pre-
schoolers, as well as stories and informational books for older
children.

Services and a) Facilities

Facilities
 Seating capacity: 368
 Multimedia stations
 Newspaper Reading Area
 24-hour Bookdrop
 Cybrarian Kiosk
 Activity Room
 Programme Zone
 Multi-Purpose Room
 Project Room
 Quiet Reading Room
 Café
 Water Cooler

b) Services

 Regular storytelling and school holiday programmes

 User education and Information literacy programmes
 Library outreaches
 Performances and activities
 Talks and workshops
 Exhibitions and displays

Library History Bishan Public Library was officially opened on 1 September 2006 by Mr
Wong Kan Seng, Deputy Prime Minister and MP of Bishan-Toa Payoh
GRC. The library underwent a minor renovation exercise to in 2012 to lay
new carpets in the library, repaint the walls and refurbish existing
furnitures and seating.
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Bishan Public Library
Interesting  Bishan Public Library is the first library to host the Human Library
Facts Programme. Organised by the Human Library Singapore Team,
the programme arose through an idea from Copenhagen’s The
HUMAN Library Organisation, where visitors to the human library
are able to speak informally with “people on loan” – individuals
representing a community, group or organization that are part of
the library’s “collection”.

 Bishan Public Library was featured on the front cover of the

Library Architecture book entitled "Libraries" as an example of
good library design. It was also awarded the President’s Design
Award, Design of the Year 2007. The President’s Design Award is
Singapore’s highest honour accorded to designers and designs
from all design disciplines.

Last updated on 1 September 2014