Bukit Merah Public Library to reopen at VivoCity next year
Bukit Merah Public Library will reopen as library@harbourfront in VivoCity on Jan 12.
The library on the third storey of the shopping mall will draw three times as many visitors as before, the National Library Board (NLB) said this week, reiterating its view that the move will make the library easier to reach by public transport.
News of the relocation, announced in July last year, sparked an online petition and complaints from netizens.
They said the new location would leave behind the current library's user base of students and the elderly.
The petition has since garnered nearly 1,000 signatures.
The current Bukit Merah library is a three-storey building in Bukit Merah Central that has been a fixture since 1982.
It will close on Nov 30.
Bukit Merah Public Library saw about 500,000 visitors last year, half that of similar-sized libraries such as Bishan Public Library. At VivoCity, the number should reach 1.5 million a year, said Ms Catherine Lau, NLB's assistant chief executive for public library services.
The move is part of NLB's efforts to move public libraries to locations such as malls and town hubs which have more human traffic.
Tampines Regional Library moved to Our Tampines Hub, while Yishun Public Library has reopened at Northpoint City.
At 3,000 sq m and with 200,000 books, library@harbourfront will be Singapore's largest shopping mall library.
It will have 16 eNewspaper stations, a children's area, a multi-purpose zone and a reading lounge with 120 seats.
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