Revamped libraries to open in next few years: Sim Ann
TODAY file photo
SINGAPORE — Visitors to the Jurong Regional Library will get to tinker with gadgets such as 3D printers and micro-controllers, thanks to an Infocomm Development Authority Lab that slated to open later this year.
Jurong Regional Library is one of at least four libraries that will be given facelifts in the next few years, Minister of State for Communications and Information Sim Ann announced in Parliament today (March 10), at the Committee of Supply debate for the ministry.
For instance, the revamped Pasir Ris Library in White Sands Mall, which will reopen in November this year, will feature a space dedicated to teenagers.
By 2017, the Tampines Regional Library will be relocated to the upcoming Tampines Town Hub and will house a culinary studio, while the Bedok Public Library will be relocated to the Bedok Integrated Complex. Also on the way is the new Punggol Regional Library.
Ms Sim added that the National Library Board will embark on a masterplan that charts the expansion and development of the library network for the next decade.
Last year, about 24 million visits were made to libraries and over 34 million loans processed
She also announced that the ministry will award up to three scholarships per year to undergraduates with aptitude for translation, to improve standards of translation in Singapore. These scholarships will also be extended to pre-university and polytechnic students, as well as mid-term undergraduates.
