Connecting People toKNOWLEDGE

We enable and encourage lifelong reading
and learning by providing equal access
to knowledge in our community

Nurturing a Green Generation

“My Tree House” is the world’s first green library for children. Young visitors can discover and learn about the environment through a collection of books, programmes and interactive installations on plants, animals and climate change.

Dr Jill Biden, wife of US Vice-President Joe Biden, read to children at “My Tree House” during her tour of NLB in July 2013.

“My Tree House” was developed in collaboration with City Developments Limited and its partners.



I visit the Green Library because of the wide variety of books. There are books on recycling that I can refer to for tips. The library encourages kids like me to learn more about green topics outside of school.

- Eddrick Lee Jun Jie, 11
Regular visitor to the Green Library

Skills to Sieve Facts
from Fiction and Opinion

S.U.R.E. promotes four simple steps to equip our community with the skills to deal with the avalanche of information churned out by various channels in the modern world. Together with the Ministry of Education, the NLB runs S.U.R.E. clubs, an enrichment programme for secondary school students in 24 schools.

S.U.R.E. MESSAGES

The S.U.R.E. method includes four steps:
1. SOURCE – When reading information, check if it comes from a reliable source
2. UNDERSTAND – Understand the context of the information, e.g. whether it is fact or opinion
3. RESEARCH – Cross-check with other reliable sources before arriving at a conclusion and
4. EVALUATE – Look at different angles; there are at least two sides to every story

We used to just copy and paste information from the Internet for school assignments. Through S.U.R.E., we’ve learned that it’s important to verify our sources instead of simply lifting information from websites. Our grades have actually improved. Doing research is now much more fun and interesting; it’s a bit like doing investigative work.

- Haran Nadarajan and his schoolmates Ryan Ho, Muhammad Nile, Das Arpit, 15
S.U.R.E. club members from St. Patrick’s Secondary School

Another Step to Bridge the Digital Divide

The number of our libraries offering the eDevice loan service has now increased from two to six. This was made possible with the generous donation of 400 eReaders by the The United States Embassy in Singapore. Users can access millions of eBooks and a wide array of digital content through our online databases.

Picked By Youth For Youth

The newly formed Read! Singapore Youth Book Selection Committee chose 24 titles in the four official languages for this year’s READ! Singapore. This was the first time that the committee of 25 students, aged 15 and above, recommended titles that would appeal to their peers. This year’s theme, “Under One Sky”, emphasised the bonds between people of different cultures, societies and generations.

Bringing Books
Nearer to Home

NLB worked with the People’s Association, Community Development Councils and Thye Hua Kwan Moral Society to set up 22 library corners at community clubs and Senior Activity Centres. NLB helped to select books, organise activities and create a conducive environment for reading.

50plus EXPO 2013

In order to reach out to more seniors, we participated in 50plus EXPO 2013, organised to promote active ageing. Visitors to the NLB booth tried out our eDevices and learnt more about our programmes for seniors.

The elderly should be encouraged to pick up IT skills even though some of us are afraid to learn new things. The library is keen to help by offering courses for senior citizens. More importantly, the instructors are inspiring and they provide good guidance.

- Mr Chua Heng Chin, 63
Retiree

Silver InfoComm

Seniors aged 50 and above enjoy an hour of free Internet access at our libraries every day. We also offer them specially designed IT courses to enable them to use online resources and services.