If your family are keen readers, buying books means you need to have heaps of storage space and it’s expensive. Borrowing keeps young bookworms satiated with new and exciting stories, it’s also environmentally friendly and extremely affordable. Luckily, there are loads of public libraries in Singapore with some great reads for teens, children and tots too. Here are some of our favourite ones across the island.
Bukit Panjang Public Library
This library features two wings, one for children and another for teens and adults. Colourful ribbons decorate the floors, guiding keen readers to different sections of the expansive library. With an interactive Stories Come Alive Room – an immersive storytelling space that brings stories alive with changing scenes, sound effects, lights and animation, kids are bound to be engaged with all the library has to offer. Also taking place here are immersive animation screenings for free, titled Fantastical Tales, they are recommended for children aged seven to 12. The library also features Book Mountains – creative shelving designs with gradual ramps and varying shelf heights – found across the Children’s Zone and Adults’ and Teens’ Zone. For updates, visit nlb.gov.sg/bukitpanjangpubliclibrary.
Open Monday to Sunday from 11am to 9pm
#04-04 & 16/17 Bukit Panjang Plaza, 1 Jelebu Road
Central Public Library
Having reopened in January 2024, the Central Public Library has a strong focus on Singapore culture and sustainability. The Children’s Biodiversity Library by the S.E.A. Aquarium focuses on marine diversity throughout the library’s designs and programmes. It’s a beautiful set-up, with immersive rooms, interactive content stories and games. Explore the different zones, such as the Coral Zone, Sea Jelly Zone, Submarine Room and Intertidal Zone. The Memories Corner also offers an outdoor space for kids alongside other green outdoor spaces for young ones to read and play. In addition, there are over 180 ebooks available and a physical library with 45,000 children’s fiction and non-fiction books. The library even holds special recycling workshops and kids’ camps! For programme updates, visit nlb.gov.sg/centralpubliclibrary.
Open Monday to Sunday from 10am to 9pm
#B1-01, 100 Victoria Street Central
Queenstown Public Library
The library is the oldest public library in Singapore! Housed in a gazetted heritage building amidst lush greenery, it’s the perfect reading spot for kids. It has a lot to offer for kids of all ages, from weekly storytelling sessions to crafts and movie screenings. Until the end of this year, there are also gardening activities as part of the Community in Bloom project. They’ve also got a little café that’s great for a mid-read snack. Stay up to date by following them at nlb.gov.sg/QueenstownPublicLibrary.
Open Monday to Sunday from 10am to 9pm
53 Margaret Drive
Jurong Regional Library
The largest public library in Singapore, Jurong Regional Library spans four stories, plus a basement, which means there’s plenty of space to curl up with a book. This library is the first in Singapore to offer a dedicated Teens Library service, Verging All Teens (V.A.T.), with a distinct collection of various genres of comics and graphic novels. With open art studios for mandala colouring sessions, magic trick shows and events, and even laser cutting facilities, this library has many things that appeal to all ages. Meanwhile, little ones will want to check out the Early Literacy Library, which caters to four- to six-year-olds and the under-three crowd, for loads of books and audio-visual materials. In addition to weekly storytelling sessions (Fridays at 4pm and Sundays at 12.30pm), there are Jiggle, Read and Rhyme sessions for tots, as well as craft sessions available. Check for updates at nlb.gov.sg/jurongregionallibrary.
Open Monday to Sunday from 10am to 9pm
21 Jurong East Central 1
library@harbourfront
Located in Vivocity, this public library in Singapore offers over 200,000 books, magazines and audiovisual material. Within the designated Children’s Zone, kids can borrow books, get creative with their crafts services, puzzles and story time reading sessions. More details available at nlb.gov.sg/libraryharbourfront.
Open from Monday to Sunday from 11 am to 9 pm
#03-05 VicoCity, Lobby F, 1 Harbourfront Walk, VivoCity
How to sign up for a library membership
A basic NLB membership is free for Singaporeans, allowing members to borrow up to 16 physical books and 16 ebooks for up to 21 days. Basic memberships for Singapore Permanent Residents are available with a one-time registration fee of $10.69. For foreigners, there’s an annual fee of $43.60 on top of the registration fee; foreigners who are students at the schools under the Singapore Ministry of Education (primary schools, secondary schools, junior colleges, Institutes of Technical Education, polytechnics) can apply for a Basic Membership for free. For more details, visit nlb.gov.sg.
For more helpful tips head to our living in Singapore section and read about the best things to do in Singapore.
