radish
Emeritus Honorary Member
- Joined
- Aug 8, 2005
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wow..... i wonder how much it cost taxpayer and do we really need to be so extravagant. a library is just a library, books are more impt than fancy renov... i think?
https://www.straitstimes.com/singap...pes-at-the-newly-reopened-bukit-batok-library
SINGAPORE - Stepping into the first floor of the newly renovated Bukit Batok Library, visitors are greeted by calming sounds – a blend of rustling leaves, birdsong and distant neighbourhood chatter.
The ambient track follows visitors as they move through the space and up an escalator to the second floor.
Titled Embrace, the piece is the first of three specially curated soundscapes by Singapore sound artist Mervin Wong for the revamped library.
It also marks the first time the National Library Board (NLB) has incorporated sound as part of the visitor experience in a public library.
Bukit Batok Library, which had been closed since December 2023, reopened its doors to visitors on March 27.
“More than simply just adding to the collection of 28 libraries islandwide, I think what’s more important is how we keep them thriving... (and) relevant because a library is less like brick-and-mortar and more like many living things,” said Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo at the official reopening on March 27.
A library does not flourish in isolation – it thrives when it is “plugged into a wider ecosystem”, drawing support and resources from other elements while also giving back in meaningful ways, she added.
Mrs Teo described the Bukit Batok Library as not only having doubled in size, but also tripled in creativity and quadrupled in innovation.
Previously spanning 1,300 sq m on the third floor of West Mall, the library now occupies more than 2,700 sq m across the mall’s first, second and third floors.
Ms Christabel Sim, NLB’s public libraries regional head (West), said the board expects the revamped library to accommodate more users and draw both new and returning patrons.
The library recorded nearly 700,000 visits in 2022, she added.
Its new design is inspired by the scenic, disused granite quarry Little Guilin in Bukit Batok Town Park.
Developed together with real estate company Singapore Land Group, the SingLand Soundscape audio experience features soundtracks that incorporate ambisonic field recordings captured around Bukit Batok.
https://www.straitstimes.com/singap...pes-at-the-newly-reopened-bukit-batok-library
SINGAPORE - Stepping into the first floor of the newly renovated Bukit Batok Library, visitors are greeted by calming sounds – a blend of rustling leaves, birdsong and distant neighbourhood chatter.
The ambient track follows visitors as they move through the space and up an escalator to the second floor.
Titled Embrace, the piece is the first of three specially curated soundscapes by Singapore sound artist Mervin Wong for the revamped library.
It also marks the first time the National Library Board (NLB) has incorporated sound as part of the visitor experience in a public library.
Bukit Batok Library, which had been closed since December 2023, reopened its doors to visitors on March 27.
“More than simply just adding to the collection of 28 libraries islandwide, I think what’s more important is how we keep them thriving... (and) relevant because a library is less like brick-and-mortar and more like many living things,” said Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo at the official reopening on March 27.
A library does not flourish in isolation – it thrives when it is “plugged into a wider ecosystem”, drawing support and resources from other elements while also giving back in meaningful ways, she added.
Mrs Teo described the Bukit Batok Library as not only having doubled in size, but also tripled in creativity and quadrupled in innovation.
Previously spanning 1,300 sq m on the third floor of West Mall, the library now occupies more than 2,700 sq m across the mall’s first, second and third floors.
Ms Christabel Sim, NLB’s public libraries regional head (West), said the board expects the revamped library to accommodate more users and draw both new and returning patrons.
The library recorded nearly 700,000 visits in 2022, she added.
Its new design is inspired by the scenic, disused granite quarry Little Guilin in Bukit Batok Town Park.
Developed together with real estate company Singapore Land Group, the SingLand Soundscape audio experience features soundtracks that incorporate ambisonic field recordings captured around Bukit Batok.
