PUBLISHED November 24th, 2014 04:00 pm | UPDATED July 23rd, 2024 12:52 am
Honestly, we weren’t expecting such a radical change from the public libraries we grew up with. You know – the muffled carpeted cold, reliably rectangular bookshelves, and muted white-grey-iceblue colour palette. If you thought the Central Public Library was an upgrade, the new library@orchard will blow you away! No wonder it took seven years in making. We hope to see this on the global lists of must-visit libraries from around the world soon, for the new library@orchard seriously deserve the mentions.
Their philosophy
library@orchard believes that ‘Design is For Everyone’ and it’s part of our everyday life. Besides being the first library to actively seek and incorporate public feedback into its conceptualisation, library@orchard also worked closely with lecturers and students from the Singapore Polytechnic to develop a place we want. They also consciously combined both traditional and modern definitions of design for a library that inspires, yet still remains accessible. So if you think democratised design is something too idealistic to achieve, a trip there might just convince you.
More than 45,000 design-related books…
Yes, you read that right. More than 45,000 books, including titles exclusive to this branch, are dedicated to the pursuit of all facets of design. Instead of categorisation by disciplines, the materials are separated by more overarching themes of People, Space, Products, Visual, and Lifestyle. Think biographies, portfolios, and more. If you’re not into non-fiction, don’t fret. The lower level of library@orchard’s 1,700-square-metre space is filled with a similarly respectful collection of Fiction and audio-visual materials.
…and the largest design-focused magazine collection in our public libraries!
Titles such as Kinfolk, Monocle and Disegno are just some of the titles you can find here, for public feedback revealed our collective love for magazines. Now displayed in a visually stunning wall storage layout, gone will be the days of browsing through limply standing magazines. All one needs to do is to pull out the drawer of the magazine cover (updated with each issue) and the issues will be stack horizontally for convenient browsing.
Awesome new nooks
You’ll find super cosy reading pods fondly referred to as ‘Cocoons’ seamlessly linked to the bookshelves, and if you manage to score a strategically located one, you’ll be rewarded with a stellar view of the sky from the full-length windows. There are also ‘Book Trees’, which allow the sharing of book recommendations by both the library team and the public on any and every topic. All you need to do is to scan the book’s barcode to add it into the list, or just place it on the built-in shelves.
Self-service reservation kiosks
Yup, all you need is your identity or library card to pick up reserved books, which is located outside the library like PO boxes. As much as we’re happy to spend any free time here, they get bonus points for not limiting pick up hours to the library’s opening hours.
To celebrate its opening, library@orchard is holding a slew of free programmes including film screenings, workshops, talks and even community sharing of skills. For more information, check out their Facebook Page here.