The Hindu Business Line : Bookish Singapore

In the movie The Mummy, the heroine draws herself up to her full medium-height, gazes owlishly and declares “I’m a librarian!”, bursting with pride in her chosen occupation. The hero gazes bemused, wondering at the unusual devotion to her work.

The eleven-storey National Library in Singapore inspires awe in the visitor, at the dedication and expertise involved in its creation and functioning. What’s more, each residential locality has its own branch library — large enough to accommodate hundreds comfortably!

The vast collection of books and journals, movies in Tamil, Hindi, Chinese and Malay, documentary CDs, reference material, microfilmed data, the comfortable desks and chairs for extended reading, children’s corners, and the cafe are enough to make even the unlettered envious, and the bookish willing slaves. Convenient book-drop facilities prevent late fees, while the library’s long working hours provide cool comfort from the equatorial heat outside.

What’s heart-warming is the large number of young folks found reading at the library. The audiovisual corner provides visual reference in digital and even videocassette form; privacy is ensured by way of headphones.

The simple efficiency of it all is mind-boggling, especially when combined with the nationwide connectivity, which makes book searches easy between the many branches. The displays of private collections enable one to view priceless rare works.

Fiction and reference, hobbies and technical updates are all available for a nominal sum; and for those just in for the day, browsing is free. These libraries are rather hep destinations, giving mindless entertainment plenty to think about.

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