MDDI's response to the Adjournment Motion on the 'Future of Library'

Parliament Sitting on 23 September 2025

In this era of digital disruptions, libraries and archives are finding ways to stay relevant

1. I thank the Member for the opportunity to speak on the future of libraries. The Member has raised several queries which I will address in my response to this Motion.

2. Digital disruption has impacted libraries worldwide as reading habits shift amidst a rise in digital content consumption.

3. NLB’s latest National Reading Habits Survey confirms this trend. While e-book reading has held steady, physical book reading among adults dropped to 75% in 2024, compared to 89% in 2018. 81% of 2 adults indicated that they like to consume information via videos, compared to 62% who indicated that they like to consume information via hardcopy sources. To remain relevant, libraries will need to adapt and reinvent how they deliver content and services to its citizens.

4. Given the shifts in the information landscape, NLB is aware that inaction will undermine the fundamental role libraries and archives play as custodians of knowledge. In today’s digital age, libraries play an even more critical role as community institutions whose physical presence fosters a sense of rootedness in community amongst patrons. We will continue to develop our libraries and strengthen its mandate as a key community node to foster learning and reading in this digital age.

NLB is reimagining how libraries should look in the digital age

5. NLB has seized the opportunity to reimagine how libraries should look in the digital age. Today, let me share three key roles of libraries 3 and how NLB will continue to fulfil them to support the reading, learning and discovery needs of our citizens in the digital age.

Libraries as catalysts for reading and lifelong learning

6. First, libraries serve as catalysts for reading and lifelong learning – a key goal that NLB has always championed.

7. We want Singaporeans to discover – or rediscover – their love for reading – be it turning the pages of a physical book or scrolling through an e-book.

8. Library visitorship and physical loans in 2024 have remained strong, with 20.8 million visitors to our network of libraries, the National Library and the National Archives. Our patrons have also checked out 24 million physical items in 2024, showing that Singaporeans continue to value the physical library experience.

9. At the same time, digital consumption of information continues to be on the rise, with library members borrowing 14.8 million digital items in 2024.

10. Beyond championing a culture of reading, NLB is transforming into a national platform for lifelong learning, working with like-minded partners to provide learning opportunities for everyone.

    1. While our libraries have traditionally been successful at engaging children, we have increased our offerings for adults. NLB has partnered with SkillsFuture Singapore to help working adults embrace lifelong learning through THRIVE@libraries, our marquee learning festival. Moreover, learning engagement has been extended to seniors through programmes like Time of Your Life Celebration.

    2. To support our Smart Nation ambitions, NLB has invested in initiatives to give citizens opportunities to explore emerging technologies. One such initiative is StoryGen, which taps on Gen AI’s image generation capabilities to bring stories to life for library patrons.

    3. As new technologies emerge, NLB is committed to ensure that these learning opportunities remain accessible for all. Citizens can count on the public libraries to be a place for them to learn as well as experience new technologies, and find out for themselves how exciting these developments can be and how they may apply to everyday life.

11. New technologies come with associated risks. As libraries empower people to embrace new technologies, libraries will also equip citizens with the skills to go online safely and responsibly.

    1. Some of you would be familiar with NLB’s S.U.R.E. campaign – which stands for Source, Understand, Research, Evaluate – and how it provides everyone with a simple and intuitive framework to assess the reliability of information. This is supported by a range of programmes and resources on topics such as Gen AI, online scams and digital safety.

    2. Another area in which libraries have curated resources on is parenting in a digital age. This is a challenging experience for many parents. Those of us who are parents today did not grow up with digital technologies, and are naturally not confident 6 in our ability to guide our children’s digital habits. To support digital parenting, NLB has curated relevant resources such as videos via its LearnX platform for parents to help their children develop and practise healthy digital habits.

    3. NLB will do more in this area, and is conducting parenting programmes and workshops at libraries to help parents and children practise healthy digital habits together.

Libraries serve the under-reached

12. Next, our libraries play an important role in bringing learning and knowledge to those with less means in our community.

13. In particular, NLB has been reinventing itself and its spaces for persons with disabilities, or PwDs in short.

    1. In 2023, NLB launched a suite of services for PwDs at the Punggol Library. This includes Calm Pods, which offer a private and calming sensorial experience to those who might need it, and the Borrow-N-Go tunnel, which enables users to go through the wide passageway and have their books automatically checked out.

    2. To ensure that these services are developed to meet the diverse needs of PwDs, NLB had engaged over 500 PwDs and their caregivers to understand how its libraries could better serve their needs.

14. As a key social equaliser, NLB continues to support lower-income families through the kidsREAD programme, which promotes reading among young children since 2004. NLB launched kidsREAD@Home last year to bring volunteers directly to public rental flats to conduct reading sessions for children, after a pilot in 2023. To date, almost 200 children have benefited from kidsREAD@Home.

Libraries as anchors for the community

15. Finally, our libraries serve as anchors for the community. They are places where Singaporeans foster connections and encourage one another to learn and discover.

16. Libraries are spaces where people can discover their interests and connect with like-minded individuals.

    1. Our libraries are home to 130 volunteer-led learning communities that cover a diverse range of interests. Some examples include Learning I.T. for Seniors (L.I.T.S.), which is conducted in English and Mandarin, and the Ilham Pustaka Malay Reading Club, which is co-facilitated by established local authors.

    2. Through these avenues of peer learning, library patrons can exchange knowledge on various interests, generate support for new passion projects and strengthen community networks.

17. Beyond fostering present-day connections, our archives also connect us with our past. The National Library and National Archives are the memory institutions of Singapore, preserving our documentary heritage and sharing stories of our past that help us have a richer understanding of what it means to be Singaporean.

    1. The recently launched SG60 Heart&Soul Experience draws extensively from the National Archives' rich repositories of photographs, videos and oral histories, enabling Singaporeans to connect to stories of the past, even as we look towards the future.

18. Our libraries must remain accessible, and be conveniently located in key community hubs where Singaporeans live, work and play. This has guided the formulation of the Libraries of the Future (LOTF) Masterplan, a 15-year plan to systematically revamp and upgrade the older public libraries from 2017 to 2030.

    1. As part of this plan, NLB’s strategy has been to move standalone libraries to places which enjoy easy access to transportation hubs and networks. This includes shopping malls and integrated hubs.

    2. We understand that some Members are concerned about the relocation of libraries and its impact on the community.

    3. The decision to relocate any library is not taken lightly. Before deciding to relocate a particular library or to revamp it in-situ, NLB considers various factors, such as land use plans, the 10 number of residents it can best serve, the library’s age, and the number of years since the last major renovation. Ultimately, NLB makes the decision based on how it can best serve and reach more patrons with its services and collections.

    4. The upcoming relocation of Geylang East Library to Tanjong Katong Complex as mentioned by the Member reflects this approach. In the last decade from 2015 to 2024, Geylang East Library has experienced declining visitorship from 670,000 to less than 470,000, about a 31% drop. We hope the relocation will help to improve the visitorship for the library, just as it did for the libraries at Harbourfront and Tampines, which saw a 58% and 71% increase in visitorship respectively over 3 years.

    5. NLB had also considered retaining and revamping Geylang East Library at its current location. However, it will cost more than two times per square metre to revamp it in its current location as compared to relocating it to Tanjong Katong Complex. This translates into a budgetary difference of $22 million.

19. We recognise that whenever public libraries are relocated, they will become closer to some residents and farther for others. We are thus committed to ensuring that the new locations remain accessible.

20. For residents who live near the existing Geylang East Library, the new location is a short bus ride away. Notwithstanding this, NLB has engaged Geylang East residents to better understand their needs. We take public feedback seriously. NLB is working to identify a potential suitable space nearby to provide some form of library presence, such as a reading corner or a pop-up library.

21. We will also work with relevant grassroots organisations to help residents access NLB’s digital resources or delivery services, ensuring continued reading and learning opportunities.

Closing: Libraries embodying the spirit of a “we first” society

22. This year marks NLB’s 30th anniversary. Our mission to inspire Singaporeans to read, learn and discover is stronger than ever.

23. At the National Day Rally, PM Wong said that Singapore must be a “we first” society. This aligns with how we envision our libraries – as trusted spaces where people from all walks of life come together as one community to read, learn and discover together.

24. Thank you.