Last Updated on 2016-05-18 , 2:52 pm
I’m so sorry to disappoint you, but our libraries were not created for the sole purpose of… studying. Here are some other things you can do at the library as well.
Borrow books. (surprise, surprise)
Once upon the time, we used to go to the library to borrow books. Now, students frequently walk out of the library with nary a borrowed book in their hands. The number of “physical library materials” loaned from public libraries has dropped from 38 million in 2012, to 34 million in 2015. However, this has also been accompanied by a rise of eBook usage from our libraries from 7.5 million to 11 million in the same period.
Borrow movies.
It’s free (and legal). From poring over Life of Pi all over again, or sobbing through Up (I cried three times when I first watched it, sigh) to running around with Ben Stiller in Night At The Museum (1 and 2). For those more inclined towards less-mainstream cinema, there is also a decent variety of films by acclaimed directors like Hou Hsiao-Hsien, Stanley Kubrick and Ozu.
Book exchange.
There is one sitting right outside the doors of the Central Public Library (on Basement 1 of the National Library). You can drop your own books off on the shelves there, and take another book home with you. The last time I went there, there were around 20-30 books on the shelves. Not bad.
Attend a concert. Sort of.
Music performances are scheduled all year round at several libraries. For example, the Sembawang library is currently holding a “JukeBox’ series of performances by homegrown local bands (there is one happening this Saturday, too). Admission is free.
Improve your #photography.
There are all sorts of cool, hands-on workshops offered, including ones on DSLR Photography. You don’t even need to have your own camera as DSLRs are also provided, free-of-charge. Workshops are also free (this word gets so many of us excited), though this means you also have to register early. Still, it is only a small hassle, compared to paying fifty bucks for a 2-hour workshop elsewhere.
Other cool workshops.
From learning how to make your own printed circuit board (PCB) to getting your feet wet in Robotics, or growing your origami skills (beyond that amateur paper aeroplane). All at our favourite price: Free.
Exhibitions.
Libraries offer a host of exhibitions, both large and small. Most of us will have some impression of the little pop-up exhibits that appear in our libraries from time to time. Currently, a major exhibition on early Singapore is being held at the National Library. “From The Stacks” is an exhibition featuring “early literary works, religious tracts and dictionaries point to a thriving publishing industry in Singapore with printing presses run by English missionaries, Chinese literati and Muslim publishers.” The Singapore identity is reflected through magazines, poetry and even cookbooks, in this exhibition.
Not bad, right? Now, time for all of us to leave our textbooks/notes/10-year series at home and head on down to a library!
Here’s a simplified summary of the South Korea martial law that even a 5-year-old would understand:
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