Punggol Regional Library, Singapore’s fourth regional library, is located at One Punggol integrated hub. The huge library covers a total of five levels and is now the biggest library in Singapore.
Overview of Punggol Regional Library:
To give you a quick overview of Punggol Regional Library, Levels One and Two of Punggol Regional Library are devoted to early literacy and the children’s section respectively. And there are several interesting sections on each of these levels.
Levels Three and Four house the Adults and Teens Zones. Meanwhile, Level Five, which can be reached by means of elevators, houses the Programmes Rooms.
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Punggol Regional Library is an extremely family friendly library, maybe even the most kid-friendly one of them all
Entering in at Level One, there is a wide and generous lobby. Multiple facilities found through the first two floors make it especially welcoming to families.
Level 1: Early Literacy & Toy Library
The first floor of the library is devoted to young children.
To the left of the entrance, there is a children’s area for those under 12 and their accompanying parents.
This area is equipped with toys on play tables and has a toy library stocked with puppets, sorting boxes and more according to categories such as dramatic play, sensory play and creative play. There is even a dress up corner for kids that want to play pretend.
Next to the Toy Library is the Stories Come Alive Room, a multimedia space where children can listen to stories such as the legend of Kusu Island.
There is also a Community Wall that provides a glimpse at into Punggol as a place to live.
Further in on Level One is the Early Literacy Zone. Here, books are shelved facing outwards on low shelves to make it easier for young children and their parents to browse the titles.
There is also an accessible collection for books for the disability community and their caregivers.
Of note is the library’s Family Lounge, also on level 1 at the Early Literacy Zone.
The Family Lounge is a separate room set up with a water supply and high chairs. It is where families with young children or persons with disabilities can pop in for a quick snack without having to leave the library.
It is also useful to know that the book reservation collection lockers are located on Level One, just outside of the main entrance.
Level 2: Children’s Zone
The second floor of the library houses the children’s collection. Levels 1 and 2 are connected internally by an escalator. There is also a ramp that also increases the accessibility between the two floors.
Besides the usual collections organised by fiction, non-fiction and languages, Punggol Regional Library’s children’s area also has a World and Us Zone. This organises books by continents, allowing kids to explore the books according to geography.
There are also reading corners for kids to settle down with a book.
You can also make your way to the story pods. This is an area on the second floor that encourages kids to use their imagination.
There are various prompts on a wall that help kids to create their own storyline using different story elements. Cutouts with character images in the wall also encourage kids to be more imaginative while having fun. The story pods are an area where you can spend some time with your kids just exploring the various nooks and crannies.
One statue that you will be able to find on the second floor of Punggol Library is that of The Little Prince. This statue of The Little Prince at Punggol Regional Library was created by Mr Arnaud Nazare-Aga, a French artist based in Thailand, the sculpture is on display at the World and Us Zone on the second floor of the Punggol Regional Library. The Little Prince sculpture was unveiled at the library on 11 July 2023.
The second floor of Punggol Regional Library also has the Spark!Lab. This space is a collaboration between National Library Board and the Smithsonian Institute. It provides a place where 7 to 12 year olds can get hands on at different stations.
A cafe next to the library’s second floor entrance provides a spot for some refreshment.
It is a nice place to hangout while doing some work with refreshments on hand.
The nursing room is also located on the second floor.
For library patrons with special needs, the second floor has a Calm Pod. It is designed to be a quiet and safe space that serves as an escape from the bustle of the library.
The Calm Pod is made up of two spaces – a waiting room and an inner room with padded walls and flooring.
Level 3: SingLit, Study Zone and Teen Zone
Level Three of Punggol Regional Library houses the Chinese, Malay and Tamil fiction books along with the comics collections and general fiction.
The SingLit collection can also be found at Level Three.
There is a large Study Zone at Level Three with each space equipped with individual power points. These spaces can be booked in advance.
There is also a designated Teenspace where there are some beanbags that create a cosy environment for teens to hangout.
Level 4: MakeIT, Experience IT, Punggol Stories
The general non-fiction, art, business and travel sections are located on Level Four of the Punggol Library.
MakeIT, a tinkering makerspace is also located at Level Four. The free-for-public makerspace offers starters sessions and teaches even those without any experience how to use fabrication equipment like laser cutters and 3D printers, and robotics.
ExperienceIT, an open area just beside MakeIT, occasionally is the location for exhibits about technology and the latest trends.
There are also enclosed pods and discussion rooms that can be booked on Level Four.
The area, known as the Business Resource Centre, is intended to be used by small businesses and start ups that may need a space to “Launch”.
A section of Level Four is also devoted to telling the story of Punggol’s past.
Punggol Stories is a small exhibition which traces the history of Punggol, offer a look back in time.
It is part of the section devoted to Singapore books.
Library users will appreciate the many sitting spaces all around Punggol Regional Library where they can sit down to read and work.
Level 5: Programme Rooms
The Programme Rooms on Level 5 are only accessible by the lifts. These rooms are only used for programmes and look out on to the roof of One Punggol.
Punggol Regional Library Opening Hours
Punggol Regional Library is open from 10 am to 9 pm, daily.
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