Eight selected public libraries to open earlier from Oct 5

SINGAPORE – If you are both an early bird and a bookworm, luck is on your side.

From Oct 5, eight selected public libraries across Singapore will open earlier at 9am – an hour or two before standard operating hours – the National Library Board (NLB) said in a Facebook post on Oct 2.

Four public libraries – Bukit Panjang, Sembawang, Serangoon and Pasir Ris – are slated to open two hours earlier, instead of 11am. These libraries are located within shopping malls.

Four other libraries – Bishan, Punggol, Tampines and Woodlands – will open one hour earlier, instead of 10am.

NLB did not say why it has decided to do so. The Straits Times has contacted NLB for more information.

To enter any of these libraries during the early-access window, patrons must scan their library cards, NRICs or other accepted IDs at the gantries at the entrances.

Staff-assisted services will be available only when the libraries officially open at 10am or 11am, NLB said.

Libraries here typically open till 9pm daily. There are currently 23 libraries that are open across the island, according to the NLB website, including the Central Arts Library at the National Library building in Victoria Street.