Queenstown Public Library is one of the 26 public libraries established by the

National Library Board The National Library Board (NLB) is a statutory board under the purview of the Ministry of Digital Development and Information of the government of Singapore. The board manages the public libraries throughout the country. The national l ...

of Singapore. It was the first full-time Branch Library to be built by the National Library in its plan to decentralise home reading services. It pioneered several firsts amongst Branch Libraries, including becoming the first fully air-conditioned Branch in 1978, computerising its loan services in 1987, and lending video cassettes in 1997. It was refurbished in 2003. The building plans were approved by Mrs Hedwig Anuar, the then-Director of the National Library. Building construction began in November 1968 and with its completion, the building was handed over to the National Library on 26 December 1969. It is currently the oldest library in Singapore after the original

National Library A national library is a library established by a government as a country's preeminent repository of information. Unlike public library, public libraries, these rarely allow citizens to borrow books. Often, they include numerous rare, valuable, ...

Stamford Road Stamford Road ( Chinese: 史丹福路; ) is a one-way road in Singapore within the planning areas of Downtown Core and Museum. The road continues after the traffic light junction of Nicoll Highway, Esplanade Drive and Raffles Avenue towards Or ...

was torn down, the first of 26 under the

(NLB) to be preserved as announced on 25 July 2014 and was gazetted for conservation under the

Urban Redevelopment Authority The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) is the national urban planning authority of Singapore, and a Statutory boards of the Singapore Government, statutory board under the Ministry of National Development (Singapore), Ministry of National De ...

's Master Plan 2014, as part of the medium-term physical development of Singapore on 6 June that year. Located along Margaret Drive within walking distance of

Queenstown MRT station Queenstown MRT station is an elevated Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station on the East–West line (EWL) in Queenstown, Singapore. Located on Commonwealth Avenue, it serves nearby landmarks such as Queenstown Primary School and the Princess Hou ...

, it serves the residents of

Alexandra Alexandra () is a female given name of Greek origin. It is the first attested form of its variants, including Alexander (, ). Etymology, Etymologically, the name is a compound of the Greek verb (; meaning 'to defend') and (; genitive, GEN , ; ...

Bukit Timah Bukit Timah ( ), often abbreviated as Bt Timah, is a planning area and residential estate located in the westernmost part of the Central Region of Singapore. Bukit Timah lies roughly from the Central Business District, bordering the Central ...

Buona Vista Buona Vista is a housing estate located in the subzones of one-north and Holland Drive in the residential township of Queenstown in Singapore. The housing estate is served by the Buona Vista MRT station which links it up with the MRT system. ...

Clementi Clementi may refer to: People * Aldo Clementi (1925–2011), Italian composer * Carlo Mazzone-Clementi (1920–2000), Italian actor and mime * Cecil Clementi (1875–1947), British colonial administrator, Governor of Hong Kong and Straits Sett ...

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the 15th century. Originally a phrase (the common-wealth ...

Dover Dover ( ) is a town and major ferry port in Kent, southeast England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies southeast of Canterbury and east of Maidstone. ...

Ghim Moh Ghim Moh () is a neighbourhood located in Queenstown, Singapore. Etymology According to a mural in Buona Vista MRT station, the name is derived from the Southern Min word 金毛 meaning "golden hair" (Hokkien: kim-mô͘, Teochew: gim1 mo5), li ...

, Holland,

Pasir Panjang Pasir Panjang is an area located at the southern part of Queenstown, Singapore, Queenstown in Singapore. Kent Ridge Park is a topographical feature which runs adjacent to Pasir Panjang. History Pasir Panjang Road, which once hugged the coa ...

, Queenstown, Tanglin Halt and Ulu Pandan.

History

Queenstown Public Library was officially opened as Queenstown Branch Library on 30 April 1970 by then

Prime Minister of Singapore The prime minister of Singapore, is the head of government of Singapore. The President of Singapore, president appoints the prime minister on the advice and consent of the Cabinet of Singapore. The incumbent prime minister is Lawrence Wong, ...

Lee Kuan Yew Lee Kuan Yew (born Harry Lee Kuan Yew; 16 September 1923 – 23 March 2015), often referred to by his initials LKY, was a Singaporean politician who ruled as the first Prime Minister of Singapore from 1959 to 1990. He is widely recognised ...

. On 7 October 1987, Queenstown Branch Library became the first public library in the National Library Boards network to have its library services put online. The Queenstown Branch Library was renamed as Queenstown Community Library when the National Library became a Statutory Board on 1 September 1995. The library was closed on 4 February 2003 for upgrading work and was officially reopened on 31 October that year by Associate Professor

Koo Tsai Kee Koo Tsai Kee (; born 29 November 1954) is a Singaporean associate professor and former politician. He was a Member of Parliament (MP) from 1991 to 2011, representing the Tiong Bahru division under the Tanjong Pagar Group Representation Constitu ...

, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for the Ministry of Defence and Ministry of National Development, and Member of Parliament for

Tanjong Pagar Group Representation Constituency The Tanjong Pagar Group Representation Constituency is a five-member Group Representation Constituency (GRC) in Central and Western Singapore. The five divisions consists: Buona Vista, Telok Blangah, Moulmein-Cairnhill, Tanjong Pagar- Tiong ...

Layout

Covering an area of 3,349 m², the library spans two levels and serves the residents of

, Holland,

, Queenstown, Tanglin Halt and Ulu Pandan.

First floor

*Adults' collection *Magazines *Children's collection *Cafe Galilee *Staff workroom *Programme zone *Newspaper area *Multimedia stations

Second floor

*Young people's collection *Adults' collection

References

External links

National Library Board
{{coord, 1.298637, 103.805356, type:landmark_region:SG, display=title 1970 establishments in Singapore Libraries established in 1970 Library buildings completed in 1970 Libraries in Singapore Queenstown, Singapore 20th-century architecture in Singapore