Expat Living City Guide – June 2018

first museum built solely for toys, with Tintin
collectables, exclusive teddy bear collections and
Astroboy figurines. And stamp collectors will love
the Singapore Philatelic Museum, whose collection
dates back to the Straits Settlements.

#4 Groups and troupes
Singapore offers an array of entertaining
performances by local and international arts
groups such as orchestras, dance troupes and
theatre companies. Some established performing
arts groups include the Singapore Symphony
Orchestra, Singapore Chinese Orchestra, Singapore
Dance Theatre, Singapore Lyric Opera, Singapore
Repertory Theatre, Wild Rice and Pangdemonium.

#5 Reading hub
The main campus of the National Library
(nlb.gov.sg) at 100 Victoria Street houses an
impressive collection of books, DVDs, magazines
and newspapers, and a seven-storey reference
section. Libraries in Singapore regularly offer
fun and educational activities for children
including storytelling, movie screenings and live
performances.

#6 More places for bookworms

The Early Literacy Library, located in the Jurong

Regional Library, offers over 60,000 books and

audio-visual materials in four languages – English,

Chinese, Malay and Tamil – catering to the reading

needs of children six and under. Also notable is the

performing arts library, Library@Esplanade, with

everything from sheet music and theatre scripts to

music CDs and instructional dance videos. Finally,

if you’re seeking a bit of self-improvement, The

LLiBrary in Paya Lebar is Singapore’s first public

library with materials to help visitors upgrade their

skills, find self-help and more.

Psst! There are 26 libraries across the

island, and joining is simple. For expats,

there’s an annual fee of $42.80 and a one-

off registration fee of $10.50. For PRs

(permanent residents), annual membership

is free. Membership entitles you to borrow

books and DVDs, and thousands of

electronic books can be downloaded

online. The excellent online catalogue is

a simple way to search for a book, reserve

and even extend a loan, all from home.

Also, if you sign up for an email reminder,

they’ll let you know that your books are

due five days beforehand! Visit pl.sg and

click on “Library Guide”.

National

Library

CITY GUIDE 2018 219

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