Library@orchard to close for two-year revamp, new children’s section among planned offerings

SINGAPORE: The library@orchard will undergo a two-year revamp from Oct 28, the National Library Board (NLB) announced on Friday (Sep 6). 
This is part of efforts to rejuvenate libraries and offer fresh spaces and experiences for patrons, NLB said in its media release.
Library@orchard is expected to reopen in the second half of 2026.
The library moved from Ngee Ann City to its current premises at Orchard Gateway shopping centre – the first double-storey mall library operated by NLB – in October 2014.
“It is timely after ten years, to reimagine what more we can do with the space,” said NLB’s Chief Executive Officer Ng Cher Pong.
“The revamp will bring an exciting next chapter for the library here in the heart of Orchard Road for everyone,” he added.
Post-revamp, the library will include tech-enabled interactive and “immersive” spaces to aid learning and discovery, as well as a new children’s section.
In the spirit of experimentation and innovation under NLB’s LAB25 (Libraries and Archives Blueprint 2025), the library will be revamped with new elements introduced progressively, said NLB.
Some other upcoming revamps planned for the coming years include libraries in Ang Mo Kio, Queenstown and Toa Payoh, NLB added.
Following its closure, library@orchard’s design and applied arts-focused collection will be moved to the Central Arts Library, which is slated to open by the end of this year. 
The Central Arts Library will mainly occupy the fifth floor of the National Library building on Victoria Street, said NLB. 
In a partnership with the University of Arts Singapore, part of the collection will also be housed at the National Design Centre from early next year.
The move is part of NLB’s efforts to centralise arts resources and to better serve students, researchers, practitioners from institutions and communities in the arts and heritage district, said NLB.
From Oct 8 to Oct 27, library@orchard will run a programme to look back at its journey in promoting design.
The three-week long programme will include an exhibition and community wall, where patrons can share their memories of the place.
Activity booths, where patrons can create their own memorabilia, will also run from Oct 26 to Oct 27.
Library@orchard first opened in October 1999 on the fifth floor of Ngee Ann City shopping mall.
Costing S$2 million (US$1.5 million) to build, it was Singapore’s first lifestyle library that was designed to cater to the needs of young adults aged between 18 to 35 years old.
It was also the first library located in the heart of the city.
Following a survey conducted in 1998 that found a sharp decline in reading patterns of those aged 18 to 30 years old, NLB sought to capture that segment by adopting a lifestyle-oriented approach.
The library’s Ngee Ann City premises closed in November 2007 as NLB was not granted a lease renewal.