Back from Singapore, where we had an interesting 6 days. As I previously mentioned, it has been a long time since I had a holiday in South-East Asia.

As this was a family trip (11 people in all) I didn’t get to arrange any tours to the National Library or library@orchard (though I would have loved to, Isaak!) but I did manage to steal away a few minutes to see both.

The new National Library is fantastic. It houses both a lending and reference library. It’s the little things that impressed me, like having a wall where reference questions are asked and answered, and you are entered in a prize draw. In the past, libraries had suggestions about book purchases and air-conditioning posted in some obscure place. The reference question wall is a great way to show off the services available and the kinds of questions you can ask.

Another thing I really liked was that all the LIS books were on display, not in a backroom. And they had a readers’ advisory station.

Even better, the reference and lending libraries were both very busy on a Saturday afternoon.

Library@Orchard is located in the Takashimaya Shopping Centre, one level above Books Kinokuniya. It’s part of the new wave of library design that includes Seattle Public Library and City of Sydney Customs House Library. It’s aimed at youth, and it was certainly full of young people when I popped by on a Friday afternoon.

Apart from libraries, I bought a saree at Mustafa’s in Little India, ate Poori at Komalas Vilas and a lot of excellent hawker meals, and went to the zoo.