Public Bookshelf

SINGAPORE GOT ITS first public library in 1823, when Stamford Raffles had one installed in Raffles Institution, then known as Singapore Institution. Later in 1845, the Singapore Library became the country's first subscription-based library. But it didn't stay a library for long, as it was destined for a couple more transformations. First, it included a museum, becoming Raffles Library and Museum. Eighty years later, it separated from the museum to become Raffles Library.

In 1960, rubber tycoon and philanthropist Lee Kong Chian donated $375,000 to the construction of the building in Stamford Road. His offer came with several conditions, one of them calling for the impending Raffles National Library to be free to the public. It also was to serve as the repository for all books published in Singapore and was eventually renamed National Library. The building was demolished in 2005, and the current library has been at Victoria Street since.

Even then, that's not the only library, as a series of them can be found all over Singapore, proving that book reading hasn't gone the way of the dodo just yet.