CDNLAO Newsletter
No. 108, September 2026
On 27 March 2026, Bukit Batok Library, a public library by the National Library Board, Singapore (NLB), reopened to the public after over two years of renovation, featuring a first-of-its-kind aural and visual immersive experience. Bukit Batok Library is located across three levels of West Mall, a busy shopping mall, in Bukit Batok Town in Western Singapore.
Drawing inspiration from the scenic Little Guilin – a disused quarry with still waters and towering cliffs – in Bukit Batok Town Park, the library is designed as a calming sanctuary promoting mindfulness amidst the hustle and bustle of everyday life. In the Ripples Circle, a programme room in the library, a small installation in the middle of the room evokes the meditative serenity of Zen raking, while cushioned stepped seats encircle it.
Three bespoke soundtracks featuring recordings around Bukit Batok Town play in the SingLand Soundscape, where patrons can read, reset and recharge. The SingLand Soundscape comprises four main sections:
- Sound Cave, where patrons can immerse themselves in recordings of Bukit Batok’s natural and built environments, while text projections on the wall guide their listening.
- Sound Library, where patrons can explore the selected music, sound and oral history clips from the collections of the National Library and National Archives of Singapore.
- Time Caverns, where patrons can trace Bukit Batok’s history from its village origins to its subsequent evolution into a modern town.
- Sound Pavilion, where patrons can decompress and read in a teahouse-inspired seating area as quiet sounds play in the background.
Picture 1: Audio and visual experiences intersect in the Sound Cave
Picture 2: Sound booths in the Sound Library
Picture 3: Modern Bukit Batok featured in the Time Caverns
Picture 4: Tranquil reading in the Sound Pavilion
The revamped library also introduces omnichannel offerings to help patrons seamlessly discover more resources beyond the library’s physical collections. With Scan-n-Discover, patrons simply take any library book and scan its QR code to receive reading recommendations of physical books available in Bukit Batok Library and e-Books available online. Three Infinite Shelves are located at the end of physical bookshelves housing popular collections (Travel, Health and Adult Fiction), displaying e-Book recommendations of the related collections for patrons to discover more great reads.
Picture 5: Receive an explosion of reading recommendations at Scan-n-Discover
Picture 6: Get e-Book recommendations with Infinite Shelves
Over in the children’s section, the Story Caves are a comfortable, attractive open space for parents and children to read together, and can also convert into an open space for flexible children’s programming.
Picture 7: Parents and children reading together in Story Caves
With these expanded services, Bukit Batok Library offers unstaffed extended hours beyond regular library hours at selected areas, with access enabled by gantries at entrances across all three levels. The extended hours include early morning access to the full library, and late-night and public holiday access to the Multimedia and Study Zone.
Picture 8: Internet access and printing services at the Multimedia and Study Zone
The library is now double the size with nearly twice the number of seats available and has increased spaces for reading and discovery. At its opening, the revamped Bukit Batok Library saw an overwhelming response, with over 7,000 people visiting the library on its opening day. Over 500 participants attended nine programmes over the opening weekend, ranging from the Heartlands Book Club for adults to Fractured Fairytales with Camy for children.
Since then, the library continues to see steady use and receives many tour requests from organizations to experience its new features. The library has also been featured widely on local mainstream and social media.
With Bukit Batok Library, NLB shows how a public library can incorporate novel experiences to promote reading, be a portal to other collections across its network, and remain relevant to the communities it serves.
Copyright (C) 2026 National Library Board, Singapore
