The National Library of Singapore (English National Library of Singapore, Chinese 国家 图书馆, small. Perpustakaan Negara, there. தேசிய நூலகம்) is the largest library in Singapore , which combines the scientific library “Lee Kong Chiang” (Lee Kong Chian Reference Library) and the central public library (Central Public Library).
History
The history of the National Library of Singapore begins with the founding of the first public library on the initiative of Stamford Raffles, the founder of modern Singapore. In 1887, the library moved to a separate room, where it became part of the Raffles Museum. In 1960 there was another move to Stamford Road; by this time the library began to carry the name of the national. With independence and rapid population growth, the need arose to create library branches in the suburbs. These branches were not independent institutions and were subordinate to the main National Library. In 2005, the library moved to a new 16-storey building, which combined the funds of the old National Library (central public library) with the collections of the Lee Kong Chan Scientific Library, which occupies floors from the 7th to the 13th. The public library is located on the ground floor. On the third, fourth and fifth floors of the new National Library is the theater "Center of Drama" with a hall for 600 seats.
Publications
The National Library publishes the following newsletters:
- Singapore National Bibliography (since 1967).
- Singapore Periodicals Index (1969 - 1970).
- Books about Singapore (since 1962).