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TBR (To Be Read): Behind the headline numbers of the NLB reading survey

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Mobile library bus at Kallang Community Club on July 25, 2025.

A mobile library bus at Kallang Community Club on July 25. The results of a survey of the National Library Board show that almost eight in 10 adults read minimally one book in the past year.

ST PHOTO: HESTER TAN

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SINGAPORE – The National Library Board’s (NLB) triennial survey released in June 2025 is a gold mine for those curious about Singapore’s reading habits.

Reports have latched onto the most promising number: that almost eight in 10 adults read minimally one book in the past year, which looks to me an incredibly low bar.

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