Forum: NLB’s book giveaway an annual event to share joy of reading

We thank Mr Tan Keong Boon for his letter “

Kudos to NLB for pre-loved books giveaway

” (Sept 19). 

We are very encouraged by the response to the National Library Board’s (NLB) recent Big Book Giveaway. Together with many of our passionate volunteers who helped out throughout the event, we gave away some 70,000 pre-loved books to more than 10,000 patrons over the Sept 13 to 14 weekend.

The Big Book Giveaway has been held annually since 2016, and is part of NLB’s efforts to give books a second life and share the joy of reading with even more Singaporeans. 

The event in 2025 was extra special as we celebrated SG60, as well as NLB’s 30th anniversary (NLB30) as a statutory board. This included having a dedicated section for books on Singapore, which was also very well received, with all the titles taken up. 

We were also grateful for book donations from the community, which offered patrons even more to pick from. 

We are deeply heartened to see the strong interest in physical books and reading. We look forward to welcoming book lovers like Mr Tan back again at next year’s Big Book Giveaway. 

Meanwhile, our NLB30 celebrations are ongoing, and we would like to invite everyone to rediscover and reconnect with our collections, resources and services.

Patrons with outstanding fines incurred before Sept 6 are eligible for a one-time waiver, after which they can enjoy borrowing privileges again.

Those without fines before Sept 6 can enjoy a one-time free order of our Borrow-n-Deliver service (worth $8.72, inclusive of GST). There are 300 such slots available each week, till Dec 31. More details can be found at 

www.nlb.gov.sg

 

Tan Chui Peng
Director, Public Libraries
NLB