Clementi Library to be revamped after 15 years

SINGAPORE – Clementi Library, located on the fifth floor of The Clementi Mall, is slated for a revamp after 15 years.

Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo said on Jan 13 that the revamp is part of the National Library Board’s (NLB) continuous reviews to ensure that library collections and services meet the evolving needs of the communities they serve.

She was responding in Parliament to a question by Mr David Hoe (Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC), who had asked if the library could be expanded or moved to larger premises, in view of a projected increase in demand due to the construction of more flats and the upcoming Cross Island Line station in Clementi.

Mr Hoe had also cited the ageing population as a factor that might increase footfall in the library – which occupies a 1,900 sq m space and was opened in 2011 – as seniors had told him they visit it.

An NLB spokeswoman said in a statement to The Straits Times on Jan 17 that Clementi Library has not been revamped since its opening, adding that more details on its upcoming closure will be announced when ready.

“As a library undergoes its revamp, NLB will make alternative services and resources available in the vicinity for patrons, allowing them to continue their reading, learning and discovery journey with minimal disruption,” she noted.

Speaking to ST on Jan 15, Mr Hoe, who oversees the Clementi ward, said residents – especially those with children – had given feedback about the library’s size and its opening hours.

In particular, he said, they mentioned a lack of seating and study spaces, and that they could not take their children to the library earlier in the day because of its opening hours.

“I understand that the library’s operations may be limited by the mall’s opening hours, and that’s why I asked about possible relocation,” said Mr Hoe, who noted that libraries that are not located in malls tend to open earlier.

Clementi Library – like most libraries located in shopping malls – opens at 11am, an hour later than standalone libraries such as those in Toa Payoh and Ang Mo Kio, and libraries co-located with other community amenities, like those in Jurong West and Tampines.

After Ang Mo Kio and Geylang East libraries move in the coming years, 15 of the 28 public libraries in Singapore will be located in malls.

Mrs Teo had said in a written response to Mr Hoe that Clementi Library received about 700,000 visits in 2025, a drop from 800,000 in 2023.

“It continues to operate within its capacity limits and is also supported by the NLB’s 24-hour digital library,” she said.

Clementi resident Adrian Ng, 38, said he hopes the revamped library will have a clear segregation between spaces for adult patrons and young children, as his children often get excited in the library, which may disturb other patrons.

The father of two daughters, aged two and four, said it can be embarrassing if his children make noise in the library, and this is difficult to avoid.

“Kids get excited over books. They see colours and exclaim, and that’s natural,” said Mr Ng, a construction manager who visits the library twice a month with his daughters.

Mr Ng added that he hopes the revamped library will have more picture and colour books for young children, as finding books for children below primary school-going age has been a challenge.

Primary school pupil Leow Yan Xiang, 10, who visits the library weekly, said he hopes there will be more tables for children to read, as these are often occupied on his Sunday afternoon trips to the library.

He also hopes for more computer terminals to search the library’s catalogue, noting that he has seen queues at the terminals.

Residents said extended operating hours could give them more flexibility in their weekend schedules.

Mr Ng said he is used to visiting the library with his daughters just before lunch or dinner, but a 10am opening time would allow them – as well as other young families who start the day earlier – to drop by after breakfast.

Another Clementi resident, who gave his name as Markus, said he hopes for more study spaces, which serve as an alternative for those who prefer not to spend money in a cafe so they can do their work there.

Markus, who is in his 40s, said the 11am opening time has been “a bit of an inconvenience” on occasions when he wanted a place to start work earlier in the day, noting that slots for study spaces are often filled on NLB’s booking platform.

Clementi Library is the latest in a string of libraries set for a facelift, with renovation works currently ongoing at the Bukit Batok, Cheng San and Orchard branches.

Renovation works were also

slated to begin at Queenstown Library in 2025

but have been delayed, said the NLB spokeswoman, as more time is needed for preparatory work due to the building’s conservation status.

“Further details on its revamp and the alternative services during the closure period will be shared when ready,” she said.

She also said that NLB is working to systematically revamp and upgrade older public libraries from 2017 to 2030 as part of the Libraries of the Future Masterplan, adding that more details will be released in due course.

Public libraries that have not been revamped for over a decade include branches in Bishan, Jurong West, Serangoon and Woodlands.