SINGAPORE - Nature lovers may soon be able to exchange second-hand books at a park near them, after the National Library Board (NLB) launched a new initiative on Friday to bring sustainability education to green spaces.
This initiative, Nodes at Parks, began at Gardens by the Bay on Friday and will run till Nov 22, before moving to Jurong Lake Gardens from Nov 25 to Dec 18.
It will then move to East Coast Park from Dec 21 to Jan 24, and Pasir Ris Park from Jan 27 to Feb 26, said NLB.
At these bookshelves, visitors can select up to three used library books covering a variety of genres at their own time, while stocks last. Books will be replenished weekly, NLB said.
Books taken there to be exchanged should be clean and in good condition, and suitable for all ages. Religious and controversial materials, textbooks, assessment books, annual reports, magazines, DVDs, CDs and audiovisual materials should be avoided.
NLB's chief executive officer, Mr Ng Cher Pong, said: "We are increasing the accessibility of our resources, to make them available anywhere and anytime, so that more people can be equipped with the know-how to make sustainable choices, and embrace sustainability as a way of life."
Besides these book exchange corners, the collaborative project will also have sustainable products on pop-up shelves, like exercise mats made from shoe waste.
These products are contributed by community partners and green entrepreneurs, like The Plastic Project, a community workshop that recycles plastics into reusable products. Visitors can learn more about these products by scanning QR codes in the exhibit.
As part of the programme, NLB will also be decorating parks with sustainable benches painted by secondary school students from seven schools.
These benches are built with recycled wood, and will be affixed with a QR code that links to sustainability related e-resources curated by the library.
NLB said that these resources aim to educate visitors on sustainability, like how food can be manufactured in a sustainable way, or how products can be repurposed to extend their shelf life.
More information can be found on this website.
