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I still remember the location of this photo from Queenstown library. I used to borrow from and return books at these counters. They were not electronically scanned then. I remembered each book have a slip of paper paste on the first page and were stamped with a date stamp to indicate when we should return the books. Sometimes, when the books were so popular , you can see more than a slip of paper on the first page. I remember role playing as a librarian and ask my sister to borrow books (not library books) from me. Then I get to stamp on the paper which we clip onto the first cover of the book. That was fun!
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| Source: One of the old photos display near the stairs leading to the 2nd storey |
Queenstown library, a 2- storey stand alone library, is located at 53 Margaret Drive. It was opened in 30th April 1970, by the then- Prime Minister Mr Lee Kuan Yew. Queenstown, being the first satellite town, is chosen to have the first full time branch library built. It was 3,195.85 square metres when it was first built. It was closed on 4th February 2003 for upgrading and reopened 8 months later on 31 October 2003 with a expanded floor area of 3,349 square metres with a initial collection of about 150,000 printed and non- printed items. Today, they have a collection of 210,000 books, magazines and audio-visual items.
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| On displayed in the library |
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| Present look of Queenstown Library - 2014 |
Layout:
1st storey : Children’s Collection, Adult Fiction, Family and Parenting collection, magazines, newspapers, multimedia stations, programme zone, activity area and Café Galilee .2nd storey : Adult Non-Fiction, Reference Collection, Young People’s Collection, Comics Collection, quiet reading room and multipurpose room are located
Enhanced ( Kids friendly and wheelchair friendly) facilities spotted : -
1. wheelchair/ pram- friendly access ramp near the entrance of the library2. a lift within the building.
3. toilets and self-help stations with lowered heights. (Since I mention about toilets, there is a squat toilet in the ladies located in the second storey. I bet younger generation , like my girl have never seen before.)
Special facility :-
Garden
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| Garden is closed to public unless there is a gardening workshop or activity. |
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| Bicycle park - Definitely a must |
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| The boundary wall which I am so familiar with |
Below are some sketches which I found while touring around the library.
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| Learning regardless whether you are young or old. |
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| Love the quote and crown frame. It's so Queen's style! |
Being the first branch library, it is not surprising Queenstown library has acquired first for many things. But did you know that one of the reason Queenstown library became fully air-conditioned in 1978, it was due to teenagers used to throw books outside the library through the windows so that they could take home without borrowing them? Tsk tsk tsk...
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Books recommendation
This month we would be recommending 3 Chinese books instead. Ah girl loves all of them and has difficulty choosing her favourite. Finally she choose 奶奶的八十大寿 = Grandma's eightieth birthday simply because she loves birthday party. LOL...我怕黑 / 编绘, 铁皮人美术. (translated as I am afraid of dark)
Synopsis: - Little children are afraid of dark. So is the little character of the book. Read about why a child is afraid of darkness, especially when they were to sleep alone. Discover tips at the end of the book to help children cope with the fear of darkness.
Reason for choosing the book:
The illustration is cute and little one had started to be afraid of dark recently and had borrowed in the hope that I could overcome her fear. And yes, it is working!
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我从哪里来 : 生理认识的学习 / 作者, 唐韵 ; 绘者, 铁皮人美术. (translated as where do I come from?)
Synopsis: - A little girl is very curious about where she come from and starts asking the living things around her where they come from and finally approaching her mommy when she realised she is not born the same way as the rest of the living things.
Synopsis: - A little girl is very curious about where she come from and starts asking the living things around her where they come from and finally approaching her mommy when she realised she is not born the same way as the rest of the living things.
Reason for choosing the book:
It is an unavoidable question. Fascinated by the illustration and interested to know how exactly to touch on the birds and the bees without embarrassment. Yes, I think this is a good read.
It is an unavoidable question. Fascinated by the illustration and interested to know how exactly to touch on the birds and the bees without embarrassment. Yes, I think this is a good read.
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奶奶的八十大寿 = Grandma's eightieth birthday / story by Pauline Loh ; illustration by E'van LeAngelis S.
Synopsis: - Grandma's birthday is coming but everyone seemed so busy to attend. What can Meng Meng and An An do to get everyone to celebrate the birthday? It would good if everyone could come together isn't it?
Reason for choosing the book:
This is a delightful find! It focus on family tie, a value I have wanted to instil in my little one. It is also a bilingual book with focus on simple Chinese words such as 奶奶 (grandmother) , 爷爷 (grandfather) and 气球 (balloon). Children who are learning to write can trace the enlarge word as show below to learn to write.
Being a bilingual book, the book contains both English and Chinese, it saves me the trouble of translating. Lol...
Another note to add on, the author of this book is Pauline Loh, writer of " No More Cocoa" A guide about
Pneumococccal Disease.
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Address
53 Margaret Drive
Singapore 149297
24-hour Bookdrop
How to get there
Nearest MRT: Queenstown
Buses: 32 via Margaret Drive,
51, 111, 145, 186, 195, 970 via Commonwealth Avenue
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Linking with
