DPM Teo Chee Hean at the reopening of Pasir Ris Public Library

Fellow Grassroots Advisors for Pasir Ris Punggol,

Mr Chan Heng Kee, Chairman, NLB

Mrs Elaine Ng, Chief Executive Officer, NLB

Guests

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls

Good morning. It’s wonderful to see so many of our residents here today at the reopening of our Pasir Ris Public Library. I still remember opening the library in 2000, 15 years ago. Since then, thousands of Pasir Ris residents have visited the library. The library has been serving a young and growing population of over 130,000 in the Pasir Ris area, and has become a popular community space for all of us to read and learn.

Serving everyone in the community

Over the years, Pasir Ris town has grown and matured. Besides families with young children, we also have teenagers, working adults, and senior citizens. Many of you who have grown up in Pasir Ris are now getting married, and have also chosen to start your own families here. I am sure the revamped Pasir Ris Library will be well used by all our residents, the young and the young-at-heart.

Our residents have different reading and learning needs. And the new Pasir Ris Public Library has been working closely with our residents, incorporating their feedback to provide content and services that meet a wide range of needs.  Do look out for the many special features when you walk around the library.

Content and services for residents

Today, we also have youth volunteers from the Inspiring Readers Society. This is a new initiative by the National Library Board where teens can step forward and volunteer to take care of their community space. Many of our teen volunteers live in Pasir Ris. Our dedicated youth volunteers have worked hard to get the Teens’ Mezzanine ready, to welcome all of you today.

For families with young readers aged 6 and below, this new library offers a front-facing display of children’s books so that you and your children can enjoy browsing the book covers, and hopefully attract the kids to read more! This library also has four e-newspaper readers with six newspaper titles. These come in particularly useful if you want to increase the font size for more comfortable reading.

So there is plenty to do at the Pasir Ris Public Library, be it quiet reading, small group discussions, or just for family and friends to chill out. We hope more of our residents and families will explore the new library and discover the joy of reading, or enjoy reading even more.

Thank you for coming today, and please visit this library often to read and learn together with your family and friends. Thank you.

* * * * *