Extensively stocked with 200,000 items, the Central Public Library is a destination that truly caters to one and all, young and old. Here is where you’ll find the latest arrivals, fiction bestsellers, books for children, as well as a wide variety of newspapers, local and foreign. The fiction collection is especially impressive and includes award-winning and critically acclaimed literature.

Fiction lovers will also appreciate the Fiction Advisory Service, helmed by knowledgeable librarians who will match you to your next good book based on your interests. You can also look forward to meet-the-author sessions, book launches and book discussions.

To complement the Lee Kong Chian Reference Library and support the arts and business schools nearby, there is also a Singapore collection, as well as core collections on the visual, creative & literary arts, and business & management.

Two outdoor gardens within the Central Public Library provide a shady venue for library programmes like storytelling or reading sessions. The gardens are open only during these sessions. If you are one of those who miss the distinctive red-brick façade of the old National Library Building at Stamford Road, then look out for the bamboo garden. Some 5,000 bricks from the old building have been saved and now line one wall in the Zen-like garden, which is adorned with bamboo plants and sculptures by local artist Chong Fah Cheong.