I went to the Central National Library of Singapore today with my housemate, Mimi. Would you believe that only after 2 years and 3 months in Singapore have I finally gone there? Yes, it is weird coming from a person who describes herself as "can live in a bookstore or library". Well, it was one of the first things I had planned to do during my first month in Singapore but after finding out from their website about the membership fees I backed out. What can say but back then I was still adjusting with the Singapore cost of living and I was still doing my automatic mental conversion of Singapore dollar to Philippine peso which made everything very, very expensive in my perspective back then. Anyways, as they say, better late than never. The important thing is I have found another "home".
The National Library of Singapore is the best library I've been to so far. Like a usual library, it houses many books. I was overwhelmed to see the number of fiction books they have and I didn't know which one to borrow. For a big library, it doesn't work to just look into the books one by one, it is more advisable to know which title you were looking for or the author to atleast have a starting point. They have a centralized database to search for books in all the public libraries around Singapore. I was ecstatic when I found James Patterson's "Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas" and I immediately borrowed it together with another book "French Love Stories" (I borrowed this because it was a collection of short stories in French and with English translation so I thought it would help me with my French.) Then I tried to find "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen. I saw the film and I just loved it so I told myself I should read the book. I found a book but...it was in the juvenile section, which of course meant that the book was a simplified version of the original (big letters per page and not much pages). I read it anyhow, so right there in the children's section, slumped on the floor with my back on the wall, for an hour I flipped thru the pages. It was fun being there, as the children looked so cute slumped on the floor lined up beside me, reading their books too.
The big difference about the National Library of Singapore from other libraries I've been too though, is that it has high technology system of borrowing and returning books. The Singapore National ID serves as the library card and there are self serviced computers there where you could check out the books to borrow them. The books can also be returned at any library within the country thru a drop box. It is very convenient indeed.
Yet, I was a bit sad about this high technology convenience because it was the thought of having a manual library card that excited me. I find great joy since I was a child to write my name on the book card I would like to borrow and see my library card becoming full of stamps from the different books I borrowed. I had a target back then to borrow and read all of the library books in my gradeschool(we had a small library in school so it was feasible and I think I did able to borrow all those in the fairytale section). I found it also nice to see in the book card who were the last people who borrowed that same book. In highschool, much as I've wanted to target the same things, it wasn't feasible anymore, as my highschool has a big library, and the books were more diverse and mature, which of course, included then a lot which did not suit my fancy. In my University days, my library book borrowing became more limited and I only borrowed reference books and not anymore books for leisure reading. After Uni, I shifted to buying books I fancy and so, the bookstores replaced the library in my life. Fast forward to today, I had been buying books and only now did I realize how I should not have forgotten the library. Borrowing books can save me a lot of money and it will save a lot of paper! Especially now that I don't have the space to house my growing collection of books. Although I am not buying books just because I wanted to read them, I also have this dream of someday having my own library/bookstore, perhaps when I retire and find my place in this world, it shall happen. For now, I am just happy that I rediscovered the library. :)
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Picture courtesy of housemate Mimi.
8 comments:
If you love libraries, that's another good reason to come to Ottawa. We have a fantastic library system here. You can browse and request books online. Membership is free for citizens of Ottawa. The best thing is that while the library is city wide, they will deliver books to my local branch. You can check it out here.
Montreal's libraries are all separate and unconnected. They also tend to be small. Unfortunately, Quebecers do not have a culture of reading. There is a large one that opened up a few years ago downtown, but I have not been there yet.
Ah, yes, the monetary conversion problem. It is common. People in poorer countries will hear that you can get jobs paying $8-$10 (even $12) per hour here and they think, "Wow! I could do a lot with that." Of course, they fail to realize that housing, food, transportation, etc all tends to be more expensive too. I had a Filipina penpal years ago and she wanted to leave the Philippines and go abroad to earn more money. She worked as an accountant and (from what I gathered had a decent salary). I asked her to consider what she paid as a percentage for housing, food, transportation, clothing, etc. Then I gave her some numbers for Canada, based on a $10 per hour job (which was worth more many years ago). She then realized that she had it pretty good back home. (of course, it is not just Filipinos, when Poland was still communist, Sofia's relatives from Peru, etc. Ha, ha, my friend, Emad, from Sudan, told me his family thought he was crazy to pay $600 for a health exam for his wife to come to Canada (not to
Aack! Cut and paste error.
My friend, Emad, from Sudan, told me his family thought he was crazy to pay $600 for a health exam for his wife to come to Canada (not to mention all the other application fees). The told him, for $600, in Sudan, he could have another wife.
nawala comment ko!
hello! wag masyado ipahalata ang pagka-geek..hehe. that was also my goal in elementary and high school, to borrow all the books at the library. and i enjoyed going up to the librarian to actually get the back of the book stamped with the return date. these days, it's just the bar code..little interaction with the librarian.
and it was also my secret dream to be a librarian, particularly in a cruise ship..hehe..wala lang, maganda lang yung image..hehe
take 2 ng comment ni aoisoba:
This entry makes me feel nostalgic about libraries, as you have already known, the national library in takashimaya was one of my hang-out places. Ilike the smell of the books and touching them on the shelves. I am yet to get a membership card in the library here, although i have a feeling that the library here cannot hold a candle over with the one over there. I like borrowing books that i just wanted to read but do not want to own heheheheh...
Dear ays, if may year to spare ka, baka narinig mo na si MV.doulos, well nde sya library but floating bookshop , well travelled na bookshop :P
Richard, thanks for the info. If I get a job offer in Canada, it would definitely make me consider moving there.
"for $600, in Sudan, he could have another wife." --> i love this illustration, very well said ;)
Ays, hirap itago talaga, couldn't help it, im a geek and proud of it! hahaha! hooray to geekness!!! woot woot! :P
librarian sa cruise ship, ang shala, apir! ;)
aoisoba! i thought it was the central branch that was your hang-out and it was kinukoniya bookstore that you loved in Takashimaya.
nyhoo, the smell of books, ahhh yessss, i love it too!!! grabe, ang talaga geek natin! bwahahaha! :P
eh kasi pag-galing ng kinokuniya,nag dadaily visit din ako sa NLB sa taas, hihihih,,,then on weekend Hello Central Library :) malapit na pala uli ang Chestnut presentations , must see sya :D
Aoisoba, ano yung chestnut presentations?
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