View source for Library@orchard

{{short description|Public library in Singapore}}
{{EngvarB|date=June 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2017}}
{{lowercase|title=library@orchard}}
{{Infobox library
| library_name       = library@orchard
| name_en            = 
| library_logo       = 
| image              = Library@Orchard, Singapore, July 2017.jpg
| caption            = library@orchard
| country            = Singapore
| type               = [[Public library]]
| scope              =[[Young adult fiction|Young adults]] 
| established        = {{Start date and age|df=yes|1999|10|21}} (Ngee Ann City)<br>{{Start date and age|df=yes|2014|10|23}} (Orchard Gateway)
| dissolved          = {{End date and age|df=yes|2007|11|30}} (Ngee Ann City)
| ref_legal_mandate  = 
| location           = 277 [[Orchard Road]], #03-12/#04-11, [[Orchard Gateway]], Singapore 238858
| coordinates        = {{coord|1.299617|N|103.854408|E|display=inline,title}}
| location_map       = Singapore
| branch_of          = [[National Library Board]]
| publictransit = {{SMRT code|NS|23}} [[Somerset MRT station|Somerset]]
| num_branches       = 
| items_collected    =
| collection_size    = 100,000
|website=[https://www.nlb.gov.sg/main/visit-us/our-libraries-and-locations/libraries/library-orchard Official website]}}

'''library@orchard''' ([[Simplified Chinese|Chinese]]: 乌节图书馆) is a [[public library]] under the [[National Library Board]] (NLB) of Singapore.

Initially located on level 5 of [[Ngee Ann City]] on [[Orchard Road]] in the [[Central Area, Singapore|Central Area]] of Singapore, library@orchard was opened by [[Lee Yock Suan]], [[Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts (Singapore)|Minister for Information and the Arts]] on 21 October 1999. It closed on 30 November 2007 after its lease at Ngee Ann City was not renewed. It reopened on 23 October 2014 at a new location on levels 3 and 4 of [[Orchard Gateway]] on [[Orchard Road]] by [[Yaacob Ibrahim]], Minister for Communications and Information, next to [[Somerset MRT station]].

== History ==

=== Establishment ===
[[Image:Library@Orchard, Dec 05.JPG|thumb|right|220px|library@orchard was previously located at Ngee Ann City between 21 October 1999 and 30 November 2007.]]
Created as a [[boutique]] library, library@orchard, together with [[library@esplanade]], was used as a test bed for NLB to introduce new services and products which could then be adapted for future projects. The library's location within the [[Orchard Road]] shopping belt was intended to attract the [[youth]] segment of the population.

library@orchard was created based on feedback in the National Reading Survey. Initially, the NLB had concerns about setting up a library that catered only to young adults as they were used to libraries that served everyone—from children to [[senior citizens]]. However, this uncertainty was assuaged after NLB's development team discussed the concept with focus groups made up of its target customers—[[Adolescence|young adults]].

library@orchard became popular with young adults. Its success paved the way for more innovations, such as the ''music@orchard'' series of programmes that saw [[Hip hop music|rap]] artistes and rock bands entertaining huge crowds. Another innovation was ''comics@orchard'' where [[comics]] went on loan in Singapore's public libraries for the first time. At its peak, the library had 120,000 items, with more than 33% of its total collection comprising English language novels.<ref name="Eunice Quek">{{cite news | author = Eunice Quek, Kok Tse Wei | title = How the libraries stack up | work = [[The Straits Times]] | date = 2 July 2005| page=S6}}</ref>

With an appealing ambiance, and the presence of music booths and a café, library@orchard managed to double its outreach since its establishment, with an average of more than 1.4&nbsp;million visitors per year.

The success of the first niche library developed for a specific audience led NLB to set up Singapore's first public [[performing arts]] library—the library@esplanade at [[Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay]].

=== Closure and relocation ===
On 25 July 2007, the National Library Board announced that library@orchard will be closed on 30 November that year because the [[lease]] on the premises at Ngee Ann City would not be renewed. It was subsequently closed on that date.

[[Macquarie Bank|Macquarie]] Pacific Star Prime Reit Management, which handled the library's lease, stated that the board paid [[Renting|rent]] that was below prevailing [[Market (economics)|market]] rates for the 1,580 square metre (17,000 square feet) space. NLB was told in March 2005 that the lease would not be renewed beyond expiry in February 2008. The vacated space would house fashion, beauty and [[Wellness (alternative medicine)|wellness]] retailers. Rents in the Orchard Road shopping belt had increased 5–7% in the first half of 2007, and was estimated to go up by another 5–6% by end of that year.

To mark the relocation of library@orchard, NLB held a series of public events and programmes, such as [[art exhibition|exhibition]]s, film screenings, talks and even "[[Live music|live]]" performances by local bands and musicians, in the months leading to the closure. A "Moving On" party was then held on the closure date.<ref name="CNA July 2007">{{cite news|url=http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/290279/1/.html|title=The library@orchard to close|accessdate=25 July 2007|publisher=[[Channel NewsAsia]]}}</ref><ref name="Aviel Tan">{{cite news | author = Aviel Tan | title = library@orchard to close as lease runs out | work = [[The Straits Times]] | date = 26 July 2007}}</ref>

=== Re-opening ===
The library@orchard re-opened on 23 October 2014 at [[Orchard Gateway]], a new shopping mall built at the site of the old [[Specialists' Shopping Centre]]. The new library is slightly bigger than its predecessor at 1,700 square metres and spans two floors of the mall, described as The Studio and The Loft.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blogs.nlb.gov.sg/orchard/general/yes-libraryorchard-is-coming-back/ |title=Yes! library@orchard is coming back! |publisher=[[National Library Board]] |date=13 November 2011 |accessdate=14 August 2012 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120727065832/http://blogs.nlb.gov.sg/orchard/general/yes-libraryorchard-is-coming-back/ |archivedate=27 July 2012 |df= }}</ref> 45% of the 100,000 item collection focuses on design and the NLB worked with students and lecturers from [[Singapore Polytechnic]] to develop ideas for the branch, focused as it is on young adults.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/books/story/libraryorchard-returns-chic-look-and-collection-focused-design-20141023 |title=Library@orchard returns with a chic look and a collection focused on design | work = [[The Straits Times]] | date=23 October 2014 |accessdate=22 June 2015}}</ref>

[[File:Interior view of library@orchard, Singapore, October 2024.jpg|thumb|left|Level 3 of library@orchard.]]

[[File:Corner View of Level 3 of library@orchard, Singapore, Oct 2024.jpg|thumb|left|Corner view of Level 3 of library@orchard.]]

[[File:Interior View of Level 4 of library@orchard, Singapore, Oct 2024.jpg|thumb|left|Level 4 of library@orchard.]]

== Notes ==
{{reflist|2}}

== References ==
* "Sip coffee and borrow a book at Ngee Ann City", ''[[The Straits Times]]'', 6 April 1999
* {{cite web|url=http://www.ps21.gov.sg/challenge/2004_01/work/dmg.html |title=Evolution of the boutique library |accessdate=25 July 2007 |work="Challenge", Prime Minister's Office (Singapore) |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929002950/http://www.ps21.gov.sg/challenge/2004_01/work/dmg.html |archivedate=29 September 2007 |df= }}

== External links ==
* [http://www.nlb.gov.sg/ National Library Board]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20071011232314/http://blogs.nlb.gov.sg/orchard/ library@orchard blog]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070929145609/http://blogs.nlb.gov.sg/orchard/news/powerpoint-slide-media-conference-on-the-relocation-of-libraryorchard/#more-10 Media Conference on the Relocation of library@orchard]

{{Commons|National Library Board#Library@orchard}}

{{Singapore NLB libraries}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Library at orchard}}
[[Category:Libraries in Singapore]]
[[Category:Libraries established in 1999]]
[[Category:Orchard Road]]
[[Category:Orchard, Singapore]]
[[Category:1999 establishments in Singapore]]
[[Category:Youth organisations based in Singapore]]