REGIONAL LIBRARY

Mr Low Thia Khiang asked the Minister for Information and the Arts whether he will consider building a regional library in the vicinity of Hougang to serve residents in the area.

BG George Yong-Boon Yeo: Last year, the Government accepted the Library 2000 Review Committees proposal to establish a 3-tier library system - regional libraries, community libraries and neighbourhood libraries. Regional libraries will have a comprehensive range of library services that go beyond the services offered at existing branch libraries. As URA has planned for each regional centre to be a cultural, commercial and technological hub, a regional library will be built at each of the 5 regional centres at Tampines, Jurong East, Woodlands, Seletar and the Central Business District (CBD).

In the coming few years, two new regional libraries will be built to serve the CBD and Woodlands. Tampines already has a regional library which is our first.

Around each regional library will be community libraries sited near local communities. In the next few years, several community libraries will be built, including one at Cheng San. The National Library Board is still identifying the best site for the Cheng San Community Library. When the library at Cheng San is completed, probably in 1998, it will also serve the residents of Hougang.