library@esplanade

This library is so different from all the others in Singapore. It has a great view of the Marina Bay /​CBD area and has the best and widest choice of video selections, from movies, dramas, you name it.
Not only that, they have lots of content in the arts — music, dance, theatre, film — which would please any art buff. There’s also a cosy café that serves pretty decent snacks if you’re ever hungry.

The missus favourite activity is to rent the piano studio at a small fee and spend time jamming on the piano without having to buy a piano at home. It’s great for people wanting to do some accompaniment practice with friends or just passing time. If not there are free stations for you to listen to CDs. The place is also just a great place in town to hang around and wait at the café or read a book in the aisles. The rooms for rent are also great for discussions or hosting a workshop in a centralised location. Did I mention the view? Great to watch fireworks in the bay.

This is a lovely quiet spot in the city – it’s a specialist library, and so will have the biggest collection of music scores, books about the performing arts, etc, so if you’re looking for an Agatha Christie fix you’ll be disappointed. But the view is lovely, there are CDs and DVDs of various genres to take home to enjoy, and some pre-​concert talks are held here too. I used to come here quite frequently to get my fix of shiny fashion magazines too – I don’t go so often now that I don’t work in the CBD, but I always like popping in before a concert.

My ‘expat’ friend says the library @ esplanade is his favourite place in Singapore. He likes soaking in the atmosphere, being amongst the arts and renting the DVDs.
His favourite corner is the one where you walk in all the way where the glass windows are and you can sit at the comfy sofas with a book in your hand or check out the views outside — the merlion and the sea and yeah you know the rest. A testament to the comfort was the signboard next to the chairs: No sleeping please.
The library’s divided into sections — music, dance, theatre and film. So you know you can judge those people according to which shelves they stand by. I kid; the purpose was obviously to let you locate materials easily. There are also stations equipped with headphones where you can listen to the library’s collection of music, pretty cool eh.
The seats face a partition that wasn’t covered up at all; there was a girl backfacing us playing the piano inside. I think it’s a practice room, there were music scores laid neatly inside.

Library@esplanade is probably THEE library to go to for arts students, or people who just adores Art.
Art ranges from music to theatre, dance, design, film and lots more. All the stuffs you need to know are found in the library@esplanade! I love to go there to find for scripts, monologues, DVDs and even music scores.
The place is amazing! The only thing that I won’t give a perfect score are the available seats for studying. Most of the time, they are occupied by students who are busy mugging for tests and exams. Usually, when it happens, I’ll just sit in one corner in the freezing library and read my books. Otherwise, the café there is rather empty and why not indulge in a hot cup of coffee while reading the biography of Steven Spielberg?
Go in, take a look and be mesmerized by the wonders of Art.

One of my favourite libraries, library@esplanade is located conveniently in the city, within the Esplanade theatres. It’s home to Singapore’s largest loanable DVD collection (as far as I know) and membership, like all public libraries, is free!
I also love the sheet music and movie scripts collection.
There are also comfortable screening rooms you can book for S$ 6 an hour to view the DVDs that you’ve borrowed. If you get, say, four friends together, that makes it really affordable.
Sometimes there are talks and screenings held at the event area, which may create a but of noise considering that this is a library, but you can just move further away from the area. Also, there is a music room which many young people book to jam in, but it’s not really sound proof so look out for that.