About
Opened in 13 September 2002, the library@esplanade is Singapore’s first thematic library that offers information resources and services on the performing arts. It is also one of the few libraries in the world to be co-located within an arts complex.
Serving as a one-stop information and knowledge hub for the performing arts, the library@esplanade is devoted to the study and the appreciation of music, dance, theatre, and film. The library’s mix of reference and lending collections, in print and audio-visual formats, facilitates the study and the enjoyment of the performing arts, complemented with programmes, performances, and exhibitions hosted by the library.
The coverage of collections in the library@esplanade encompasses the historical, the artistic, and the cultural aspects of the performing arts. Materials by the subject areas are housed in four discrete clusters named “villages”. Each village has its ambience, character, and designated facilities where one can find an intellectual and artistic space while delving in the wealth of the library’s collections.
Music + Theatre + Dance + Film = library@esplanade
The Villages
Music Village
The Music Village captures and explores the creative output of classical and contemporary composers, conductors, and singers through music scores, books, CDs, and videos. The extensive collection includes classical and popular music concert videos as well as CDs of original soundtracks of cinema and Broadway musicals.
Dance Village
The history and art of dance are sustained here in books, dance notations, and video performances. The Dance Village offers explorations of dance forms such as ballet, modern dance, folk and ethnic dance traditions alongside with materials on choreography, productions, and major dance personalities.
Theatre Village
The collection in the Theatre Village holds a strong selection of contemporary play scripts with books covering from the technical aspects to the theoretical study of theatre. The traditions and various forms of theatre are brought to life through the physical displays in the exhibition cases.
Film Village
Topics ranging from film and video production, cinematography to national cinemas, and selections of screenplays are represented in the comprehensive collection in the Film Village. Film titles of various genres of classic and independent cinema, as well as popular mainstream films are available here.
Arts Central
The fifth village, Arts Central, provides a mixture of quick and in-depth reference materials related to the various disciplines of the performing arts. Primary information sources combining books and reference journals enhance the collections as valuable resources for professionals and amateurs.
Services
The Special Collections Room
The Special Collections room is a repository of ephemeral materials on the Singapore performing arts scene. Archives of information collected in various formats such as booklets and flyers providing documents of works, productions, and personality profiles within the local performing arts community are housed here.
Restricted Reference Collections
Materials under the Restricted Reference collections are developed and maintained to meet the research needs of advanced users such as researchers, industry professionals, teachers, and film students. The collections consist of mainly film titles. The Restricted Film collection contains primarily feature films representative of the various forms and genres of cinema, including selected documentaries and short films important to the history and art of filmmaking.
Collections here are held in closed stacks and are identified by the location code “RCLOS” with an indication “For Restricted Use Only” in the online catalogue.
For more information, please enquire at the Customer Service Counter.
Asian Film Archive Collection
Please see here.
DANCE-On-Demand
Please see here.
library@esplanade
| library@esplanade
8 Raffles Avenue Tel: 6332 3255 |
Opening Hours:
Mondays - Sundays: 11.00am - 9.00pm Bookdrop Hours : 7.00am - 2.00am Closed at 5.00pm on eves of Christmas, New Year & Chinese New Year |
How to get there:
Nearest MRT Station: City Hall Buses: SBS 36, 56, 70, 97, 111, 133, 162, 195, 502, 502A SMRT buses : 75, 77, 106, 171, 700A, 857, 960 |
Loading ...