On the occasion of the “World & us: Learning Beyond Boundaries – WNU” project (international partnership program that provides for the donation of books for the “Story zone: stories from around the world” section designed to empathically bring local children closer to different cultures and customs of various foreign countries), the Embassy of Italy in Singapore with the support of APICS (Association for the Promotion of Italian Culture in Singapore) has decided to donate to the National Library Board about fifteen Italian children’s books translated into English. These include books on Dante and the Divine Comedy, Gianni Rodari’s fables on the phone and some books on the main Italian cities of art including Venice, Florence and Milan.
The ceremony was attended by Ambassador Mario Vattani, the CEO of NLB, Ng Cher Pong, the person in charge of partnerships and strategies at Soh Lin Li Group and by Erica Marcellan, Vice President of APICS and the Manager of Michela Frigo Center.
Subsequently, the books will be destined for the new children’s collection at Punggol Regional Library, which will be completed and inaugurated in mid-2022. The new location will be the first fully inclusive library in Singapore, aimed at people with special needs and disabilities thanks also to the development of innovative and digital support services. It will also be the fourth regional library to be completed after those in Tampines, Woodlands and Jurong.
It will feature inclusive spaces, various technologies, programs and special collections for all customers.
In addition to this project, the Embassy has also already donated to NLB in recent months about twenty copies of the novel by Geronimo Stilton “A Thousands Wonders” which celebrates the artistic and cultural heritage of our Italian regions (project carried out with the support of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to enhance the Unesco heritage present in our country).
Specifically, the National Library Board manages a total of 27 libraries, including 25 public libraries owned and operated by NLB and 2 partner libraries. Public libraries attract over 24 million visitors annually who borrow more than 30 million library materials and participate in more than 25,000 programs.
“I am grateful to APICS that gave us the opportunity to create contact with the National Library Board”. Ambassador Vattani explained. “The network of national libraries is a network spread over the whole of Singapore which also includes various buildings characterized by themes such as sustainability, design, multimedia. They represent an ideal partner for us to introduce Italian culture and our excellence to the varied and always curious local community. The cultural and ethnic richness that coexist in Singapore in a multiplicity of languages and realities is very impressive”.
