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National Library Book Sale

The National Library Book Sale is an annual event which started in 1998. Since then, the book sale has been taking place each year. It is a two day book sale held in the middle of the year. Used books are sold at low prices. These book sales have been a great success with huge crowds. The first book sale was held at the Suntec City Entertainment Centre. All subsequent book sales have been held at the Singapore Expo in Changi.

History
Before the book sale at the Suntec City in 1998, book sales used to be held at individual libraries. The National Library at Stamford Road held its book sale at the National Library Staff Carpark area. This book sale was not an annual event. Book sales took place as and when books piled up for discard. Used books were displayed in trolleys and sold at token prices. These book sales saw a big turnout. Due to the huge demand for used books, it was decided to centralise these ad-hoc book sales and hold them in a bigger venue. Hence in 1998, it was held at the Suntec City Entertainment Centre.

Description
The book sale is currently held at the Singapore Expo in Changi every year in July. Each person is allowed to buy 30 books each. About 250,000 volumes of used books and magazines are put up for sale each year. Books are stacked in shelves and grouped in sections. These book sales have received overwhelming response attracting about 30,000 people during the two-day sale. People usually form queues long before the sale opens.

Books
The two-day sale features titles in four languages. The books are about four to six years old and come from all the community libraries. They are sold for S$1-S$2 each, to make for new titles and editions. A bundle of 12 magazines cost S$5.



Author
Anasuya Balamurugan



References 
A 2-1/2 hour wait to buy cheap books. (1998, July 20). The Straits Times, Home, p. 27. 

Bigger Venue, 250,000 books on offer this year. (1999, June 19). The Straits Times, Prime News, p. 4.

Browse for a book bargain. (2000, July 5). The Straits Times, Home, p. 42.

Library book sale that got too hot. (2000, July 16). The Straits Times, Home, p. 32. 

Library sale attracts a crowd. (1998, July 19). The Straits Times, Home, p. 31.

The information in this article is valid as at 2002 and correct as far as we are able to ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history on the subject. Please contact the Library for further reading materials on the topic.

Subject
Events>>Historical Periods>>Independence and Nation-Building (1965-)
Architecture and Landscape>>Building Types>>Public Buildings>>Libraries
Books--Prices--Singapore
Libraries--Singapore
Law and government>>Culture and community>>Public libraries



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