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As technology continues to advance, people rely or use technology devices to replace many things that we used to do without such devices and one of which is reading print books. According to a study done by Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY), since 2012, the number of  people visiting libraries and loaning books in Singapore have declined steadily as more people uses library e-books as he source of reading. Hence, The Communications and Information Ministry and National Library Board (NLB) collaborated to launch the nation's first National Reading Movement in June 2016 with the aim of promoting reading among Singaporean.

Dr Yaacob Ibrahim - Minister for Communications and Information and Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs stated “reading habit helps promote self-directed, lifelong learning among those of all ages.” (The Straits Times, 2016)

Many parents find that digital books are more interactive and captivating for children, however, parents need to be aware that there are aspects which digital books may not be able offer a child. Such as the hands-on experience turning the pages of the book and the animation of e-books can actually affect a child’s ability to focus his/her attention.

Dr. Jenny Radesky, a developmental behavioural paediatrician and assistant professor of paediatrics at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor shared, “Preschool children learn better when there’s an adult involved,”  “They learn better when there are not distracting digital elements, especially when those elements are not relevant to the story line or the learning purpose.” (The New York Times, 2016)

Am really happy that the government are playing and active role in keeping reading alive as it is really critical for children knowing that the interesting for reading need to be built from young.  The NLB is striving to attract more people to visit the libraries especially families by rolling out new initiatives and revamping the libraries where some include new features and collection that are suitable for young children who are below 3 years old.  

Mrs Elaine Ng, Chief Executive Officer of NLB said, “If young children can discover that reading is fun, they will learn to love reading. Our Early Literacy Library is a welcoming space for them to make that discovery.” (NLB,2014)

Find out more about the Child-Friendly Libraries available in Singapore via the article below.

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