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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