The importance of municipal libraries

I HAVE enjoyed reading since my primary school days of browsing the school’s small store of story books – a humble collection that, nevertheless, introduced me to ancient Greek gods and epic Chinese folklore.

I have a vivid memory of being excited as I browsed through the only copy of the National Geography Atlas Of The World in my secondary school library, examining pictures of flora and fauna in different parts of the world. I was fascinated by the world’s diverse landscapes, and the different civilisations captured my imagination. My mind was expanded and an interest in exploring the world was sparked.