Dayna WongUnlike traditional libraries, the books at the Casual Poet Library are not merely categorised by genre. Instead, they tell a story about the person behind each shelf.
As the owner of the Casual Poet Library, Rebecca Toh, 38, puts it, “It’s not really about the books, but rather the humans behind them.”
Photo by Dayna Wong.
The newly opened Casual Poet Library is a community-run library where each shelf tells a unique story, aiming to rekindle connections within the community through shared interests.
Shelves are rented out to anyone who wishes to share their passion for literature, resulting in each shelf filled with books of a certain theme, some even carrying personal creations. It is run by volunteer librarians, many of whom own a shelf too. Visitors of the library can choose to borrow books home at a fee or simply take a seat and read them at the library for free.
She was inspired to start the library while on a sabbatical trip to Japan where she stumbled across a shared community library of the same concept. “Why not bring it to Singapore?” were Rebecca’s first thoughts upon coming across the place.
Through an interview with The UrbanWire, she shares more about the process of making this a reality, how it is currently doing, and her future plans for the library’s growth.
The Initial Stages
Gathering interest was the first step in making this idea a reality. Upon suggesting this idea on her social media page, it was met with enthusiasm, with many keen to support – whether it was through renting a shelf or helping out with setting up the space using their unique skill sets.
“I could feel this passion in people to do this. It wasn’t just ‘yeah let’s go’, you know, it was like messages that would make you cry,” she says, adding these compelling words told her that people were serious about supporting this idea.
This gave her the confidence to go ahead with the project as she felt that these people would “rise up to the occasion”. Sure enough, she had a helping hand from the very start, laying the floors of the library with total strangers.
When confronted with the reality of sky-high costs, she ensured that the library would be sustainable based on the shelf rental costs alone.
“If we can get enough bookshelf owners, we actually have enough buffer to have enough funds to run other programs, or even just to keep the place open,” she says, regardless of how many people visit the library.
Currently, shelf owners pay a one-time registration fee of $25 and a monthly rental fee of $43 to $49 per month, depending on the duration of their lease. Leases range from six months to two years. Payment is made upfront, allowing for the costs of setting up to be alleviated on her end.
For patrons of the library, borrowing books requires a recurring membership fee of $25 per year.
Three Weeks In
The response to the library has been more positive than expected. From our time hanging around, quite a number of people had actually walked in out of curiosity, striking up conversations with Rebecca about the library.
Not only is this a place to connect with others, it is also a platform to showcase talented local creatives, with many shelf owners either being authors themselves or putting up crafts like pottery and jewellery for sale.
Though, of course, there has also been cynicism regarding whether the library would be sustainable, as shelf owners do not get cuts of the profit from lending out their books in the library. In response to this, Rebecca expressed that it would be hard for those who do not have a soft spot for books to understand why people choose to do this with seemingly nothing in return.
Based on our visits to the library, it seems the motivation to be a shelf owner comes from being able to converse with like-minded individuals, connecting with patrons by encouraging them to pen down their thoughts on the books.
As a patron, being able to explore the different curations of books by each shelf owner and share my excitement over a particular book or author keeps me wanting more.
This is also not her first rodeo with entrepreneurship. Having ventured into a cafe business in her twenties and having 10 years of experience as a freelance photographer under her belt, she has since learnt the importance of practicality.
“I realised that if I ever want to pursue any kind of dream, I need to make it sustainable. I think it’s about being smart about it.”
What’s Next?
Recently, they introduced monthly book club sessions, with the first one scheduled for September. According to the library’s social media page, each session focuses on a different book, discussing its themes and topics.
Rebecca also expressed intentions to set up free programs for children in time to come.
She hopes that visitors to the library can unplug from the frenetic pace of life in modern Singapore, and make room for deeper reflection in their lives.
“I hope that when you step into the library, you can feel the stress melt off your back.”
If you are keen to lose yourself in a book or two, or are simply looking for a relaxing way to spend your afternoon, drop by the Casual Poet Library and experience it for yourself.
Casual Poet Library
123 Bukit Merah Lane 1, #01-110, Singapore 150123
Open from Tuesday to Sunday, 9am to 9pm
Find out more @casualpoetlibrary on Instagram.