Library of Botany and Horticulture

The Library of Botany and Horticulture of the Singapore Botanic Gardens consists of two sections, namely the Public Reference Centre and the Reference Library.

	Reference Materials Books, magazines, and CDs on plants and the local flora, horticulture and landscape architecture, with some attention given to animal life, conservation and the environment are on display for public perusal. Reading area with seating facilities is provided as well as computer terminals for further book enquiry.
	Herbarium Specimens Specially prepared sets of herbarium specimens of common plants found in Singapore are available for referencing. This self-help collection allows users to identify their own plants. It will be useful for students, budding gardeners, nature lovers and others who may be interested to know the scientific names of common plants and more. (Note: The collection is not part of the collection of the Singapore Herbarium located adjacent to the Library).
	Displays Dried carpological (fruit) exhibits, botanical artifacts, and exhibition of rare books. These displays form a changing exhibition designed to provide further insights into plant life.

Leisure Reading Area
Several comfortable sofa seats for quiet reading of magazines and newspapers are provided. Around 40 magazine titles on gardening, plants, landscapes and natural history are available. As this area is situated next to glass walls, visitors are also given the pleasure of an undisturbed view of the landscaped garden outside.

Plant Information Counter
A special counter serviced by experienced and knowledgeable Gardens’ staff is set up as a venue for the public to enquire, seek analysis and diagnose problems of their household plants. This free consultation service on plants is provided in accordance to the opening hours of the Public Reference Centre (excluding lunchtime and Sundays or when the officer on duty is away temporarily).

The Reference Library

This library of the Singapore Botanic Gardens existed since 1875 together with the Singapore Herbarium (SING). The Reference Library is one of the oldest in Southeast Asia, with more than 30,000 journals, books (including over 4,000 rare books and botanical illustrations), CDs, slides, audiovisuals and other media in its collections.

Many important international scientific journals, references, bibliographies, botanical reprints, monographs on botany and taxonomic studies are available here. The Library’s rich collections of printed matters in botany strengthen the taxonomic and systematic research works carried out at SING.

As this is a specialized and research library, only staff of National Parks Board, visiting researchers, and other authorized users have access to this area. 

Opening Hours:

Further Information:
For enquiries, please contact:
Nparks_Public_Ref_Centre@nparks.gov.sg (on Public Reference Centre/Reference Library)
Christina_Soh@nparks.gov.sg (on Reference Library)