A galaxy far, far away has landed close to home. To celebrate its 30th anniversary, Singapore’s National Library Board (NLB) has launched the country’s first-ever Star Wars pop-up library at Changi Airport Terminal 3, featuring an expansive collection of stories from one of the most proliferated franchises in pop culture.
The immersive space invites visitors of all ages, from young Padawans to seasoned Jedi Masters, to dive into the epic universe of Star Wars. The initiative, created in collaboration with Disney and supported by Changi Airport Group, is part of NLB’s broader LAB25 vision to bring reading experiences beyond traditional library spaces through its network of “Nodes”.
With over 2,000 books and 380 unique titles specifically curated by NLB librarians, the pop-up features a wide-ranging collection of Star Wars novels, manga, junior fiction, and graphic novels. Highlights include the Star Wars: Darth Vader comic series, the Star Wars: The Mandalorian: The Manga series, the Star Wars: The High Republic junior novel series, and the Thrawn: Ascendancy trilogy novels. Titles have been carefully selected to appeal to early readers, teens, and adult fans alike.
But this is no ordinary library. For fans particularly enthused about the droids in the Star Wars franchise, NLB has introduced an automated book retrieval and return system seemingly straight out of a sci-fi comic. With a touchscreen kiosk, visitors can select books, which a robotic arm will then retrieve and deliver to a collection point. The same system handles returns, making this library largely autonomous and providing a seamless experience for visitors. Books borrowed here can also be returned at any NLB library island-wide.
Visitors can also engage with interactive experiences like a personality quiz to discover which Jedi they resemble or test their Star Wars knowledge in a trivia challenge. Digital screens throughout the library display iconic scenes from the franchise, doubling as perfect photo ops, and bearing an uncanny resemblance to the interior of the Death Star.
Mr Ng Cher Pong, NLB’s chief executive officer, shared, “We are happy to collaborate with Disney and grateful for Changi Airport Group’s support. This Star Wars-themed library is a fun way to bring learning and reading closer to everyone as part of our NLB30 celebrations.”
To enter, visitors can scan their NLB eCard or library-compliant ID. Those without a membership can request a day pass with a Singapore-registered mobile number or email via the official website. Books can be borrowed using the NLB Mobile app, available on iOS and Android.
The pop-up library will be open daily from 6 August 2025 to 24 January 2026.
Conversation with Ting Wei is like chatting with a weird AI bot programmed only with One Piece lore and theories, sitcom quotes and other miscellaneous pop culture references. When he’s not sleeping, he’s highly likely reading manga. In fact, the only thing he reads more than manga is the Bible, and it’s honestly pretty close.
Kevin Low
Si Jia
