Libraries are now catering to modern kids like never before, offering live performances, story times, computers, and play areas in addition to, well, books! So, whether your kiddo likes to snuggle up with a good read, or prefers a more interactive learning experience, there’s a library out there that fits the bill.
We’ve scoured the Klang Valley to bring you the best in children’s libraries (reading optional, but highly encouraged, of course!):
Content:
1. National Library of Malaysia
4. Subang Jaya Municipal Council Library, Puchong
7. CLiC Library
8. Children’s Library at the Islamic Arts Museum
9. Damansara Heights Public Library
13. Japan Foundation Kuala Lumpur Library
Bonus- Libby, the E Library Borrowing System
1. National Library of Malaysia
The National Library of Malaysia is clean and very well-maintained and spacious. They also offer activities like group reading programmes, storytelling, school holiday programmes, and competitions. They have rules and regulations under their dress code so we recommend you dress conservatively before you pay a visit.
Membership Fee: Free.
Borrowing Conditions: 6 books for up to 1 month.
Operating Hours: Tuesday- Sunday (10.00am – 5.00pm); Closed on Monday & Public Holidays.
Address: 232, Jalan Tun Razak, 50572 KL.
Contact: 03-2687 1700
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2. KL Children’s Library
The KL Children’s Library is located near Dataran Merdeka, opposite the Royal Selangor Club and is an extension of the Kuala Lumpur library. They offer activities for children such board games, storytelling sessions, computer classes, puppet shows, school holiday programmes and so on. They provide racks of easy-to-read books that are suitable for early readers, sufficient number of tables and chairs for children, and even kid sized toilets for your convenience.
Membership Fee: Free.
Borrowing Conditions: 3 books for 2 weeks.
Operating Hours: Tuesday – Friday (10:00am – 6:45pm); Saturday and Sunday (10.00am – 5.00pm); Closed on Monday, first Saturday & Sunday of the month and Public Holidays.
Address: No. 1, Jalan Raja, 50050 KL.
Contact: 03-2612 3500
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3. Raja Tun Uda Library
The Raja Tun Uda Library is located near the Sultan Abdul Aziz Golf Club, Shah Alam. The children’s section is located on the ground floor and all the books are in very good condition. They offer a range of books in both English and Malay. They also provide a Creative Zone, Interactive Zone and a Cyber Zone that consists of iMacs, Wii and XBox. Another interesting feature would be the “reading tree” as the concept of the library is the theme of an outdoor park to incorporate fun in learning. In addition, they have a 3D theatre for various movie screenings (currently under maintenance).
Membership Fee: Free.
Borrowing Conditions: 20 books for 4 weeks.
Operating Hours: Open daily (9.00am-6.00pm); Closed on Public Holidays.
Address: Jalan Kelab Golf 13/6, Seksyen 13, 40100 Shah Alam, Selangor.
Contact: 03-5519 7667
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4. Subang Jaya Municipal Council Library, Puchong
At the Subang Jaya Municipal Council Library (MPSJ), the kids’ section has quite an array of activities. They also provide a kids’ ‘meeting room’ for discussions, storytelling and other quiet activities. The books cater to different reading levels – from beginners, intermediate and advanced – and are also available in Chinese, English and Malay. They may not have many tables and chairs, but their cushioned floors are a welcome alternative.
Membership Fee: Kids 4 – 12 years old (RM5 for the first year, RM3 for every subsequent year); Student 13-20 years old (RM10, RM5 for every subsequent year); Adults 21 -59 years old (RM15, RM7 for every subsequent year); Senior (RM7, RM5 for every subsequent year)
Borrowing Conditions: 7 books for 2 weeks.
Operating Hours: Monday (12.00 noon- 7.00pm), Tuesday – Friday (9.30am – 7.00pm); Saturday and Sunday (9.00am – 3.00pm); Closed on Public Holidays.
Address: Persiaran Putri 1, Bandar Putri, 47100 Puchong
Contact: 03-8062 7930 / 03-8065 1587
5. PJ Community Library
The PJ Community Library has a children’s section on the Ground floor and offers a large collection of books (as well as the educational magazine, Dewan Pelajar). They also run holiday programs during the school break for your little bookworms to participate in.
Membership Fee: RM31 for the first year, RM15 for every subsequent year.
Borrowing Conditions: 10 books for 3 weeks.
Operating Hours: Monday (12.00 noon – 6.30pm), Tuesday- Friday (9.00am- 6.30pm), Saturday and Sunday (9.00am -5.00pm). Closed on Public Holidays.
Address: Lot 389, Jalan Selangor, Section 3, 46050, PJ.
Contact: 03-7781 2775 / 03-7781 2790
6. Playcentre Library
The Playcentre Library is a humble little library located in a bungalow house in PJ. It runs solely by volunteers and is a well-maintained non-profit library, with over 46,000 books written in both English and Bahasa. Your kids will be spoilt with choices with a whole range of fiction or non fiction books suitable for children beginning from infancy all the way to form 6, and educators will also be able to find a good variety of parent and teacher resources here.
Membership Fee: RM15 a year (+ RM1 registration fee).
Operating Hours: Saturday (2.30pm – 4.30pm)
Address: No. 18, Jalan 6/6, 46000 PJ.
Contact: 03-7781 7813
7. CLiC Library
The CLiC Library in Bandar Baru Sentul is a spacious, colourful library with plush cushions and a comfy environment to get some reading done. What’s more, there is also a Chrome lab with 41 laptops donated by YTL Foundation for the kids to use. Besides that, there is an exhaustive array of fiction and non-fiction books that are placed in clearly labeled shelves.
Membership Fee: Free.
Borrowing Conditions: 3 books for 2 weeks.
Operating hours: Tuesday-Sunday (10.00am-4.45pm); Closed on Monday, the first weekend of the month, and Public Holidays.
Address: Bandar Baru Sentul, Level 2, Kompleks Perniagaan & Komuniti, Bandar Baru Sentul, 51000 Kuala Lumpur.
Contact: 03-4041 0981
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8. Children’s Library at the Islamic Arts Museum
The Children’s Library at the Islamic Arts Museum has finally reopened, with a brand new and transformative look! Besides traditional fiction, there is a wide range of books on art, architecture, and Islam that will please both the younger and slightly older crowds. Weekend activities has also resumed, with a storytelling and art and craft session being held on Saturday and a Wayang Kulit screening on Sunday (both held at 3:00pm).
Membership Fee: Free for children six years and under (as museum entry fee.)
Borrowing Conditions: Books are not allowed to be taken out of the premises.
Operating hours: Open daily, 9.30am to 5.30pm (following museum’s operating hours.)
Address: Level G, Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia, Jalan Lembah Perdana, 50480 Kuala Lumpur.
Contact: 03-2092 7101
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9. Damansara Heights Public Library
This library is hard to miss! It’s a two-storey building located on Jalan Beringin in Damansara Heights. The children’s section is separated by clear glass doors and walls, enabling parents to keep a close eye on their little ones. The library provides books in English, Malay and Chinese.
Membership Fee: Free.
Borrowing Conditions: 5 books for 3 weeks.
Operating hours: Tuesday – Sunday (9.00am – 5.00pm); Closed on Mondays and Public Holidays.
Address: No.9, Jalan Beringin, Damansara Heights, 50480 KL.
Contact: 03-2274 2020
10. Children’s Library
The beloved Children’s Library is moving back to Puchong, after their time in Subang Jaya. Watch out for their reopening in October 2023, with more beautiful books for old and new members, and exciting online Storytime sessions! Stay updated with more upcoming information at the community library’s Facebook page.
Address: B-07-01, IOI Boulevard, Jalan Kenari 5, Bandar Puchong Jaya, 47170 Puchong.
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11. National Science Centre
The library at the National Science Centre is located on the 3rd floor. The first time you apply for library membership, you’ll need to pay the science centre’s entrance fee of RM6 per person. After that, you only need to show your card to access the entire centre including the library. The library has mostly non-fiction books, science journals, reference books and dictionaries, making it a great place to learn.
Membership Fee: Kids below 17 years old (RM20 a year); Adults 18 – 55 years old (RM40 a year).
Borrowing Conditions: 3 books for 3 weeks.
Operating hours: Monday-Thursday (9.00am – 5.00pm); Closed on Friday, Saturday, Sunday & Public Holidays.
Address: Persiaran Bukit Kiara, Bukit Kiara, 50662 KL.
Contact: 03-2089 3472
[Note: The library currently remains closed to the public, but do check their Facebook page to stay informed as to re-opening dates.]
12. Anggerik Mokara Library
One of the newer additions to the library scene is the Anggerik Mokara Library, fully managed by the Shah Alam City Council, which opened in 2019. Its modern design with bright splashes of primary colours gives off a playful and inviting vibe- sure to attract both the young and young at heart !
Membership Fee: Adult (membership fee RM15, yearly fee RM5); Teenager 12 to 21 years old (membership fee RM10, yearly fee RM5); Child 5 to 12 years old (membership fee RM5, yearly fee RM5); Free for child below 5 years old, OKU and Senior citizens.
Borrowing Conditions: 6 book for 3 weeks.
Operating hours: Monday-Thursday (9.00am – 5.00pm); Closed on Friday, Saturday, Sunday & Public Holidays.
Address: Jalan Utarid U5/9, Taman Mutiara Subang, 40150 Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia.
Contact: 03 7859 9903
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13. Japan Foundation Kuala Lumpur Library
Bonus:
Libby, the E Library Borrowing System
As fun as it sounds to be able to frequently visit these libraries and get your hands on some physical books, our often (over) packed schedules can make this a bit tricky! Lucky for us, there’s Libby, a free app that allows us to borrow digital books from public libraries, so our kids can read anytime, anywhere. It’s also always useful to have some e-books on hand for a rainy day too!
Here’s a simple fuss free guide to begin borrowing with Libby:
- Visit Perpustakaan Negara Malaysia’s website.
- Click on ‘Sign In’.
- Under ‘Select your library from the list below’, click on the option that says ‘Library card number’.
- Key in any number between ‘pnm001’ to ‘pnm999’ or ‘eb001’ to ‘eb999’, and sign in.
- Select a book, click on the “Borrow’ button.
A more comprehensive guide (where you won’t share the limit of 10 book loan slots with strangers) can be found here.
[This article was first published on 3rd October 2014 and updated as at 25th September 2023].
Whether you’ve got your hands on physical, digital, borrowed, or purchased books (check out our favourite children’s bookstores list)- have an awesome time reading together with your little ones, #makchicmumsquad! Please note as well that this list is non-exhaustive, so if you have any further libraries to recommend, please feel free to email us at hello@makchic.com.
Text Credit: Kathryn Rao, Stephanie Boey, Anna Lee, Marissa Hakim, Elaine Yeoh and Hemala Devaraj
Image Credit: Stephanie Boey, Deepa A/P Pasupathy, CLiC Library, L45, Marissa Hakim and Children’s Library Puchong.
