KOTA KINABALU: The new RM40 million Sabah State Library building in Tanjung Aru is slated to be completed by the end of June this year.
Sabah State Library director Wong Vui Yin said construction of the six-storey building was jointly funded by Lahad Datu Water Supply Sdn Bhd and Sabah Development Bank under their corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative, each contributing RM20 million for the project.
He said upon completion, the building would be officially handed over to the State Government.
The brand new library is poised to open in the first quarter next year, replacing the now demolished library in the city centre.
“The construction has been completed and we are awaiting the issuance of Occupancy Certificate (OC) from the Kota Kinabalu City Hall (DBKK),” he said.
Wong said the Sabah State Library and Public Works Department (PWD) were currently planning the interior design and facilities of the library, adding that request for tender would be put out at the end of May or early June this year.
“The interior renovation and installation of facilities will take six to eight months to complete.
“Hence, the library is expected to be operational in the first quarter of 2018,” he said.
Located on a three-acre land next to Perdana Park, the uniquely designed Tanjung Aru library spans 62,000 square feet of built-up area, comprising a spacious lobby, children’s books section, lending section, reference books section and more.
Wong said the computers would also be provided on each level of the new library to enable users obtain a broad range of information via the Internet.
On the other hand, Wong said the state library behind DBKK was demolished due to structural issues and was temporarily relocated to Suria Sabah.
He said the site had been handed over to DBKK where a new DBKK building would be built.
Wong said DBKK would allocate a floor to the state library when the building was completed.
“We will then move the library from Suria Sabah back to the DBKK building,” he said.
On another development, Wong said the Sabah State Library had obtained approval from Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB) to operate at the Kotta Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA).
He said the new library at KKIA was expected to commence operation by the end of this year.
This would be the first library operating within an airport in Malaysia, Wong said.
The Sabah State Library and PWD were currently planning the design and renovation of the library at KKIA.
Wong said the library would benefit not only flight passengers, but also members of the public who were waiting for the arrival of their friends or families.