You are not alone.

Apparently, it’s common to struggle with keeping a New Year’s resolution.

However, there are some resolutions that might have lost its steam but can be picked right up again as long as you have ample motivation to do so.

One of the most popular resolutions that people make is to read more, but they either lack the incentive or finance to buy books.

However, we are lucky that in Malaysia, we have countless public libraries that can feed this particular resolution without you having to fork of a tonne of money.

One such library is the Kuala Lumpur Library near Dataran Merdeka that re-opened earlier this year to the public after being closed for two years for renovation purposes.

Photos of the library's major facelift have been doing the rounds on social media and people are awed at how classy it looks now.

Rojak Daily recently caught up with the Kuala Lumpur Library’s Library Network Services Management Division Head Shaharizad Adanan to learn more about the facility’s offerings.

New look

Shaharizad shared that the Kuala Lumpur Library was opened in 1988 and was called, at the time, the Pustaka Peringatan Kuala Lumpur.

He said after three decades of operations, the library, which was managed by the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL), was in dire need of a renovation.

“The library needed a renovation in order to transform to a new environment and ambience. The use of modern technology to flourish in the library industry was also much needed.

“Hence, we decided to renovate the whole library,” he told Rojak Daily.

He shared that the renovation works started in 2017 and was completed by the end of 2019.

“The whole renovation costed us about RM34 million.”

Shaharizad said among the transformation that the library went through is a complete interior redesign.

“The whole library was given a complete makeover which involved an internal redesign to make it more comfortable and relaxing.

“The Internet speed has also been increased up to 100mbps. The library now looks absolutely fun and colorful with the addition of indoor wall art,” he added.

A wider selection of books and added facilities

Shaharizad said among the cost incurred in their total renovation works include the addition of new books.

“We have added a wider collection of books, so readers will be spoilt for choice.”

“For children we also provide facilities such as reading material and play areas,” he said.

If you are the type who prefer to read online, there is something for you as well, Shaharizad assured.

“We have more digital content such as e-books, e-magazine and e-newspaper.

“We also have facilities such as private rooms, computers at the Internet café, speedy WIFI and a comfortable leisure area to make you feel at home,” he shared.

Looking ahead

Shaharizad said that while the future of traditional libraries could be challenging in current times due to the lack of reading habit among Malaysians, they are definitely not letting that factor dampen their spirit.

“As a public library, we need to maintain a visible presence and a good reputation. We need to be a provider of quality library service in the community.

“We pledge to provide the materials, programmes and services needed to meet community needs and assist everyone to continue to grow and learn throughout their lives.”

He added that since the re-opening of the library on 4 November 2019, they have recorded more than 12,000 visitors to date.

It is still a small number, but it is a good start.

In case you haven't been to a public library before and you're dying to check out the KL Library (especially now that it looks so pretty, kan?), all you have to do to start borrowing books and use the other facilities in the library is to register as a KL Library member.