(18 Feb 2021) Nanyang Technological University recently launched Hygge (pronounced hoo-gah), a space that caters to wellbeing, aiming to deliver the wellbeing concept through a space that encourages self-contemplation, relaxation, and self-care.
According to information cited on NTU University Wellbeing Centre’s (UWC) website, 1 in 8 college students experience mental health issues. While almost all autonomous universities in Singapore provide dedicated mental wellbeing centres staffed by professionals, no academic libraries have any published partnerships for supporting users’ emotional resilience and mental literacy. These trends presented an opening for NTU Library to anticipate user needs by offering spaces for innovative experiential services that cater to improving the overall wellbeing of the NTU community.
NTU President Prof Subra Suresh at Hygge launch
The name Hygge is originated from the Danish word for wellbeing, which refers to factors contributing to everyday happiness such as cosiness, absence of annoyance and taking pleasure from the presence of soothing things. The Danes are consistently ranked “happiest” in the world and attributed to their embrace of “Hygge”.
Located at the Quiet Zone of its flagship library – Lee Wee Nam Library, Hygge’s unique design encourages self-expression, self-reflection and self-care through the experience of calmness and tranquillity. A reading corner was also conceptualised for the space to provide self-care resources including informational guides on practising mindfulness.
Nook, a reading corner of Hygge
In conjunction with the official opening of Hygge, NTU Museum also presented the inaugural exhibition, A Familiar Forest by environmental artist Zen Teh. Hygge and A Familiar Forest were officially opened by NTU President Professor Subra Suresh on 21 January 2021. The exhibition was part of National Arts Council’s Singapore Art Week 2021 from 22 January 2021 to 30 January 2021 and is open to public upon prior registration for a year till 20 January 2022.
Read here for more information on Hygge.
For visits, please contact NTU Library at [email protected]
About NTU Library
Nanyang Technological University’s (NTU) Office of Information, Knowledge and Library Services (OIKLS) focuses on delivering resources, services and spaces to meet the information needs of the NTU community. OIKLS manages the NTU Library, which comprises seven libraries in the Yunnan Garden campus, and provide a wide range of services to support learning, teaching and research.
The Library is constantly evolving itself to engage the University’s students, faculty and researchers to collaborate, discover new ideas, provide research support, share findings and showcase their work. As a hub that seeks to connect with its users and their interests, the OIKLS vision and mission strive to further the University’s goals together with its stakeholders.
To learn more about NTU Library please visit http://www.ntu.edu.sg/library
