Wuhan spreads self-service libraries

Book lovers outside of Beijing are also getting a boost. Since last December, the central Chinese city of Wuhan has set-up 25 self-service libraries around scenic spots, downtown commercial areas and local communities. The machines allow readers to access books from over 50 libraries across the city.

Wang Chang with Wuhan Self-service Library Management Office said, "What you are seeing is the 24-hour self-service library in Wuhan. We have dispatched 25 so far across the city. This machine allows easy access to books for local citizens."

Zhang Lingzhi, a 20-year-old college student, has benefited much from Wang and his co-workers' efforts. Zhang may now access whatever books she needs of over 50 libraries all around Wuhan City, including the city-level and district-level libraries, as well as those belonging to local universities and research institutions. All the libraries in the city forged an alliance last month to share their resources with the citizens through self-service libraries and an-internet-based system for users.

Zhang is allowed to borrow at most 3 books from one machine with her ID card, an e-money smart card and one hundred yuan of deposit, and return them within 30 days wherever she can find another machine. Fortunately, she happens to know there is one near her college. These machines are located around universities, commercial areas and local communities. Wang said, community residents have used the machines most so far according to their statistics.

Subway users will soon find these self-service libraries a sound way to kill time on the trips. A few machines have also been equipped at the busiest subway stations in Wuhan. In a very short time, they will be able to search for cultural event information and even order tickets on the machines for concerts, lectures and other cultural activities.

This is what Zhang Lingzhi expects, as do other citizens in the city of Wuhan.