A 24-hour self-service library machine has been installed and put into use in the city of Nyingchi, in the southeast of Tibet Autonomous Region. It is the first such machine in Tibet and is aimed at offering convenience to locals, borrowing and returning books with only the help of a card.
The self-service library machine, installed at the gate of the building of Nyingchi Library, has been in use for a few weeks. After the information on the card is read by the machine, and the password is entered, the card-holder can choose any book available in the machine.
Nyingchi city has invested 670,000 RMB into the whole project. Patrons can borrow from some 400 books on the shelf, and read up in the rich collection of the Nyingchi Library.
The library machine's 24-hour service is to the delight of those who have to work during the day. But even during the opening hours of the Nyingchi Library, readers can also borrow books from the machine and take them upstairs to the library's reading room.
Although this new facility is still foreign to most, more and more residents have applied for the reading card. The library machine is part of the effort by the local government to step up their public cultural services, enabling more people to enjoy the benefits brought about by advanced technology.
