Design and technology in the library


After quite a few years of not having visited a public library, I popped by one earlier today to borrow a book.

The process of finding the text was quite painless; the NLB catalogue told me the book was located at a certain shelf on a certain floor.

After picking out the book, I proceeded to the borrowing station.

Initially, I was quite miffed as there was only one terminal.

And it was being hogged by an aunty who wanted to borrow 2000 books, but didn’t know how to work the machine.

I sighed and resigned myself to a long wait – until I saw the sign in the picture above.

I duly downloaded the app, logged into my account and scanned the barcode on the inside cover of the book.

Voila! Book borrowed in less than a minute, and I was quickly on my way to my next destination.

Kudos to the National Library Board, Singapore, for its brilliant use of design and technology.

About the author

Laremy Lee

A versatile educator, writer and editor, Laremy Lee (李庭辉) has the uncanny knack of being one of the few among his generation in Singapore who crafts compelling stories in different genres.

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