NLB pilots home delivery service; members can borrow up to 4 library items at a fee
The initiative, named Borrow-n-Deliver, will charge a service fee of $8.
Members of the public will now be able to borrow library items and have them delivered to their doorsteps, announced the National Library Board (NLB) on Monday (Jun 12).
This initiative, named Borrow-n-Deliver, aims to enhance access to “NLB’s rich collection of resources”.
For a fee of $8, those interested can select up to four library items – including books, magazines, and audio-visual materials – via NLB’s e-Catalogue, and have them delivered to their homes islandwide.
The Borrow-n-Deliver service can be accessed by NLB members who have no unpaid fees in their membership account, and have not maximised their loan quota allowed under their membership.
To access the service, they must first browse NLB’s e-Catalogue to search for items of interest.
Afterward, members would need to sign in to their myLibrary account and add the item to the cart. They can return to the NLB catalogue to borrow up to four items and then click on the “Check Out” button.
If the order comprises three or four items, they will be asked to select either the Complete Fulfilment or the Partial Fulfilment option. Members can select “complete fulfillment” to receive their order if all items are available, or opt for “partial fulfillment” if at least two items can be retrieved.
The service fee is $8 (before GST) and will only be charged upon confirmation that the ordered items will be delivered. A flat service fee is charged regardless of the fulfillment type selected.
Borrow-n-Deliver orders will be delivered islandwide (including Sentosa) from Mondays to Fridays (9am to 6pm). The items are expected to arrive within about a week, excluding weekends and Public Holidays.
Notifications will be sent at multiple points to keep members updated on the status of their order, from its confirmation to its delivery.
NLB’s Chief Executive Officer Ng Cher Pong shared that they are excited to try out a new way of bringing the library’s collections to doorsteps.
“This comes after having heard from our patrons that an on-demand delivery service for physical books would be helpful, especially for time-challenged families and individuals.
The Borrow-n-Deliver service is part of NLB’s efforts under LAB25 (Libraries & Archives Blueprint 2025) to “enable reading and learning anywhere and everywhere”. The year-long pilot initiative will run till the end of May 2024.
