Quick reads, shorter waits: NLB trial offers faster access to over 900 popular titles
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The Fastback Collection is being trialled at Punggol Library (above) and Central Library from Jan 7 to June 30.
ST PHOTO: KUA CHEE SIONG
SINGAPORE – Bookworms can get their hands on physical copies of popular titles faster at Punggol Library and Central Library from Jan 7.
More than 900 popular book titles are available in the Fastback Collection, a new curated collection of the National Library Board’s (NLB) most popular titles on offer at the two libraries from Jan 7 to June 30.
The trial service aims to encourage faster circulation of popular titles and cut waiting times for readers, NLB said.
Books in the collection can be loaned for a seven-day period without extension.
The books cannot be reserved and can be borrowed only from the two participating libraries, NLB added.
In response to queries from The Straits Times, NLB said: “By increasing supply and reducing waiting times with the Fastback Collection, more people can get to read popular books.
“Currently, such books can quickly become reservation-only as all available copies are immediately borrowed, sometimes resulting in months-long waits.”
The initiative will also encourage library visits, as books in the collection can be browsed and borrowed only in person, NLB added.
The trial collection comprises both fiction and non-fiction English-language adult titles. Books in the collection have their own shelves, separate from other books for loan in the libraries, and can be identified by a sticker on their front cover.
Among the 900-plus titles in the collection are: Anthony Doerr’s All The Light We Cannot See, which was adapted into a four-part Netflix limited series; South Korean author Baek Se-hee’s best-selling memoir I Want To Die But I Want To Eat Tteokbokki; and Ikigai: The Japanese Secret To A Long And Happy Life, a self-help book on longevity by Francesc Miralles and Hector Garcia.
Fastback books are expected to turn over quickly and are not listed in NLB’s online catalogue.
Readers who are unable to return the books by their due date will incur a standard overdue fine of 15 cents per book a day.
Reading habits remain strong in Singapore with NLB’s 2024 National Reading Habits Study
Additional reporting by Wong Man Shun
