TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Hualien City Library plans to deliver books to people’s homes free of charge from Friday (July 2), Hualien Mayor Wei Chia-hsien (魏嘉賢) said on Thursday, per CNA.
The library is launching a book delivery service called Reading Box. Librarians have selected 350-500 books from 10 categories, including leisure, investment, recipes, novels, comics, and children’s books. The books will be sorted into batches and delivered to the homes of readers by the Chunghwa Post.
The mayor pointed out that the library has also provided free access to more than 80,000 electronic books amid the nationwide Level 3 alert, which the deliveries will only amplify.
The service is available for readers with valid library cards in both Hualien City and Hualien County. Each cardholder can order one box online and keep it for 28 days, and only one renewal is allowed.
The boxes will be delivered for free only in Hualien. Every book will be sterilized by UV light and can be returned to any public library, according to the mayor.
The head of the library, Chen Yi-lin (陳怡琳), said readers should reserve books through this website beginning noon Friday. The boxes will be delivered within three working days, while an email with a postal tracking number will be sent.
A librarian told Taiwan News there could be more boxes in the coming days if the service goes over well.