If you are a member of the library, you will no doubt be familiar with the Borrowing Stations at the branches which scan the books you are borrowing and issue you with a receipt straightaway. However, you will need to slide the book across a pad on the base of the Station so that the scanner can read the identification tag. This is a great improvement over the previous method which required you to queue at a manned counter, a practice which some of you who prefer the anonymity of machines would dislike greatly.

  More good news - a new generation of Borrowing Stations has been installed at The National Library Board's branches. These libraries are Bukit Batok, Toa Payoh and Marine Parade Community Libraries; and library@orchard in Ngee Ann City. These Stations conveniently remove the need for you to slide the book across the pad on the base. All you need to do is place the book on the pad as the Station uses radio frequency technology to process the transaction - great convenience indeed! Just don't forget to collect your receipt.

  The National Library has always sought to make the borrowing of its books so much easier and faster, and these Borrowing Stations are just some examples of their efforts put into practice. So, try to visit these libraries when you are in the area.

  While you are there, visit their cafe for a cuppa (available only at Toa Payoh, Marine Parade and library@orchard while you thumb through the pages of your favourite novel.

  Their website is at National Library Board.