SINGAPORE - Library users in Chua Chu Kang can now browse and borrow books even though the branch there is closed for renovations.

The National Library Board (NLB) has installed a book dispenser at level one of Lot One Shoppers' Mall, while the branch there is being renovated now. The library, on level four of the mall, is slated to open next year.

The books available for borrowing are English titles chosen from NLB's popular collections and are suitable for all ages.

To give library users a wide selection of books to choose from, the machine is replenished daily and any item that has remained in the dispenser for 15 days will be removed and replaced the next day.

The books borrowed from the dispenser can be returned at any library branch. The same loan quota, renewal privileges and loan periods apply.

Besides the books on offer - there are 264 slots allocated to physical books - the dispenser also has 88 slots for reserved books, magazines and audio-visual materials for library users to pick up.

Readers must pay first before collecting these items, through the NLB mobile app or at any of NLB's e-kiosks or reservation lockers at its branches islandwide.

Through the book dispenser's interactive screen, library users can also browse, borrow and download e-books for offline access using the OverDrive or Libby app.

The book dispenser operates during Lot One Shoppers' Mall's opening hours from 10am to 10pm daily.