Integrated Self-Pickup Service at the National Library of Public Information (NLPI) in Taiwan: A Resilient Infrastructure

Abstract

Every day, more than 1,000 reserved books are held at the National Library of Public Information (NLPI). To efficiently manage these books and provide users with a flexible, convenient, and contactless self-pickup service, we have integrated our library automation system using RFID tags, IoT technology, and mobile checkout technology, creating an integrated reserved book self-pickup service, located at the first floor of our main library, called the Reserved Books Self-Pickup Area (RBSP Area).

The RBSP Area is approximately 20 square meters and equipped with a library security gate, eight RFID bookshelves, 40 self-pickup lockers, an inquiry kiosk, and two self-checkout machines. Only users who have reserved books shelved in the RBSP Area can enter and check out books using a physical library card or the iLib Guider app on their personal smartphone.

The integrated reserved book self-pickup service at NLPI not only eases the workload of staff but also provides a contactless service model. During the COVID-19 pandemic from 2020 to 2022, reservation requests increased over 50%. Users have expressed high satisfaction with the service, giving a Likert scale score of more than 4.6. The integrated reserved book self-pickup service at NLPI is becoming a sustainable and developing service.