NLB launches new children’s book subscription service, The Little Book Box

NLB launches new children’s book subscription service,

The Little Book Box 
Monthly doorstep delivery of eight curated books

Singapore, 2 October 2020 – For the first time, the National Library Board (NLB) will curate books for children and have them delivered to you every month. NLB is launching a new subscription service, The Little Book Box, for a monthly fee of $10.70 (including GST). This pilot service will be available for registration from 2 October 2020 onwards, in conjunction with Children’s Day, and will run for nine months from November 2020 to July 2021.

  1.  Earlier this year, NLB conducted a survey among patrons to ascertain whether there was demand for such a service. More than 2,000 responses were received and the majority were receptive to this idea.
  2. With immediate effect, our patrons can subscribe for this service at https://www.nlb.gov.sg/main/services/Book-Delivery-Services/The-Little-Book-Box to receive a monthly selection of eight English children’s books, which include a variety of fiction and non-fiction books. The books span a broad range of children’s interests and are catered for two age groups – from 4 to 6 years old and 7 to 9 years old. This pilot service will be capped at 1,000 subscribers and is available on a first-come, first-serve basis. By subscribing to The Little Book Box, families can also enjoy a greater variety of reads because the eight books obtained through the subscription service do not fall within the usual loan quota. This means subscribers can continue to borrow up to 16 books at a library near them.
  3. A minimum subscription period of three months is required, following which the subscription will be automatically renewed for another 3 months unless terminated. The loan duration for books under this service is 21 days (excluding delivery time), and subscribers can return the books at any of our 25 public libraries island-wide to return them. Overdue fines will be incurred as usual, for late returns.
  4.  Depending on the response to this pilot service, NLB will consider extending this service beyond July 2021 and expanding the scale.  

A Children’s Day Special with The Straits Times

  1. To ensure that this subscription service is accessible to children from low-income families, NLB is partnering with The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund to sponsor up to 200 children from low-income families with a free nine-month book subscription service.
  2.  Mr Warren Fernandez, Editor of The Straits Times and Editor-in-Chief of SPH’s English/Malay/Tamil Media Group, who is Chairman of the fund said, "All of us at The Straits Times believe in the power and value of reading. Reading opens doors to new worlds, people and ideas. We want to help young Singaporeans to enjoy reading and have opportunities to do so. This should include those who might not have the means to do so. The ST School Pocket Money Fund is happy to work with NLB to help make this possible for some of the families who turn to us for help. We believe this is a meaningful way for us to mark the fund's 20th anniversary."
  3.  NLB’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr Ng Cher Pong added, “Families have busy lifestyles and parents have to juggle work with childcare. Some might find it difficult to go to the libraries together with their children regularly. Many may also be staying at home more during this period. The Little Book Box will make it more convenient and accessible for parents to get a variety of books for their children. We hope this will boost the children’s love for reading and their thirst for knowledge and information.  We would like to express our appreciation to The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund for supporting and funding this service for up to 200 children from low-income families. We believe in inculcating the habit of reading from young among all children, and glad to partner with The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund on this. We hope that the beneficiaries will find value in this service and will continue to expand their reading horizons.”

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About National Library Board 
The National Library Board (NLB) nurtures Readers for Life, Learning Communities and a Knowledgeable Nation by promoting reading, learning and history through its network of 26 public libraries, the National Library and the National Archives of Singapore. NLB also forges strategic partnerships that encourage awareness, appreciation and greater discovery of Singapore’s history through its rich collections on Singapore and the region.

NLB achieves excellence through innovation, focusing on citizen engagement and co-creation, resource and digital innovation. This creates learning opportunities, greater access to library resources, services and archival collections, as well as a continual development of innovative library spaces. Established on 1 September 1995 as a statutory board, NLB is under the Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI).

For more information, please visit the NLB website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube.

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