Borrow-n-Deliver

Got a book in mind to read but have no time to visit a library to borrow? From 12 June 2023, enjoy the convenience of our on-demand delivery service, Borrow-n-Deliver. Select available titles from our collections and have them delivered right to your doorstep for a fee. Find out how below!

  1. Select your title(s) anytime, anywhere
    You may browse NLB’s e-Catalogue and select library items of interest, including books, magazines and audio-visual materials. You can select items which are available and not currently on loan, across our network of public libraries, except for age-restricted audio-visual items.

  2. Up to 4 items per order
    You may select up to four library items per delivery order for a fee of $8.64 (GST-inclusive). A credit or debit card authorisation will be required for your order payment. You will only be charged once your order has been processed and is ready for delivery. An e-mail notification will be sent to inform you of this.

  3. Items delivered to your doorstep
    We offer islandwide delivery (including to Sentosa) between Mondays to Fridays, 9am to 6pm. All orders will be delivered via an external logistics service provider. The items will arrive at your doorstep within about a week, excluding weekends and Public Holidays.

  4. Order status updates
    You will receive e-mail notifications on the progress of your order, from the confirmation of your order to its delivery. You may check on your order status by logging in to your myLibrary account here, and refer to points 11-13 under the ‘How can I use this service?’ section. If you need further assistance, please e-mail enquiry@nlb.gov.sg.  

  5. Return your loans
    You will be able to enjoy a loan period of 21 days from the time the items are delivered. The precise due dates of your borrowed items will be reflected in the NLB Mobile app. Do return the items via the Bookdrops at any of our public and partner libraries islandwide, excluding the Singapore Botanic Gardens’ Library.

  1. Browse NLB’s e-Catalogue to search for item(s) of interest. Once found, click to select the item.
    Catalogue search page
  2. Click on the “Borrow-n-Deliver” button.
    Catalogue interface showing where the Borrow-n-Deliver option is available
  3. Sign in to your myLibrary account.
    myLibrary login interface
  4. If the item is available in our system, you may add it to your cart by clicking on the “Add to Cart” button.
    Catalogue interface showing where Add to Cart is available
    Once added, the button will reflect as “Added to Cart”.
    Catalogue interface showing the Added to Cart status
  5. To view your added items, click on the Cart icon at the top right-hand corner.
    Interface showing where the cart is located
  6. Return to NLB’s e-Catalogue to select more items. To place an order, select up to 4 items that you wish to receive, and click on the “Check Out” button.
    Borrow-n-Deliver check out page
  7. Occasionally, NLB may not be able to locate items that have been ordered. Therefore, if your order comprises 3 or 4 items, you will be asked to select one of the following fulfilment types when placing your order:
    1. Complete Fulfilment*: NLB will deliver your order only if all items can be retrieved; or
    2. Partial Fulfilment**: NLB will deliver your order if at least 2 items can be retrieved.
    *Note: For orders comprising 1 or 2 items, NLB will fulfil the order only if all of the items in your order can be retrieved. You will not be charged if the order cannot be fulfilled.
    **Note: For Partial Fulfilment, only one delivery will be made and the full service fee of $8.64 (GST-inclusive) will be charged to your credit or debit card.
  8. Proceed to click on the “Place Order” button. At this juncture, you may be prompted to clear any outstanding fees/charges, if any, prior to order placement.
    Place order page showing the 2 fulfilment type options
  9. Enter your credit or debit card details to authorise the order payment. The service fee is $8.64 (GST-inclusive) and will only be charged upon confirmation that your ordered items are ready to be delivered to you. A flat service fee is charged regardless of the fulfilment type selected.
    Payment page
  10. Once your payment authorisation has been successfully completed, you will see an overview of your order on your screen. An e-mail notification will be sent to you to confirm that your order has been successfully placed.
    Order confirmation page
  11. You may check on your order status by logging in to your myLibrary account here.
  12. Under the “Delivery Services” tab, select “Borrow-n-Deliver”.
    MyLibrary interface showing where the Borrow-n-Deliver option is
  13. Your order summary and status will be shown.
    Order summary page

     

    The definitions of the respective order statuses are listed below for your reference.

    Status

    Definition

    In Process

    We have received your order and our staff are in the process of retrieving your items.

    Ready for Delivery

    Your items have been handed over to our external logistics vendor and will be delivered to you soon.

    Delivered

    Your items have been delivered to your doorstep.

    Order Cancelled

    You will see this status if any of the following occurs:

    1. Your order comprises only 1 or 2 items and we were not able to retrieve all items

    2. You selected the ‘Complete Fulfilment’ option, and we were not able to retrieve all items

    3. You selected the ‘Partial Fulfilment’ option, and we were not able to retrieve at least 2 items

    4. We were unable to charge your credit or debit card successfully

    Your order will be cancelled, and payment will not be deducted.

    Payment Authorisation Failed

    We were not able to successfully receive your payment authorisation for the order. Note that this means we will not be processing your order.


    Service Eligibility

  1. To enjoy this home delivery service, at the time of placing your delivery order, you must:
    1. be a National Library Board (NLB) library member;
    2. not have any unpaid fees/charges in your membership account; and
    3. not have maximised your loan quota allowed under your membership.
    If you have: -
    1. outstanding fees/charges at the point of placing your order, you will be prompted to clear your outstanding fees/charges. You may do so via myLibrary or through the NLB Mobile app. You will be able to place your order after you have paid all outstanding fees/charges.
    2. reached your loan quota, you will not be able to proceed with order placement. Please return your borrowed items before placing your order.

    2.  

    Items for loan under this service

  2. Items that are applicable for loan under this service include books, AV items and magazines from across our network of public libraries. However, age-restricted items are not included for loan under this service.
  3. For each order, you must use the 'Borrow-n-Deliver' button on the NLB Catalogue. If the item you are interested in is available, you will be able to ‘Add to Cart’. You may select up to a maximum of 4 items from the cart to checkout as one order.
  4. You can only add currently available items to your order cart. Note that item(s) in your order cart may become unavailable if someone else borrows the item(s) or reserves the item(s) before you are able to place your order. You are therefore encouraged to place your order as soon as possible. However, please note you cannot amend or cancel your order after you have placed it.

    5.  

    Placement and Fulfilment of Orders

  5. When placing your order, you will need to authorise the charging of the service fee to your credit or debit card. The service fee is $8.64 (GST-inclusive) and will only be charged to your credit or debit card upon confirmation that your ordered items are ready to be delivered to you. Your credit or debit card details will not be retained by NLB. No refunds will be made once order payment has been authorised.
  6. After you have placed your order, you will receive an email to notify you that NLB has received your order. Orders are typically delivered within 7-8 working days from the date of your order. Working days means weekdays excluding public holidays.
  7. Occasionally, NLB may not be able to locate items that you have ordered. Therefore, if your order comprises 3 or 4 items, you will be asked to select between the following fulfilment types when placing your order:
    1. Complete Fulfilment*: NLB will deliver your order only if all items in your order can be retrieved; or
    2. Partial Fulfilment**: NLB will deliver your order if at least 2 items can be retrieved.
    *For orders comprising 1 or 2 items, NLB will fulfil the order only if all of the items in your order can be retrieved.
    **For Partial Fulfilment, only one delivery will be made and the full service fee of $8.64 (GST-inclusive) will be charged to your credit or debit card.
  8. If your order can be fulfilled by NLB, you will receive an email within 3-4 working days from the date you placed your order notifying you of this and that payment has been charged to your credit/debit card. Orders will be delivered within the next 3-4 working days from the date of payment. Working days refers to weekdays excluding public holidays.
  9. NLB may cancel your order if:
    1. NLB is unable to fulfil your order according to Clause 7 above. For example, if you opted for ‘Complete Fulfilment’ but one or more of the items in your order is unavailable, or if your order comprises of 2 items and one of the items is unavailable; or
    2. NLB is unsuccessful in charging the service fee to your credit or debit card.
    You will be notified of the cancellation (if any) by email.

    10.  

    Delivery of orders

  10. The default delivery address is the address stated in your myLibrary account. The delivery address may be changed before you place your order by clicking on the delivery cart and making the necessary amendments. Note that no changes to the delivery address may be made after you have placed your order.
  11. Deliveries will be limited to mainland Singapore and Sentosa only.
  12. NLB has engaged a third-party vendor to deliver the items. By making use of this service, you agree that NLB may provide your contact details to the vendor for the purpose of delivering your order. The vendor will contact you within two hours prior to the delivery.

    13.  

    Return of items / Renewal of loan

  13. The loan period for items borrowed via this service will take into account the period your items are consolidated, packed and made ready to be delivered. You will enjoy a loan period of at least 21 days after the items are delivered. You can see the precise loan period via your myLibrary account.
  14. Except for loans of magazines and AV items, you may renew all loans made under this service.
  15. There is no return service available. Please return the items that you have borrowed using this service via the Bookdrops at any of the NLB public libraries. Items must be returned before the expiry of the loan period.
    NLB will impose charges for overdue and/or lost items. The charges are stated at https://www.nlb.gov.sg/main/services/Fines-and-Payment/Types-of-fines-Charges.
  16. The terms and conditions set out in this Terms of Service may be amended by NLB from time to time.