National Library Board Mobile App

The National Reading Movement, which was launched in 2016, is a 5-year campaign by the National Library Board (NLB) to encourage Singapore residents to Read More, Read Widely and Read Together. It aims to encourage people to Read More by getting them to set aside some time to read regularly, Read Widely by going beyond the usual genres and read in mother tongue languages, and to Read Together with family and friends.

The Movement's key priorities are to reach out to new audience segments such as adults and seniors, promote reading in mother tongue languages and galvanise the community via collaborations – all with the aim to build a vibrant reading culture in Singapore.

The slogan, 'Reading for Life' is apt, at least for me.

Since I started to read as a child, I have not stopped reading books to educate, to gain knowledge, to learn useful stuff, to entertain, to improve myself from books.

As a "Friend of the Library" and volunteer of the National Library Board, I am pleased to be a member of the National Library since I was a child. Please watch the video clip of "On The Red Dot - National Library at Stamford Road here . Courtesy of MediaCorp Singapore.

The traditional way of reading books and other publications in printed forms has changed the lives of everyone.  The smartphone is a new "toy" not only to play but to live and work today.

With the advent of computer technology, Internet, wireless communication over the decades, we found that almost everyone, young or old, holds a smartphone while walking, while eating or drinking, even while in the toilet when the phone rings.

Users of smartphones for many purposes - simply to communicate as voice phone or as text messages in any language; use as a camera to share still photos or short videos, watch YouTube video.  More popular online media like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Online games on the smartphone as a time-killer when bored, surf on Internet without the need of a desktop computer.  As a smart nation in Singapore, wifi is free and available everywhere.

Keeping up with the rapid development of wireless technology, the National Library Board has created the NLB Mobile App (Applications or software for use on smartphones).

I am pleased to attend the training session of NLB Mobile App on 2 December, 2017 at Bedok Public Library, Level 2 Learning Hub at 10:30 am.

What have I learnt from the 2-hour session, with thanks to Norlin Naim, my good friend of Singapore Memory Project?

The 3 apps I needed on my handphone are:

1.  NLB Mobile App

To use the NLB Mobile App, you must be a registered member of the National Library in Singapore.

The User Name and Password based on the records in the library.

The rules and regulations according to the National Library.  The personal information in the library is private, safe and secure to prevent from abuse of offenders.

Find an available title to borrow:

Browse your library’s featured collections on the homepage. Search for a specific title, author, series, or subject. Open the menu near the top-right of the homepage and browse by Subjects, Collections, or reading rooms (like Kids & Teens).

A toddler playing with an iPad in his pram.  Ebook for kids are available to read the eBook too.

When you find a title you're interested in, tap Borrow. Or, tap its cover image to learn more about it.

You can find borrowed titles on your Loans page. You need to download (or add) borrowed titles from your Loanspage to your app bookshelf before you can enjoy them.

You can get to your Loans page by tapping from the top of any page.

2.  Overdrive

The Overdrive app is used for the National Library eBooks.

Your OverDrive account syncs progress and bookmarks across all of your devices, but it does not yet sync your bookshelf. So after you borrow a title from your library, you'll need to go to your Loans page and add it to the OverDrive app.

For help and support, check out OverDrive Help for getting started guides, how-to articles, and more, or contact your library.

More info about Overdrive app here .

3.  PressReader

PressReader is on a mission to give you the best news.  It delivers an endless stream of top news stories right to your pocket.

It delivers the world's newspaers and magazines to millions of readers the way they want to receive them - in print, online, or on their mobile device, tablet or eReader - wherever they live, travel, work or play.

The National Library Board Ad on the MRT 

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National Library Multimedia Stations at the libraries

Presently, Singaporeans and PRs aged 50 and above are able to enjoy their one hour of free internet by logging in with their myLibrary ID at the library.

For the convenience of those who are unable to visit the libraries physically or are wheelchair bound, may I suggest the National Library Board to offer the one hour of free internet from their NLB Mobile App. I hope this will enhance the features of the NLB Mobile App for the benefits of the senior members of the National Library if my humble suggestions would merit the respected considerations of the National Library Board.