I miss public libraries. Like so many things in life, I didn’t realize how much of a privilege it was to have one until I didn’t anymore. Having free, open access to books is one of the things I miss most since moving to Beijing. It’s not that I read a whole lot, but I miss being able to pick up a book that interested me, even if it was just the cover, and bringing it home if only to return it 21 days later and getting no further than the first chapter. Plus, the library was a refuge for me to bring my kid when he was younger! Somehow the quiet imposing nature of the library just shut him up, and the wooden floors with cushioned reading nooks were like a little playground. Not to mention we could read all sorts of kids’ books there that I would have spent a fortune purchasing.
So when I passed by what looked to be a library here in Beijing, you can imagine my excitement. There were those wooden floors, reading nooks with bean bags, and shelves filled with endless possibilities tucked between colorful covers. I stepped inside and went up to the counter where a young attendant greeted me with smiling eyes, and I asked if it was a library. It was, but a commercial one. I wasn’t quite sure of the concept so it took a while for the nice lady behind the counter to explain it to me.
Known in English as iRead Library, the place functions as both a commercial book lender, as well as a sort of kids’ education center. For a yearly membership fee of RMB 499, you are able to visit the library 12 times and borrow up to 10 books each time. There is no limit on how long you can borrow the books for, but your membership only lasts a year, so you probably won’t want to keep the books for longer than a month. It sounds pretty good right? Except they limit browsing time to no more than 30 minutes, during which you have to find the 10 books you want to borrow. That takes out half the fun of spending hours just drifting down the aisles, imagining what twists and turns lie in the pages of each story.
So I asked them about spending more time at the library, and that’s where the education center part of their operation comes in. For RMB 1,299, you can opt for an annual membership that allows for up to three hours at their premises, whereby you and your kid can take part in various activities such as arts and crafts and guided reading. The best part is that you can visit the library unlimited times with this option.
The staff assured me that their premises were clean and disinfected multiple times a day, which matched what I could see of the place. Aside from Chinese books, there are also plenty in English, French, German and Dutch. A search on Dianping later revealed that there’s a voucher for you and your kid to experience the library for a mere RMB 169 on the weekdays and RMB 199 on weekends. That’s totally worth it in my book.
小宝图书馆 iRead Library
3rd Floor, Zhuyuan Cultural Education Industrial Park, Beiyuan Road
北苑路诸园文化教育产业园3层
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Images: Courtesy of the vendor on Dianping
