"Hsinchu County-City Library Inter-Borrowing Service" Launched! Connecting 22 Libraries and 1.5 Million Books to Build a Shared Reading Lifestyle Zone

The "Hsinchu County-City Library Inter-Borrowing Service" officially launched today (4th). Hsinchu City Mayor Kao Hung-an attended the launch ceremony alongside Hsinchu County Deputy Magistrate Hsu Yuan-tung, jointly announcing an upgraded era of shared reading resources in Greater Hsinchu.

To promote cross-county reading resource integration, Hsinchu City Government invested NT$7 million to upgrade its library system, collaborating with Hsinchu County Government to connect 22 public libraries and over 1.5 million books across both regions. Starting today, cross-county book reservation, pickup, and return services are available, enabling residents to "borrow nearby and return nearby," overcoming geographical limitations and building a convenient, seamless dual-city reading lifestyle zone.

Breaking the "Reading Barrier" Through County-City Collaboration for More Diverse and Convenient Access

Mayor Kao stated that the Hsinchu County-City life circle is tightly connected, and many residents have long hoped for inter-library borrowing and returning between the two areas. However, administrative boundaries previously created what felt like a "reading barrier." Now, through joint efforts by both governments, this barrier has been officially broken. By collaborating between the cultural bureaus of both cities to integrate systems, logistics, and collection resources, reading services now truly transcend county and city boundaries, allowing residents to enjoy more convenient and diverse reading options.

Kao explained that following the "One Card Borrow and Return" service, the city government has now launched the "Hsinchu County-City Library Inter-Borrowing Service," investing NT$7 million in a full system upgrade. Since July this year, professional logistics transportation and automated book sorting equipment have been introduced, reducing staff workload while improving collection dispatch and circulation efficiency. Starting in September, Hsinchu County joined forces to offer cross-county book reservation and pickup services at 22 public libraries, with over 1.5 million books available, further expanding shared reading resources.

Hsinchu City Mayor Kao Hung-an, Hsinchu County Deputy Magistrate Hsu Yuan-tung, and the directors of both counties’ cultural bureaus jointly launched the "Hsinchu County-City Library Inter-Borrowing Service." (Photo: Hsinchu City Government)

Hsu Yuan-tung, Deputy Magistrate of Hsinchu County, stated that Hsinchu County and City have long collaborated closely in reading, culture, and education. Today’s upgrade to "inter-borrowing and returning" means residents can not only borrow books at any library and return them at another but also reserve books online and choose to pick them up at the nearest branch, making shared reading resources even more convenient. He emphasized that Hsinchu County and City are closely linked in population, industry, transportation, education, and culture, and will continue deepening cross-county cooperation to enhance residents’ well-being through greater resource sharing and service integration.

Mayor Kao highlighted that by introducing technology into public cultural services, residents can simply log in to the Hsinchu County-City Public Library Collection Search System to search holdings across both regions. Even if a desired book is currently borrowed out, users can directly use the reservation function to select pickup at the library closest to their home or workplace. After reading, they can likewise return it nearby—eliminating the need for cross-region travel just to return a single book. This realizes a convenient reading experience where residents can "borrow whenever they want, pick up nearby, and return nearby."

Kao also noted that beyond system upgrades and cross-county logistics integration, both counties are advancing together in physical reading space development. Hsinchu City plans to officially open the new fifth to seventh floors of the Longshan Branch on September 15, expanding collections and adding discussion rooms and the Zhubei Lecture Hall for meetings and events. In November, the city will establish its ninth branch, the Nanda Branch, while Hsinchu County will also open its new central library. As hardware developments complete and upgrade consecutively, readers across Greater Hsinchu will all benefit.

Mayor Kao also shared that Hsinchu City’s policy of offering free YouBike rides for the first 30 minutes, and e-bikes for just NT$10 for the first 30 minutes, has received enthusiastic public support, with ridership steadily increasing. As the Greater Hsinchu life circle grows tighter, citizens expect consistent benefits when riding across Hsinchu County and City, so transportation services should no longer have a "barrier." The recent Yuan-County-City Summit discussed YouBike incentive policies, and today she specifically expressed a "wish" to the county government, hoping that Hsinchu County will jointly advance policy alignment in the future, further breaking down county-city boundaries in transportation services, so that the Greater Hsinchu life circle becomes not only more convenient for reading but also for transportation.