Get to Know Us

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Get to Know Us

Our History

The National Library of Public Information (NLPI), established in 1923, is one of the earliest public libraries in Taiwan. Over the past century, it has undergone several key stages of development: initially founded as the Taichu Prefectural Library (1923–1946), it later became the Taiwan Provincial Taichung Library (1946–1999), followed by the National Taichung Library (1999–2012).

In response to rapidly shifting societal trends and the evolving role of libraries, the Executive Yuan approved the “Relocation and Reconstruction Plan of the National Taichung Library” in 2006. This major infrastructure project was incorporated into the national “New Ten Major Construction Projects,” with a total investment of NT$2 billion and eight years of dedicated planning and construction. The new main library building officially opened its doors on June 3, 2012, and the institution was formally renamed the National Library of Public Information (NLPI) in 2013.

As Taiwan’s first national-level digital public library, NLPI serves the general public throughout the country and plays a key role in supporting and guiding local public libraries at all administrative levels. It offers integrated physical and digital reading services through a dual-access model that meets the needs of a diverse readership. The main library is located on Wuquan South Road in the South District of Taichung City, and operates three branches: Liming, Jingwu, and Zhongxing.

Vision, Mission, and Goals

Vision

Our vision is to be a hub of smart learning—empowering people to read wisely and shape a brighter future through knowledge and innovation.

Mission

NLPI is committed to creating a smart reading environment that integrates information and knowledge—where reading inspires critical thinking, imagination, and innovation.

Guided by the principles of Information, Inspiration, Imagination, and Innovation, the Library embraces intelligent technologies to enhance services and develop into a comprehensive smart reading hub.

It supports teaching and learning systems, serves as a diverse platform for lifelong learning, and aspires to be a leader and key partner in the field of public libraries—driven by innovation, sustainability, and a spirit of collaboration.

Goals

To effectively fulfill this vision and mission, the Library has set six strategic goals:

Develop an innovative, forward-looking smart reading environment that integrates both digital and physical services.

Offer comprehensive reading services that inspire critical thinking, imagination, and creativity.

Broaden access to diverse resources, expand collaborative networks, and strengthen the impact of reading promotion.

Lead and support public libraries across the nation in pursuing shared growth and excellence.

Promote win-win international exchange and cooperation mechanisms.

Strive for organizational excellence and long-term sustainability.

Service Highlights

Empowering Library Services through Smart Technology

Through comprehensive digital transformation, the National Library of Public Information (NLPI) has become Taiwan’s first national-level digital public library. The Library continues to evolve by embracing innovative technologies that enhance smart management, deliver immersive reading experiences, and expand access to high-quality digital content.

Digital Reading Resources
NLPI has developed and continues to enhance Taiwan’s largest self-built Traditional Chinese eBook integration platform, eBook Online Services, which provides free access to readers across public libraries nationwide. The Library also curates a range of original digital resources, including the Picture Book Database, the Digital Art Design Gallery, and digitized special collections such as Japanese rare books and historical newspapers. By leveraging smart technologies, NLPI fosters a nationwide reading culture and supports lifelong learning.(Learn more about digital resources)

Smart Reading Experience
To enhance user engagement, NLPI actively introduces cutting-edge technologies such as AI and the Internet of Things (IoT) into its services. Key smart features include:
- AI-powered service robots
- Mini Library – A Fully Automated 24/7 Book Dispenser
- iSpace smart space management
- AR interactive storytelling
- XR immersive storytelling experiences
- So Young Hall: a creative, multi-functional reading space at NLPI, designed for youth and enhanced with IoT technologies.
In late 2023, NLPI collaborated with a university research team to launch Taiwan’s first AI-powered virtual librarian, named "Xiao-Shu" in Chinese, built on the GPT-4o large language model. This innovative AI librarian offers real-time reference support and personalized reading recommendations, engaging users in natural, friendly conversations—just like interacting with a human librarian.

Smart Management and Contactless Services
To enhance operational efficiency, NLPI has adopted RFID technology integrated with its library automation and book sorting systems—streamlining circulation processes and improving inventory management. In 2017, NLPI became the first in Taiwan to implement smart bookshelves combined with a self-service reserved book pickup system, enabling real-time shelf status monitoring and significantly reducing the time users spend locating books.

In 2018, the Library launched the iLib Guider App, Taiwan’s first mobile application to seamlessly integrate book searching, wayfinding, retrieval, and borrowing functionalities. Serving as the core platform for NLPI’s smart library services, the app bridges physical and digital environments, and integrates with multiple systems, including:
- Single sign-on (unified ID authentication)
- Library automation
- Seat and space management
- Access control
- Self-check machines
- Indoor navigation and notification services
Built on a BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) model, the app enables users to complete their entire visit—entry, search, navigation, pickup, borrowing, and exit—without physical contact or staff assistance. This zero-contact service greatly enhances convenience and accessibility. The app received widespread recognition, winning the Top 100 Innovative Product Award at Information Technology Month in 2018 and the Asia-Pacific ICT Alliance (APICTA) Award in 2024.

In 2024, NLPI launched AI Picks You, the first AI-powered personalized book recommendation service in Taiwan’s public library system. Powered by the GPT-4o large language model, this smart reading assistant generates tailored book suggestions based on user preferences, offering an intuitive and engaging experience—just like having a friendly librarian by your side.(Learn more about our smart services)

A Library that Embodies the Spirit of REAL

A Library with REAL Connotations

The National Library of Public Information (NLPI) is committed to building a nationwide public library network that fosters reading and learning, while leading the development of innovative, user-centered service models. Upholding its mission to support the collective growth of public libraries across Taiwan, NLPI actively advances a range of forward-looking initiatives.

Beyond acquiring, organizing, and preserving extensive collections of physical books and digital resources for the public, NLPI integrates both physical and virtual service environments. These include spaces for reading, information access, digital services, exhibitions, lectures, and training. The Library also procures shared digital resources for use across Taiwan’s public library system, enabling more intelligent, personalized, and age-specific services tailored to diverse user needs.

These efforts are anchored in NLPI’s three core missions:

Preservation – collecting, curating, and integrating resources
Access – promoting and facilitating convenient use
Education – supporting personal growth and lifelong learning

By offering innovative reading models, unique pathways for exploration, diverse recreational functions, and a welcoming environment for lifelong learning, NLPI aspires to be a library infused with the values of REAL:
Reading, Exploring, recreAtion, and Learning.

Introduction to Each Floor

The NLPI main building has five floors above ground and two basement levels, covering a total floor area of 41,797 square meters (around 12,000 pings).

1st Floor:
This floor is primarily dedicated to information guidance, circulation, and children's reading and learning. It features the Children’s Learning Center, Circulation Service Desk, Self-Borrow/Return Zone, New Book Display Zone, and a retail area open to the public.

2nd Floor:
Focused on digital resources and multimedia services. Facilities include the Information Retrieval Area, Multimedia Archive, Audiovisual Zone, Information Center for the Visually and Hearing Impaired, Digital Leisure and Arts Center, as well as a 250-seat International Conference Hall and Multi-Purpose Meeting Room.

3rd Floor:
Focuses on multiculturalism, senior reading, periodicals and newspapers reading, including the Senior Active Services, Senior Picture Book Garden, Taiwanese Materials, Indigenous Resources Center, Global Picture Book Center, Windows of the World, American Corner , Belgian Corner, Periodicals and Newspapers Reading Area, Multifunctional Classroom.

4th Floor:
Home to the Chinese Book Reading Area, including sections for Natural Sciences, Applied Sciences, Language Materials, and Social Sciences.

5th Floor:
Offers spaces for Chinese and Foreign Language Collectionsand Teen Reading Services, including the Teen Zone, SoYoung Hall, Arts and Humanities Resources Area, and a broad range of Foreign Language Books.
Basement Level B1
Includes a 316-seat Study Room, Compact Stack, Special Collections Area, Bound Newspapers Area, Parking Lot, and Mechanical Room.

Basement Level B2
Includes additional Parking and Mechanical Facilities.

(Learn more about spatial facilities)

Architectural Design Concept

The main building of the NLPI was designed under the overall direction of architect Joshua Jih Pan (FAIA). Inspired by the urban patterns formed by Taichung’s 18th-century canal systems, the design adopts “horizontal flow” as its central theme to shape a building that reflects a cultural landscape. Fluid façade folds and a meandering form represent the continuous flow of knowledge, encouraging people to “discover a city, read a city.”

The building’s form draws from the interwoven concept of the Möbius strip in mathematical theory, echoing the hydrology and landscape of central Taiwan while expressing the aesthetics of knowledge in motion. As Taiwan’s first library designed with streamlined curves, its L-shaped configuration and rhythmic horizontal window bands impart a dynamic character to the structure while maximizing natural light. Each floor offers distinct framed views of the city, where the interplay of light and shadow reflects a harmonious respect for knowledge and nature.

Following an “outside-in, inside-out” design philosophy, the exterior views on each floor are transformed into interior themes that shape spatial arrangements, furniture, and color palettes—blending green spaces, parks, urban life, and reading environments into a seamless whole. Rooted in a deep respect for nature, the library’s poetic and innovative design marks the advent of a new era of digital reading.


The architecture of NLPI features an L-shaped layout, filled with rhythmic horizontal window bands, revitalizing the entire architectural structure.		The architectural design of NLPI embodies an elegant and highly fluid aesthetic, simulating the beauty of the hydrological landscapes in central Taiwan.


The unique architectural design of NLPI presents ingenuity from every angle, each with its own charm.		NLPI's exterior embodies cutting-edge technology, appearing impressive and grand whether viewed from afar or up close.


Based on the “outside-in” design concept, the architecture brings the outdoor landscape seamlessly into the interior, creating a harmonious integration of building and nature—and offering an exceptional visual experience.		On the fifth floor, skylights of varying sizes are thoughtfully arranged to let soft blue and white daylight drift into the space. As time flows, shifting light and shadow create a quiet rhythm across the room. Beneath this celestial canopy, the act of reading takes on a gentle, poetic quality—where imagination unfolds under a sky full of light and stars.


The glass curtain walls at both ends of NLPI's architecture reflect the warmth of urban reading at night.		In the entrance lobby on the first floor, geometric forms reflect the rhythmic contours of the building’s exterior. Enhanced by flowing strips of ceiling light, the space becomes an elegant expression of “knowledge in motion” through architectural design.


The first AI librarian "Xiao Shu" in the country provides reader service consultations and book recommendations in the lobby of NLPI.		First floor Children's Learning Center is spacious and bright, creating a lively and colorful world for children.


The Green Reading Zone on the first floor offers a tranquil space where readers can relax and unwind amidst greenery and natural sunlight—an area thoughtfully designed for quiet, personal reflection.		On the third floor, the periodicals section showcases an elegant honeycomb-style shelving design, offering a thoughtfully arranged display of journals from Taiwan and around the world.


The Belgium Resource Center on the third floor is styled in black, yellow, and red with bold geometric lines, showcasing a curated selection of classic Belgian picture books and comics. Featuring a Smurfs mural and a model of the iconic red-and-white checkered rocket from The Adventures of Tintin, the space invites readers to experience the whimsical charm and rich visual culture of Belgium.		Located on the fifth floor, the Xianyun Starry Reading Lounge—donated by private enterprises—features a celestial design inspired by starlight and the moon. Natural light flows through the space, casting gentle shadows and creating a quiet, poetic ambiance.

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