SG Opens Self-Service Manga Library With Robot Concierge to Assist Patrons

Obsessed with anime and manga? If so, you’re in for a treat! The National Library Board (NLB) of Singapore launched a self-service Manga Library on Feb. 20.

The “Grab-n-Go” library has 5,000 manga books and e-Reads available, which can be found on Level 4 of City Square Mall. The Manga Library will run for the next six months, featuring a robot concierge named Mr. Kiasu that will guide otakus with book recommendations and other Grab-n-Go services.

Some of the popular titles you can see at the Manga Library are “Dragon Ball Z” by Akira Toriyama, “Spy x Family” by Tatsuya Endo, “Assassin’s Creed: Blade of Shao Jun,” and “Pokémon Adventures RGB,” among others. For comics lovers, you can spot Singapore’s first full-colour comic “Captain V” as well as “Bookworm Gang Adventures,” “Medium Rare,” and more. However, the local collection is not available for borrowing and is used solely for exhibition purposes.

“The new Grab-n-Go library is part of our LAB25 (Libraries and Archives Blueprint 2025) plans to grow our Learning Marketplace by progressively expanding the network of touch-points for patrons to get NLB’s books and resources even more easily,” NLB Chief Executive Officer Ng Cher Pong said in the media release.

The LAB25 is part of NLB’s initiative to streamline book borrowing processes in the city-state through automated self-checkout service. To know more about the e-Manga collection you can borrow at the NLB, visit https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg.