The National Library of Public Information (NLPI) main building rises five stories above ground and extends two levels below, encompassing approximately 40,000 square meters. Its interior is shaped by an “outside-in” design philosophy, drawing framed vistas of the surrounding city—at varying elevations—into the building. These shifting urban perspectives are translated into the thematic identities and color palettes of each floor, creating a dynamic dialogue between interior space and the city beyond.
Google Street View Tour of the Library
Click on each floor to explore the facilities and spaces throughout the library.
Select a floor to view detailed information for each area.
1F: Lobby, Information Desk, and Circulation Services
Lobby and New Arrivals Display Area
As Taiwan’s first national digital library, NLPI offers a wide array of advanced digital facilities. At the main entrance, a series of information kiosks provides seamless access to catalog searches and seat reservations. Further inside, the much-loved “New Arrivals & Curated Selections” wall showcases the latest publications alongside monthly themed picks and librarian-curated highlights. Nearby, a large interactive information wall invites visitors to explore the library’s latest programs and events with a simple touch. Are you ready? Follow the flowing ribbons of light across the ceiling, and step into this sanctuary of reading!
Information Desk
(i櫃檯/i Counter)
The Information Desk on 1F provides directions, courtesy umbrellas and wheelchairs for loan, first aid assistance, and lost-and-found services.
Circulation Services
To fully enjoy our library services, please bring a valid ID to the Circulation Desk to apply for a library card. The initial application is free of charge. You may also use your own IC card (such as an EasyCard or iPASS) for new applications, replacements, or renewals. With this ""One-Card-for-All"" service, your library card grants you borrowing privileges at both the NLPI and all branches of the Taichung Public Library. For your convenience, books can also be returned at any participating branch across the city!
Self-Checkout Area
All borrowable materials are equipped with RFID technology, allowing users to check out, return, and collect reserved items independently. You can use the self-checkout station to complete the borrowing process and the book sterilizer nearby for disinfection.
Smart Reservation Pick-up Area
After receiving an email or SMS notification from the library, you can enter the self-service pick-up area using your library card or mobile library app. You may then collect and check out your reserved items independently. The smart shelving system displays the real-time location of your reserved books, making the pick-up process quick and convenient.
Interactive Information Wall
The Interactive Information Wall provides digital displays and a variety of interactive experiences, including a real-time information wall, themed book displays, a pandemic prevention game, a facility guide, Southeast Asia–themed games, and a historical map tour of Taichung. Users can navigate between different applications to explore library information and enhance their understanding of public health and multicultural communities through interactive games
Information Kiosk
The library provides various information kiosks, offering services such as event information, voice-enabled services, and access to iLib Guider app features, allowing users to quickly find the information they need.
Immersive Space Interactive Experience
This area in the Children’s Learning Center leads parents and children into a ""Universe of Knowledge"" through immersive technology. Follow the little astronauts to complete missions and enjoy a unique interactive journey to Mars.
Story House
The Story House features immersive projection combined with motion-sensing interaction. During the experience, children are invited to take part in interactive segments by performing simple actions to complete tasks and progress through the story.
Children’s Learning Center
The Children’s Library, themed as a “Forest of Knowledge,” is designed for children aged 12 and under. Within this immersive environment are dedicated zones for early childhood learning, storytelling, digital catalog access, and reading, as well as an AR-enhanced reading experience that brings books vividly to life. A child-friendly interface, integrated with mobile devices, guides young readers in discovering books and personalized recommendations, offering a rich and multifaceted reading journey.
Book Return Area
Our automated book return area features the largest sorting system among public libraries in Taiwan. Simply place your books into the return slot, and they will be automatically sorted. You may also return items via the 24-hour outdoor book drop located by the side entrance.
2F: Multimedia and Digital Experience
Features a multimedia and digital experience area offering audiovisual collections, interactive digital media, computer-based information search, and access to the library’s digital resources.
PLUS Space
The PLUS Space - Digital Co-Creation Space serves as a flagship venue for innovative digital reading experiences. Committed to redefining traditional reading models, it integrates generative AI and interactive technologies to present the library’s extensive digital resources and e-books in engaging, life-oriented formats. Here, readers are invited not only to explore but also to apply and co-create with the library’s digital collections. Reading becomes more than a passive act of information intake; it evolves into a catalyst for imagination and inspiration. In the age of AI and digital transformation, every visitor is empowered to grow continuously through the library’s resources, advancing toward the ideal of lifelong learning.
Digital Arts Center
The Digital Arts Center is a multimedia exhibition space that collaborates with partner organizations to present a wide range of themed displays. In partnership with design schools, it showcases outstanding student work and features the theme “The Spirit of Originality—Realizing the Dream of Creating Picture Books.” The center presents student creations, works reflecting local culture, and award-winning picture books, offering a diverse and engaging reading experience.
vInformation Retrieval Area
This area provides computers for internet access and information search. It includes a walk-in internet access zone and a Digital Resources Experience Area, both available without prior registration. For longer use, patrons may reserve a computer for up to two hours with a valid library card.
2F Information Desk
Provides borrowing and return services for audiovisual materials. Readers aged 12 and above may also borrow devices such as laptops, tablets, and e-readers. Assistance with the use of the library’s digital resources is available.
Multimedia Collection
Audiovisual materials are available for borrowing, including DVDs, VCDs, Blu-rays (BD), UHD Blu-rays, CDs, CD-Rs, videotapes, and audiotapes.
Mini Exhibition Area
The Mini Exhibition Area features diverse digital reading resources and highlights research achievements from six major research centers under the National Applied Research Laboratories (NARLabs), spanning Earth and environmental sciences, information and communication technology, and biomedical research. Under the theme “Scientists’ Secret Base @ Taichung”, the exhibit promotes public engagement with scientific discoveries and allows visitors to experience the fascination of science and technology.
Language Learning Area
The Language Learning Area offers a dual-screen, multitasking environment for accessing the library’s language learning databases. Users can take notes and look up vocabulary while studying, enhancing the learning experience. Use of this area requires a reservation with a valid library card.
Audio-Visual Appreciation Area
The library offers a variety of seating options, including individual, two-person, and group viewing, as well as public broadcast audio-visual channels. It also provides small rooms for photography and speaking practice. These facilities allow visitors to enjoy the library’s cloud-based audio-visual resources and public broadcast collections.
Information Center for the Hearing and Visually Impaired
The Information Center for the Hearing and Visually Impaired offers dual-format books, audiobooks, braille books, computers for visually impaired users, and assistive devices. It also features a multi-purpose workshop and an audiobook recording studio, providing an accessible environment tailored to the needs of hearing and visually impaired patrons.
Art Corridor
The Art Corridor, connected by books and bridged by aesthetics, hosts a variety of exhibitions throughout the year. Through immersive artistic experiences, it conveys the joy of reading and the endless possibilities of knowledge exploration.
3F: Multicultural, Senior, and Periodical Services
Explore information from diverse countries and browse over 800 periodicals and newspapers.
Senior Learning Resources Area
The Senior Learning Resources Area is designed for visitors aged 55 and above. It features a thematic self-learning section, large-print books, digital newspaper readers, and magnifiers for easier reading. A digital leisure platform is also available, offering games such as Chinese chess and other electronic competitions.
Government Publications Section
This section features award-winning works from past National Publishing Awards, books exhibited at international book fairs, and official publications from central and local governments. It serves as an important platform for both local residents and multicultural communities to explore and appreciate Taiwan’s culture.
Diverse Exhibition Area
The Diverse Exhibition Area hosts occasional thematic exhibitions. In the past, we have collaborated with institutions such as Academia Sinica’s Institute of Taiwan History, the Digital Culture Center, the National Museum of Science and Technology, the Agricultural and Food Agency’s Pesticide and Toxicology Testing Center, and the Water Resources Planning Institute under the Ministry of Economic Affairs. These collaborations have showcased a variety of engaging exhibitions. Currently, we work with technical colleges and universities in central Taiwan, providing students with a platform for exploration and discovery, and highlighting the library’s educational role as a museum-like space.
Periodicals and Newspapers Reading Area
The Periodicals and Newspapers Reading Area is one of the library’s most popular sections. It offers open-access reading of 26 current newspapers and over 600 current periodicals, as well as closed-stack access to 87 bound newspapers and 2,174 bound periodicals. In addition to Chinese resources, materials are also available in English, Japanese, and various Southeast Asian languages.
Global Picture Book Center
The Global Picture Book Center promotes reading for all ages, collecting and showcasing picture books from over 30 countries. It highlights the diversity and richness of picture book styles from around the world.
Windows of the World
Windows of the World is dedicated to introducing and promoting global cultures through reading. By combining curated collections with diverse exhibitions, it creates a cultural gateway within the library, inviting readers to engage with the world’s rich tapestry of traditions. The zone currently features collections from France, Germany, and the Czech Republic, established in collaboration with the Bureau Français de Taipei (Academic Cooperation and Cultural Affairs Section), the Goethe-Institut Taipei, and the Czech Centre Taipei.
American Corner
The first of its kind in Taiwan, American Corner offers comprehensive resources on American culture, society, and language learning, as well as guidance on studying in the United States. Inspired by the landscape of the Grand Canyon, the space is designed with sweeping openness, seamlessly integrating bookshelves and reading areas. Its impressive collection includes approximately 3,000 children’s books and 2,000 volumes covering American history, culture, art, and literature, all available for loan.
Belgian Corner
Established in partnership with Wallonie-Bruxelles International (WBI), Belgian Corner reflects the library’s commitment to multicultural services. This initiative represents a pioneering collaboration between the Belgian Office in Taipei and Taiwan’s public library sector, fostering cultural and educational exchange.
Audio-Visual Room
At the end of the three resource centers is the Audio-Visual Room, which accommodates 108 seats (including 2 wheelchair spaces). The room hosts regular film screenings and post-show discussions. For upcoming events and schedules, please visit our website.
Taiwan Resources Center
The Taiwan Resources Center houses an extensive collection of Taiwanese publications, local documents, and township and village records contributed by public libraries across the country. Immerse yourself in these resources to explore Taiwan’s cultural heritage and historical development.
Indigenous Resource Center
Within the Taiwan Resources Center, the Indigenous Resource Center presents materials on Indigenous social life, customs, culture, history, attire, rituals, and photography. The space is thoughtfully designed with visual elements inspired by Indigenous aesthetics, complemented by dedicated reading areas and thematic exhibitions, offering visitors a distinctive and immersive reading experience.
Multicultural Learning Classroom
The Multicultural Learning Classroom accommodates 50 seats, expandable to 60, and is designed for courses and activities that promote multicultural exchange and language learning.
Study Abroad Services
The Study Abroad Services area hosts regular events—particularly during school holidays—featuring official representatives from foreign institutions, professional advisors, and individuals with firsthand overseas study experience. These sessions provide comprehensive guidance on scholarship opportunities, application procedures, document preparation, academic programs, examination requirements, and pre-departure orientation. Through personal sharing and face-to-face consultations, visitors gain valuable insights into global education systems, cultural contexts, and life abroad.
Map Area
The Map Area offers printed maps, topographic maps of Taiwan, and basic aerial photos for reference and browsing.
4F – 5F: Collection & Reading Floors
Books with circulation records from the past five years are primarily housed on the 4th and 5th floors. (Children’s books are located in the 1st Floor Children’s Learning Center.)
4th Floor: Natural sciences, social sciences, applied sciences, and language collections.
5th Floor: Arts and humanities, as well as foreign language collections including English, Japanese, Korean, and Southeast Asian languages. The floor also offers reading areas, the Xián Yún Starry Sky Reading Room, an Information Desk, and a Teen Zone.
4th Floor – Reading Area
5th Floor Reading Area
Reading Areas
The reading areas on the fourth and fifth floors house the library’s collections and provide seating for visitors to enjoy a comfortable and engaging reading experience.
Skyward Reading Nook
In 2023, NLPI received a generous donation from Shan Been Jeou Industrial Co., Ltd., enabling the acquisition of a total of 3,287 new volumes. To house this collection, the Skyward Reading Nook was specially established as a dedicated space for these donated works. This corporate contribution not only enriches the library’s holdings, but also brings boundless knowledge and inspiration to its readers. It is hoped that each book within this newly created reading space will shine like a star of knowledge, illuminating the vast cosmos of reading, guiding every visitor forward, and opening up endless possibilities for discovery.
5F Information Desk
The 5F Information Desk offers reference assistance, interlibrary loan services, and board game lending.
Youth Section
The Youth Section brings together a vibrant collection of comics, magazines, and light novels tailored to young readers. At its heart is the “So Young Hall,” a multifunctional smart space where visitors can enjoy board games, borrow art supplies, and explore programming logic through hands-on robotics experiences. The area also offers puzzles, maker education tools, and a dedicated dance practice space for students. Complemented by a diverse range of reading promotion programs and themed exhibitions, the section is designed to inspire creativity, encourage hands-on exploration, and support the dynamic interests of youth.
Discussion Rooms
To support study and research needs, the Library provides discussion rooms for non-commercial use. Rooms are available in different sizes, each with an appropriate capacity limit. To reserve a discussion room, please visit the Library’s “Smart Space Service” system for booking guidelines and availability, and log in to make a reservation.
B1: Study Rooms, Outdoor Facilities, and Architectural Features
Study Room
The Study Room on the basement level of the main library offers 316 seats and features automated access control. Visitors can register for a seat using a library card from this library or the Taichung Public Library. Seat registration is available at the in-library Information Kiosk or online through the “Smart Space Services” up to 1–14 days in advance.
Refreshment Area
Food and drinks are allowed only in designated areas (B1, 2F–5F). Not permitted in other reading areas.
Closed-Stack Special Collections Area
Materials in this area are not available for loan. Readers may request access through the Library Catalog System.
Closed-Stack Collection
To create a more spacious and comfortable reading environment, some rarely used and borrowable books are stored in this area. You can request these items through the library catalog system for retrieval and borrowing.
Architectural Exterior
As Taiwan’s first national digital library, NLPI stands as a landmark of contemporary architectural expression. Its design draws inspiration from the Dajia River and Dadu River of central Taiwan, transforming the rippling motion of water into the building’s undulating façade. Layered, flowing curves evoke the meandering rhythm of rivers, while the exterior is clad in mosaics of eight different aggregate sizes, forming textures reminiscent of river pebbles, suggesting a confluence where streams of knowledge gather and flow. Through its fluid walls and horizontal ribbon windows, the building offers shifting perspectives from multiple angles, establishing itself as a defining architectural icon of Taichung in the digital age.
Read Happily
- Unlimited - Big Future
The central courtyard plaza at NLPI is conceived around the idea of “unlimited reading.” The granite flooring traces the form of the infinity symbol (∞), embodying continuity and perpetual flow. Spatial lines extend organically from the ground plane, while mirrored metal surfaces capture and refract light in shifting, dynamic ways, suggesting fleeting moments of standing or sitting figures, as if immersed in the act of reading. The space becomes a living tableau, where imagination and reading unfold in motion.
Contact
Suspended within the atrium of the main entrance, the installation Contact draws inspiration from the concept of “Genesis.” Languages from around the world are transformed into binary code of 0s and 1s, symbolizing the evolution of knowledge. Through the gesture of touch, conveyed at the fingertips, the work reflects NLPI’s transition from traditional knowledge systems to a future shaped by digital learning.
The Luminous Book
The Luminous Book is composed of sculptural forms inspired by street furniture, distributed along the pedestrian walkways on both sides of the library. It serves as a welcoming gesture that extends outward from NLPI, connecting the library with its surrounding community and projecting its presence into the rhythms of urban life.
Pocket Park
A pocket park is located in the corner area, featuring a wooden walkway and seating, providing visitors with a cozy spot to read and relax.
Public Bicycles
A Taichung City public bicycle rental station (iBike, iYouBike) is available at the library’s side entrance on Wuquan South Road.
Catering/Shop
G'Day – Restaurant
G'Day offers a variety of freshly prepared meals, including light bites, rice dishes, fried snacks, pizza, salads, desserts, and beverages. Ingredients are fresh, flavors are authentic, and the dining environment is comfortable. We warmly welcome you to enjoy a satisfying meal.
FamilyMart (Taichung Public Library Branch)
Starbucks