Book dispenser machine in Dongguan (www.lias.nccu.edu.tw)

Starting in 2010, a new machine will appear in Guangzhou to incite people to read more. The machine is a sort of "book dispenser" similar to an ATM in many aspects, which allows library card holders to borrow and return books without needing to visit a library. People will also be able to use the machines to search through the catalogs of all libraries in the PRD area.

According to the Vice Curator of Sun Yat-sen Library in Guangzhou, Mo Shaoqiang, "each machine can store over 400 books." In Guangzhou and Dongguan, these machines will start appearing in public places such as subway stations and shopping malls.

These machines first appeared in Shenzhen in March 2008, and now the city boasts 40 of them operating across the city. Each machine costs 400,000 RMB(58,579 USD) which is much less than it would cost to build a small library.