Good news for avid readers: Independent bookstore, BooksActually,
has recently launched Singapore's first book vending machines.
On Friday (June 3), two book vending machines located at the
National Museum of Singapore and Singapore Visitor Centre at
Orchard began operations, allowing users to buy a book easily.
The bookstore also plans to include a third vending machine at
Goodman Arts Centre which will be up later this month.
These vending machines were installed with a grant from Spring
Singapore and each vending machine can store about 120 to 150
books.
The inspiration behind this innovative idea was the Penguincubator,
which was created by Penguin Books' founder Allen Lane in 1937,
said Ms Renee Ting, 24, manager at BooksActually.
"The machine is our way of bringing Singapore Literature out of our
bookstore and closer to the public," Ms Ting explains.
Available books feature the works of Singaporean writers and
creators and range from poetry and short stories to graphic
novels.
The vending machine located at the National Museum of Singapore
carries a wide variety of books for all ages - from the Sherlock
Sam children's book series to local poet Joshua Ip's Sonnets from
the Singlish (2012), which was awarded the Singapore Literature
Prize in 2014. Prices range from $10 to $22.
Furthermore, the vending machine at the Singapore Visitor Centre at
Orchard also includes DVDs, such as the documentary Singapore GaGa
by film-maker Tan Pin Pin. Patrons will also be able to get their
hands on CDs by local artists, such as Charlie Lim and
Aspidistrafly. Prices range from $20 to $28.
Currently, the machines accept only $2, $5 and $10 notes, but
cashless payment may be introduced in the future.
Each vending machine will stay at the current three locations for
around three months. After which, they will be relocated to other
locations around Singapore.
"We are currently targeting places and institutions that support
the arts in Singapore," said Ms Ting.
ST