The first borderless "Hehe book bar" in Taizhou, Zhejiang province opens to the public on April 22. [Photo/taizhou.com.cn]

The first borderless "Hehe book bar" in Taizhou, Zhejiang province opened to the public on April 22. It was jointly established by the Taizhou Library and Taizhou branch of Tailong Bank.

Covering an area of about 200 square meters, the book bar boasts 36 reading seats and contains over 10,000 books, meeting the needs of different age groups and providing 24-hour self-services.

The book bar adopts an innovative management model, integrating new technologies and an open design. It is equipped with a ceiling-mounted access control system instead of physical doors, helping it blend with the surrounding environment.

"Such access control removes the physical barrier in readers' vision and retains the aesthetic appeal of the book bar," explained Yan Weiqin, director of the circulation department at Taizhou Library.

The book bar has also introduced an AI system to facilitate book searching and inventory. Based on the real-time information collected by AI cameras, it can help readers find books in just one second and enable staff members to complete book inventory in 15 minutes, improving the efficient management of book resources and optimizing reading services.

"We introduced the borderless 'Hehe book bar' into the bank in order to create a city library, making it convenient for residents to enjoy spiritual and cultural enrichment," said Jiang Ting, vice-president of Taizhou branch of Tailong Bank.