New Ome library will not lend out its books

Ome, a city in Tokyo, Japan, is planning a new library. It will be on the second floor of Ai Terrace, a new building in front of Ome Station. The Ome City Board of Education has announced an unusual rule for it. People will not be able to borrow the books inside the library. They can only read them there.

The city explained why. At the library that Ome has now, popular books are often borrowed for a long time. People who come to the library cannot find them on the shelves. The city wants the new library to be a place where people can always meet the books. It plans to put about 20,000 new books in the new library.

People will still be able to borrow books. Ome has more than 600,000 books in its libraries. Readers can reserve^*1 any of these books and pick them up in one or two days. The whole library will have free Wi-Fi^*2, and readers will also be able to use e-books^*3.

The library will also have study rooms and reading seats. The city is thinking about a reservation system^*4 for some of the seats. There will be a book drop^*5, so people can return books when the library is closed. A cafe with staff might not make enough money, so the city is thinking about a self-service^*6 corner or vending machines^*7 for drinks and light food. The library is right in front of the station, so it will not have its own parking lot or bicycle parking.

The name "New Ome Library" is only a name for now. The city will finish the detailed design in fiscal year^*8 2026. Building work and preparations will run from the second half of fiscal year 2027 to the first half of fiscal year 2028. The library is expected to open in the second half of fiscal year 2028.

1. *1 reserve: to ask for a book ahead of time so it is kept for you
2. *2 Wi-Fi: a way to connect to the internet without wires
3. *3 e-books: books that you read on a screen, not on paper
4. *4 reservation system: a way to ask for a seat ahead of time so it is kept for you
5. *5 book drop: a box where you can return books when the library is closed
6. *6 self-service: you take and pay for things yourself, with no staff to help you
7. *7 vending machines: machines that sell drinks or food when you put money in
8. *8 fiscal year: a 12-month period that a government uses for its plans and money. In Japan it starts in April