If you’ve ever hovered over the checkout button for an eReader and then backed out, there’s now a place to hold one first. The National Library Board (NLB) opened a Sit-n-Read Node at City Square Mall on 19 October 2026, and it runs until 11 April 2027, so you have months to test Kobo eReaders and borrow eBooks before you spend anything.
Previews First, Borrow Later
NLB has been opening Sit-n-Read Nodes since August 2025. They are reading corners set up in everyday places and stocked with pre-loved books, and the library says they have welcomed more than 400,000 visitors so far. The City Square Mall Node is a hybrid version, built with Rakuten Kobo, the Toronto-headquartered digital bookseller owned by Japan’s Rakuten Group.
According to NLB, this is the first Sit-n-Read Node where you can browse eBooks on Kobo eReaders and then borrow the full titles through the NLB Mobile app. The devices on display carry bite-sized previews of a curated collection. The idea is to help you hit the 15 minutes of daily reading that NLB has been encouraging, and maybe nudge you towards a genre you’d normally scroll past.
If a preview hooks you, walk over to the interactive eReads screen, borrow the full book with your NLB Mobile app, and carry on reading on your own phone or tablet. The catch is that the Kobo stays at the mall while the story goes home with you. That makes the Node more of a tasting counter than a lounge, and for a stop between errands that is the right size.
Three Kobos, One Honest Test
The Node carries three models: the Kobo Libra Colour, the Kobo Clara Colour and the Kobo Clara BW. Launch-day reports count eight eReaders across the space. If you only have ten minutes, go straight to the two ends of the range and compare the black-and-white Clara BW against the Libra Colour. That comparison answers the question that matters most, which is whether colour is worth paying extra for in the way you read.
The money question is real: the Libra Colour sits at the top of the range and the Clara BW at the bottom, so decide whether colour is worth paying extra for. Check current prices with a retailer before you buy. If the Libra Colour wins you over, our full Kobo Libra Colour review goes into what it’s like to live with day to day.
A sensible way to test is to open a preview on each device, read a few pages, and notice which screen you stop thinking about. The one that disappears fastest is probably the one for you.
The Phone Route
You don’t need to buy any hardware to get something from this Node. Singapore reading guides say NLB eBook loans generally run for 21 days and return themselves automatically, so late fees never come into it. Reading on your phone is the cheapest option by a mile. The trade-off is that your book shares a screen with group chats and every notification that pings while you’re three paragraphs in.
If you do buy a Kobo later, it can link to the library. Kobo’s built-in OverDrive function lets you sign in with your NLB myLibrary details and download eligible NLB titles straight to the eReader. Note the word eligible, though. Compatibility depends on the title and the device, so don’t assume every book you borrow at the Node will open on every Kobo.
Paperbacks You Can Keep
Print loyalists aren’t left out. As at the other Sit-n-Read Nodes, there are shelves of pre-loved physical books for adults and children, along with dedicated seating and reading nooks. You can take these books home without borrowing them. NLB asks that you bring them back afterwards so someone else gets a turn.
For anyone undecided between digital and paper, this is the most useful thing about the space. You can preview something on a Kobo and walk out with a paperback of something else, while the pre-loved books can be taken home without borrowing them. It’s a hard deal to argue with!
Why a Library Moved Into a Mall
The Node is part of ReadSG, NLB’s movement to make reading a daily habit in Singapore. NLB’s Chief Executive Officer Melissa Tam explained the mall location plainly: “By bringing Sit-n-Read Nodes into high-footfall lifestyle spaces like City Square Mall, we are transforming ordinary spaces into inviting reading corners where people can discover books and enjoy a good read wherever they go.”
Julian Chou, General Manager of Rakuten Kobo Asia, described the appeal in terms of small moments. “Reading often begins with a small moment of curiosity – a cover that catches your eye, a passage that stays with you or a story someone recommends,” he said. He added that putting Kobo eReaders next to NLB’s collections gives visitors “a chance to explore digital reading for themselves”. Both are aiming at the same person: someone who already has an app for everything and hasn’t opened a book since school.
Meanwhile, Over at Anchorpoint
NLB opened a second Sit-n-Read Node at Anchorpoint on the same day, designed as a playful magazine stand stocked with pre-loved magazines. It has a Browse-n-Borrow kiosk where you can borrow books and collect reserved items, which helps nearby readers while Queenstown Library is being revamped. If you live in that area, your closest place to pick up reserved books may have moved.
📚 What to expect at City Square Mall
🗓️ Date: 19 October 2026 to 11 April 2027
⏰ Time: 10am to 10pm daily, including public holidays (according to City Square Mall)
📍 Location: #03-58, Level 3, City Square Mall, 180 Kitchener Road, Singapore 208539, between Airzone Singapore and the atrium void
📱 eReaders on display: Kobo Libra Colour, Kobo Clara Colour and Kobo Clara BW
📖 Borrowing: Full eBooks via the eReads screen and the NLB Mobile app
📚 Pre-loved books: On the shelves at the Node
Six months is a generous trial period, and the most it costs you is a detour to Level 3 the next time you’re at City Square Mall. Download NLB Mobile before you go so you can borrow the moment a preview hooks you. Then check the National Library Board’s Sit-n-Read Nodes page for the full list of reading spots around the island.
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