NLB Mobile ‪•‬ 4+

The initiative of introducing a huge selection of ebooks to the app is an admirable effort from NLB. I’ve found myself spending more time reading ebooks during my free time rather than scrolling through social media platforms.

Just a few suggestions to better improve the user experience (aside from bug fixes):
- return of ebooks: rather than waiting for it to be returned automatically, provide users with the functionality to return. Else, users will be restrained by the loan quota given.

- sorting feature (for search function and category list) : include ability to sort the ebooks based on user’s preference (eg: popularity, reviews, release date). This allows users to discover books more effectively.

The current huge limitation of the ebooks feature in the app is having a prefixed number available to borrow. It has been known that a huge pro factor of Ebooks against having physical copies is the limitless supply unless predefined by the developer. Hopefully the rationale for having supply control can be changed in the near future.

Overall, this is a great app to have and encourages singaporeans to read more.

I personally loved both NLB app and its eBook OverDrive app. NLB app made borrowing & extension of books super easy! Just scan the book with this app to borrow it (almost instantenously really) when in library, no more queueing! An added convenience when I forget to bring my IC as well. I paid fine once using the app & it was pretty breezy too.

As for a separate eBook app, I reckon the eBooks have to be accessed from different app as OverDrive is a 3rd party platform. It has other libraries around d world subscribing to its service. Having 2 apps is really no issue for me. Plus borrower can always return ur eBooks ANYTIME using the eBook app (not the NLB app, pls)! It's also quite awesome that the ebook quota is ON TOP of physical book quota.

I feel this app really needs a more +ve reviews. It's been one of the most useful apps I've ever had. The current rating of < 3 stars to me absolutely doesn't do any justice. Hope to see more useful features & improvements rolled-out.

The recent upgrade is a much better improvement over the previous app. Some good changes include:
- More stable - the previous app was slower and pages took longer to load. Glad the app is faster now.
- Good visuals - the interface is cooler and more attractive. The previous interface seemed pretty old and outdated, and seemed like it was developed in the early 2000s.
- Easier browsing - previously, whenever I reserved/borrowed an item, the app would restart my search history and I would have to start all over again if I wanted to continue browsing related books. Now, I go back to the previous page I was browsing, which is great.

Overall, the NLB app is a great initiative to promote reading and easier access to the library’s resources (I remember the days when I had to physically travel to the library to check the catalogue, and e-books were much less common then). The previous app was a baby step, and the current upgrade is a laudable leap in the right direction.

Kudos to NLB and the developers, and looking forward to further user improvements.