Irkutsk Opens Staff-Free Reading Room for Overnight Use
The Molchanov-Sibirsky Library in Irkutsk has opened the city’s first nighttime reading room to operate entirely without staff.
Readers can enter the room using an electronic library card. Books must be ordered in advance on the library’s website; during the day, staff prepare the requested titles and place them in an RFID-enabled smart locker, where built-in sensors automatically record when a book is picked up and returned. Visitors can also bring their own books and laptops or borrow books from the bookcrossing shelves. The room is furnished with armchairs, sofas and tables.
In summer, the room is open from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. Tuesday through Saturday, with Sundays added during winter. In the morning, readers must return their books and finish using the room. Security guards and surveillance cameras monitor the space, while access to the rest of the library is closed during overnight hours.
The Irkutsk regional government’s press service said Molchanovka is one of the first public libraries in Russia to introduce this type of service.
