How it works

Only folks who live in Singapore can borrow from us at this moment. 

Borrowing from us is simple!

1. Borrow a book online. 

Reserve a book that you like. You'll need to pay a $5 deposit; this will be refunded when you return the book. We only accept PayNow / PayLah methods.

2. Receive your book via mail.

The book will be sent to you via standard mail. It should arrive in 1-2 weeks' time, and you'll be informed when it's sent out. 

3. Enjoy your book! 

You'll have 30 days to read the book. The drop-off date will be written on a library card in the book. 

4. Return the book via mail.

We'll give you a return envelope with address filled and postage paid. All you need to do is to put the book in and drop it off your nearest post box before the drop-off date!

5. Email us to tell us you've dropped the book off.

Reply to one of our previous emails to tell us that you've dropped the book off. We'll track the book's location from there.

6. Get your deposit back.

Once we've received the returned book, we'll issue a refund on your deposit. You're free to borrow another book!

How does the drop-off date work? 

Unlike most libraries, we set a "drop-off date" rather than a "return date" for each book loan. This means that you just need to drop the return package off at a mailbox by the drop-off date, and you won't be liable to late return fees! That way, you don't need to worry about how long it takes SingPost to deliver the book back to us. 

For example, if your book loan has a drop-off date of 5 April 2021, you will need to drop the return package into a mailbox by the end of 5 April 2021. 

Fees and penalties

The following fees / penalties will apply to all book loans: 

  • Late drop-off fees: $2 per week of late drop-off. If you know that you need more time to finish the book, send us an email before the due date, and we'll try our best to extend it. Do note that we may not be able to extend due dates for popular books! 
  • Redelivery fee: If you've provided the wrong shipping address during the reservation and require a redelivery, you will have to pay a fee of $6.40. This covers the cost of redelivering the book to you. 
  • Damaged book penalty: up to $5, depending on the severity of the damage (e.g. torn pages, missing pages, etc.)
  • Disappearance penalty: If your book hasn't been dropped off by the due date and you're unresponsive to our emails for 3 weeks, we will treat the book as missing (i.e. stolen) and will keep your full deposit amount. 

Have further questions?

Drop us an email at unicornlibrary@heckinunicorn.com.