A rendering of the new Xinyuexi Park Branch of the Optics Valley Book Room – part of the second group of branches launched recently. [Photo/WeChat account of Optics Valley of China]

Construction on the second group of four branches of the Optics Valley Book Room was recently launched in the East Lake High-tech Development Zone (also known as Optics Valley of China, or OVC). The rooms are part of efforts to provide free books within a 12-minute radius of residents.

The Government Service Center Branch has a construction area of 200 square meters and will combine OVC's unique characteristics with the style of a government service hall. It will mainly serve those coming to the center to handle government affairs.

The Zuoling Branch of the book room is near Zuoling Station along Metro Line 1, and is expected to render services to about 40,000 people from four communities and several surrounding enterprises.

The Jiayuan Road Branch will be established for large communities, industrial parks and enterprises, which serve a large number of business founders, overseas returnees, and R&D employees. The branch will adopt a simplistic and modern design style, and will feature many innovative elements.

Occupying an area of 1,200 square meters – making it the largest of the four – the Xinyuexi Park Branch will be established in a park, surrounded by lakes, mountains, and rich vegetation. It will be built into a high-quality reading space far from municipal roads so that readers will be less likely to be bothered by the sound of traffic.

So far, the Optics Valley Book Room has a total collection of over 30,000 books, and is connected to the book borrowing and returning system of the Hubei Provincial Library. More than 5,000 residents now possess the book room's electronic reader cards.

In addition, the book room has organized over 30 special activities, such as reading clubs, sodalities, and family activities.

The Beichen Guangguli Branch of the Optics Valley Book Room, which has already opened to the public. [Photo/WeChat account of Optics Valley of China]