In recent days, visitors to the 1997 café located on Ha Huy Tap Street in An Khe Ward, Thanh Khe District, Da Nang have had the opportunity to access an a giant digital library.

Youth union members of An Khe Ward, Thanh Khe District, pasting the QR code of the 'Digital library - smart reading' model at the community house in Phan Lang area. Photo: TRUONG KY

Just by scanning a rather large QR code pasted in front of the coffee shop with their smartphones, customers can access hundreds of e-books about Uncle Ho, Vietnamese literature, fairy tales, information technology, and more.

Initiated by Youth Union members in An Khe Ward in early July, 2022, the ‘digital library’ model is being deployed at all community houses and some coffee shops across the ward with the spirit of ‘An Khe Ward’s youth pioneer in digital transformation’.

Secretary of the An Khe Ward chapter of the Da Nang Youth Union Phan Tran Hai Giang said the model is managed by a group of 5-6 youth union members who are experts in website design and information technology.

He hoped that the model will partly contribute to spreading reading culture in community in the context of the widespread use of smartphones. People can take a photo of this QR code and save it on their phone to access the online library anytime and anywhere they want, he added.

After one-week trial period, the first version of the digital library was born. On July 10, the An Khe Ward chapter of the municipal Youth Union officially deployed QR codes of the digital library at cafés and community houses in the ward, initially receiving positive feedback from users.

The digital library has more than 300 different types of ebooks.

The 1997 café is the 6^th coffee shop in An Khe Ward that has agreed to receive and support the implementation of the model ‘Digital library - Smart reading’. Here, youth union members guide people to scan the QR code, access the digital library and choose books according to their reading preferences.

The digital library has more than 300 different types of ebooks in various fields such as Uncle Ho, history, digital transformation and information technology, Vietnamese literature , geography, culture - arts, fairy tales, mythology, medicine, sports, and more.

Mr. Le The Vinh, the owner of the 1997 café, noted that with the meaningful model, people can take advantage of reading books in cafés and public spaces.

Mr. Le The Vinh, the owner of the 1997café, scanning the QR code to access digital library. Photo: TRUONG KY

According to Mr. Phan Tran Hai Giang, his Youth Union organisation is continuing to introduce the model of the virtual library to other coffee shops in the locality.

Since its launch, this digital library has welcomed thousands of visits, so the organisation is contacting major websites about ebooks and free books to link and enrich the library's ebooks to meet the increasing demands of readers, emphasised Mr. Giang.

Secretary of Thanh Khe District chapter of the municipal Youth Union Vo Duy Rin highlighted the efficiency and practical significance of the online library model. He added that his organisation will replicate this model to other localities, thereby significantly contributing to spreading the reading culture in the community.

Reporting by TRUONG KY - Translating by M.DUNG