Kaohsiung Public Library

Anyone who lives in Kaohsiung may be a member of the public library system, and it is a really great system!

To get a library card:

• Present your ROC ID card, driver’s license, or household registration certificate.
• Mainland China citizens must submit legal residence documents. 
• Foreigners must present ARC or an ID document certified by their embassy/consulate. 
• For a family library card, the head of household’s ROC ID and household registration certificate with a local address are required.

Public Library perks:

• You can reserve a book online for delivery to your closest branch.
• Home delivery service is available: a membership deposit of 1000 NTD is required.
• The Southern Region Resource Center’s collection includes many resources in Thai, Vietnamese, Burmese, Indonesian, and Malaysian, including general monographs, children’s books, and audio-visual materials (available at the Zuoying and Main Branch).

Find your nearest public library branch here.

The Zuoying Branch is a five minute drive or a fifteen minute walk from the Kaohsiung American School. They are open Tuesday to Saturday from 9am – 9pm, and Sunday from 9am – 5pm. (Please check the website for accuracy).

• You can checkout up to 30 books at a time. 
• They have up to 14,000 English books.
• Children over 7 are allowed without supervision.
• They host multiple Events including author talks and storytelling hour.

The Main Branch of the Kaohsiung Public Library is twenty minute drive from the Kaohsiung American School.

They are open Tuesday to Saturday 10am –  10pm and Sunday from 10am –  5pm. (Please check the website for accuracy).

• You can check out up to 30 books at a time.
• They have up to 83,000 books in foreign languages (including English).
• They have picture books in over 27 different languages.
• They have and extensive collection of Mandarin and various other language books (including English) for upper elementary or older students.  
• Storytellers twice a week.
• Large screen TVs available for movies, documentaries, etc. 
• The Overseas Study Information Center provides library patrons planning to study abroad with required information, counseling, and other resources, including relevant reference materials, advice for studying abroad, and study-abroad seminars at various times. 
• A dedicated collection on the city of Kaohsiung and its people, events, periods, places, and artifacts. This dedicated area’s collection not only increases knowledge of local conditions, but also provides teaching materials for understanding the region and serves as an important source of knowledge for creating local consciousness. 

Their online resources are excellent as well!

To log in, use your card ID # as your ID and your birthdate with the Chinese year as the password in the following format: YYMMDD. To find your Chinese birthyear, you can use this resource. 

Kaohsiung Public Library Catalog  Log in here first with your public library card.
Kaohsiung Public Library Databases (has excellent databases on Taiwan and Asian history, and also has English databases and Inter-Library Loan agreements with national Universities).
Kaohsiung Public Library ebook cloud (Has audio books, picture books and novels in Chinese; these are NOT cataloged in their public library catalog).