Applying for the Library Card is Now Something Depending on Creditworthiness
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A strategic partnership enabling application for a deposit-free library card with the applicant’s creditworthiness has been established between Shanghai Library and the Alibaba-affiliated Ant Financial Services Group and Alipay.com.
Probably by the end of the next January, any of the city’s residents (both permanent and temporary) who is given by the “Zhima (Sesame)” Credit Evaluation System a rating of 650 points or above, will be entitled to apply for a general lending card to check out and return library materials in any of the 250-or so public libraries citywide, without paying the 100-yuan deposit fee. Applicant whose rating is below the 650-point criterion however, will be assessed by referring to his/her credit report issued by the Shanghai Public Credit Information Service Platform, and who fails to pass will still be required for a deposit. In October 2014, Shanghai Library began to incorporate the library loan-related credit information into the Shanghai Public Credit Information Service Platform. As of the October of 2015, a total of 14,768 creditworthy applicants have got their deposit-free library cards at Shanghai Library; plus another 28,418 making applications at the 24 district/county public libraries, altogether 43,186 people have been exempted from deposit fee summing up to 4.32 million yuan. |