KUALA LUMPUR, March 13 (Bernama) -- Come July, book lovers can soon obtain their favourite titles without leaving the comfort of their home.

That's when the U-Library portal, involving seven public libraries, is introduced to facilitate online book borrowing.

The libraries are Selangor Public Library, Negeri Sembilan Public Library, Kuala Lumpur Library, Intan Bukit Kiara Library, Pahang Public Library and the Sarawak State Library.

National Library director-general Datuk Raslin Abu Bakar said the pioneer project was currently in the process of digitalising reading material.

He said the portal would list titles that could be borrowed online, besides those of other books available at the respective libraries.

"Users nationwide can obtain reading material without having to go to the library, and the books will be sent by post to their doorstep," he said at a news conference after launching 'Program ABC: Mari Membaca 1Malaysia' (ABC Programme: Let's Read 1Malaysia) here today.

Raslin said users only needed to pay for the cost of delivering the book, which was based on weight.

He said the U-Library portal facility would be made available at other public libraries after a two-year trial period.