‘Library Heaven’ Gyeonggi Province Eliminates Information Gap
(Published January 16, 2012)

–KRW 1.2 billion in support provided for library services for information-alienated including multi-cultural citizens and soldiers
-Establishment of Gyeonggi Province representative library, Gyoha Library; Supervises and manages library policy

◇ 2012, Gyeonggi Province is focusing on expanding library services for the information-alienated including multicultural citizens and soldiers.

◇ (Photo) Soldiers reading books in the Baekgom Library, a small library on the ROK Army 1st Infantry Division Base in Paju City. ⓒ G-News Plus

Gyeonggi Province, which already possesses the largest library infrastructure in Korea, will open a representative library in Paju City and expand library services for provincial citizens. The province also plans to expand its services for the information-alienated including multicultural citizens, soldiers, and residents of farming and fishing communities.

Gyoha Library in Paju, which was selected as the representative library on January 17^th, will supervise and support the province’s library policies until the new representative library has been constructed on the cultural facility site inside Paju Book City in 2014. The province is investing KRW 500 million to manage the representative library, install and manage a specialized data hall, and support the invitation of a national library contest to the representative library.

Paju Gyoha Library’s proximity to Paju Book City will improve the synergetic effects between the library and the publishing industry. In addition, the library is expected to help considerably in reducing the information gap in the northern part of Gyeonggi Province by providing specialized services that interface with the Imjingak Pavilion, the DMZ, the Heyri Art Valley, and the Gyeonggi English Village Paju Camp.

Major projects include the expansion of the province’s library infrastructure, provision of management support, establishment of library policy, provision of reading welfare support for the information-alienated, development of reading programs by lifecycle, expansion of the mobile library and digital contents supply, and the collection and preservation of province-related documents.

n particular, the Nobel Literature Exhibition Hall (337㎡) will be opened to convey hopes for the receipt of a Nobel Prize for Literature by a Korean. The hall will exhibit items from 108 Nobel Prize winning writers including books, photos, hand-written letters, and artworks. To enable all residents of the province to enjoy the Nobel literature exhibition, Gyeonggi Province plans to operate the Visiting the Nobel Literature Exhibition Hall program which will tour city and county libraries as well as schools and subway stations.

The province will also run the ‘I’m a Nobel Literature Prize Winning Writer’ literature creation and book report contest and the Nobel Literature Prize Aspiration program by inviting domestic writers.

In addition, with the nationwide participation of library personnel and students, the 2012 National Library Contest will be hosted in KINTEX of Goyang City from October 17 to 19 to commemorate the establishment of the representative library.◇ (Photo) Members of multicultural families pose for commemorative photos in the Multicultural Data Room in Namyangju City, Pyeongnae Library, with books related multiculture in their hands. ⓒ G-News Plus

Gyeonggi Province is expanding its library service support for the information-alienated who cannot use public libraries. There are currently 175 public libraries in the province, and 19 small libraries were established in farming and fishing villages, resident centers, and city halls last year with national funding of KRW 240 million and provincial funding of KRW 500 million.

In the 2012, the province will invest KRW 1.22 billion to expand library services for the information-alienated including soldiers, multicultural residents, and residents of farming/fishing villages.

In addition to the 18 military camp libraries established by the end of 2011, the province also plans to expand the operation of its ‘Connect with Writers’ and ‘Reading Carriage’reading programs for soldiers. Furthermore, Gyeonggi Province will expand its multicultural knowledge information service and undertake projects aimed at improving the reading environment for multicultural residents including the development of a multicultural electronic book, the production and distribution of contents for children, the operation of experience programs for multicultural families such as the ‘Pyeonghwa Nuri Reading Train,’ and the installation of a multicultural data room.

urthermore, sixteen small libraries will be established in information-alienated areas, and provincial support will be expanded from public facilities to private libraries experiencing management difficulties, thus providing the management budget to 270 small libraries.

In addition, the province is pursuing the ‘Happy Book’ sharing movement until February in a drive to improve the reading environment and revitalize the region’s reading culture by supplying books customized to each information-alienated segment of the population 365 days a year.

The ‘Happy Book’ sharing movement, undertaken by the Happy Library Foundation, is a project to collect books donated by provincial residents for distribution to information-alienated areas. This project avoids the traditional method of book donation consisting of unidirectional distribution from supplier to recipient. Rather, the movement is conducted using a customized supply method via a book-sharing homepage and SNS online promotion.

Approximately 70,000 books will be collected for distribution to around 70 organizations (approximately 1,000 books for each organization) including military camps in the province (20), regional children’s centers (20), small libraries (10), senior citizens’centers (20), Korean schools in the US (10), and Yanbian Korean schools in China (10).◇ Gyeonggi Province plans to establish 16 small libraries in information-alienated areas including farming and fishing villages and poor areas. ⓒ G-News Plus Heo Seon-ryang

The province will also host the Gyeonggi Province Public Library Evaluation Contest to identify and honor exceptional public libraries and their employees. The province will also continue to conduct the Gyeonggi Silver Reading Nanumi (previously, the Gyeonggi Senior Citizen’s Reading Guide’ project) program, whereby senior citizens receive three months of book-coaching education before visiting small libraries, regional children’s centers, and senior citizens’ centers in alienated areas in order to teach reading skills.

In 2011, the Gyeonggi Silver Reading Nanumi project received positive evaluation for creating ‘social’ jobs for senior citizens and revitalizing regional reading culture. Some 559 senior citizens (275 elementary, 284 intermediate) conducted book-coaching activities after receiving education for three months in 30 city and county public libraries.

Furthermore, the province plans to implement various projects to spread reading culture, including the production and promotion of reading programs for city and county libraries, establishment of an online community, and reading-related event support.

ⓒ G-News Plus News | Lim Jeong-seon isim123@hanmail.net

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