Opening of 'Sogeumnaru Library' in Yeomni-dong, Mapo-gu

Official Opening of Sogeumnaru Library on the 22nd, Pilot Operation from the 15th to 21st... First Media Creation Space 'Sangsangnaru' Established in Mapo District Library

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Although the salt boats that once gathered at Mapo Naru, a historic salt port, have disappeared, a new dream harbor carrying the future is arriving at Yeomni-dong, the nearby salt village, with the opening of the ‘Salt Village Library’.

Mapo-gu (Mayor Yoo Dong-gyun) announced that the Salt Naru Library (61-4 Yeomni-dong), which will serve as a cultural knowledge and relaxation space as well as a cultural complex, will officially open on the 22nd.

This is welcome news like rain in the dry season for the Ahyeon area, which has long lacked public library infrastructure. With the opening of Salt Naru Library, the district will be able to provide balanced library services, the announcement added.

Salt Naru Library was built within the Yeomni 2 District Residents’ Convenience Facility at 72 Sungmun-gil, with a total floor area of 2,646㎡, consisting of one basement floor and three above-ground floors (2nd and 3rd floors). It houses 32,000 volumes and has 189 reading seats, making it the second largest among the 14 Mapo-gu public libraries.

The library consists of various facilities including a General Reference Room (3rd floor), Children’s Reference Room (2nd floor), a media room called ‘Sangsang Naru’ (Imagination Harbor), a multipurpose room called ‘Modu Naru’ (Everyone’s Harbor), and meeting rooms and small lecture spaces named ‘Beot Naru’ and ‘Nuri Naru’.

Notably, Salt Naru Library is distinguished from other libraries by being the first Mapo-gu public library to establish a media creation space called ‘Sangsang Naru.’ Equipped with various devices including digital cameras, it features three studios (single-person, multi-person, and chroma key) and an editing room, providing residents with a space to create their own media content.

The district plans to specialize this space by offering customized media experience programs linked with the local community, actively utilizing it to enhance residents’ capabilities in acquiring knowledge and information in the new media era.

Additionally, based on user demand, the library will purchase 3,000 books annually to build a collection tailored to the local community. Through book curation with friendly themes such as K-content and art books, it aims to provide various opportunities for residents to become more familiar with books.

Furthermore, the library will offer material provision services such as interlibrary loan, build diverse online content including e-books and audiobooks, and operate various reading promotion programs based on organic cooperation with nearby educational institutions and local resources.

The Salt Naru Library opening ceremony will be held at 3 p.m. on the 22nd at the Yeomni 2 District Residents’ Convenience Facility. Prior to this, from the 15th to the 21st, a pilot operation will be conducted to proactively identify and address any operational issues.

Yoo Dong-gyun, Mayor of Mapo-gu, said, “Salt Naru Library, established as part of the Yeomni 2 District Residents’ Convenience Facility, was one of the key pledges of the 7th local government administration. I hope that Salt Naru Library will become a cultural knowledge and relaxation space in residents’ daily lives and a ‘dream harbor carrying the future.’”