[Current & Culture] The Value of Small Libraries in Mapo-gu

Mapo-gu, Seoul, has decided to close nine of its 'small libraries' within the district. These are small-scale libraries with collections of over 1,000 books and at least six reading seats. I heard this news from a librarian teacher in Gangwon-do. He told me he felt frustrated and added a self-deprecating remark, questioning whether we should tell children not to read books but only to study.

This seems to be the will of Park Gang-su, the mayor of Mapo-gu. On YouTube on the 14th, he said the following:

"The reason people are leaving Mapo is that their children cannot get into good universities. I went to beg the presidents of Hongik University and Sogang University. I asked them to create systems that lower the barriers for local residents."

I was born and raised in Mapo-gu. Fortunately, the Mapo Central Library was nearby, and on weekends, I would go there with friends to read books or study for exams. Although I did not go very often, having such a space near home was reassuring. Sometimes I would pile up books, read only a few lines, and return them; in fact, I probably spent more time going out to eat ramen or tteokbokki. However, there was definitely an excitement there that a study room could not provide. Inside, I felt free and spent a period of my life with the feeling that I could become anything.

The current Mapo Central Library, like other large libraries, is an excellent space. It houses about 220,000 volumes and many facilities, making it a complex cultural space. Even if all the small libraries were closed except for this one, it might not be a big problem. However, not all Mapo residents can easily use it. In fact, a space where one can walk from home to borrow and return books requested through interlibrary loan is more necessary. My wife, busy with childcare, and my friends in similar situations mainly use small libraries near their homes. How precious is a library where a mother can say, "Mom, I’ll just borrow a book for a moment," and leave the children behind? The Mapo-gu mayor said more reading rooms are needed to help students get into universities, but that can be addressed by creating separate spaces or supporting small libraries to expand reading room areas. That cannot be a reason to close small libraries.

Mapo is also a symbolic place related to books. I take pride in that the place where I was born and raised is at the forefront of culture. My first book was published by Eunhaengnamu Publishing, located in Mapo-gu, and my most recent book was published by Galapagos Publishing, right next to the Mapo-gu Office. Although many publishers have now moved to Paju, when I was a child reading books, looking at the copyright pages, many publishers’ headquarters were in Mapo. Perhaps because of this, many writers live in Mapo-gu. There is a joke that if you call out "Writer!" while walking in Seogyo-dong, half of the people walking will turn around, and if you call out "Editor!" the other half will turn around. Therefore, it is even sadder that Mapo-gu is leading the decision to reduce budgets not only for small libraries but for libraries in general. Saying that reducing libraries and building more reading rooms will make it a desirable neighborhood is so unlike Mapo.

I hope small libraries increase. We should become a Korea where you can reach a library and reading room within a five-minute walk. Of course, spaces where students can study affordably are also necessary. Then I hope more support is given to the small libraries scattered here and there to expand reading room spaces. I am willing to pay more taxes for that.

Kim Min-seop, Social and Cultural Critic