"Even No.1 in Book Loans Not Satisfied" Yongin City to Build More Libraries

Five Public Libraries to Be Newly Established Within 4 Years... Five Others to Be Remodeled
"Library Membership to Increase by 35,000 Annually by 2028"

Yongin City in Gyeonggi Province will establish five public libraries over the next four years. Five aging existing libraries will undergo remodeling to expand the reading infrastructure.

Yongin City announced on the 17th that it has established the "2nd Basic Plan for the Development of Yongin City Libraries," which includes these details. This plan is a statutory plan formulated every five years according to the "Yongin City Municipal Library Management and Operation Ordinance." The current plan will serve as the foundation for the city's library policies from this year through 2028, reflecting the government's 4th Comprehensive Library Development Plan and the policy direction of the 8th elected administration.

The plan centers on four major strategies: ▲Libraries for everyone with free access ▲Community vitality through solidarity and cooperation platforms ▲Enhancing citizens' competitiveness as a Y-Knowledge Resource Hub ▲Preparation for the future through library innovation, encompassing 12 tasks and 32 implementation plans.

A view of Dongcheon Library in Yongin City, scheduled to open in September. The city plans to establish five new libraries and sequentially remodel five aging libraries by 2028.
[Photo by Yongin City]

In particular, the city will establish five public libraries in three district living areas by 2028, including the Dongcheon Library scheduled to open in September. With the addition of these five libraries, the total number of public libraries in Yongin City will increase to 24.

Public libraries that have aged over 20 years will be remodeled into new complex cultural spaces reflecting the latest trends and ICT information technology. Starting next year, remodeling will begin sequentially with Guseong Library and Central Library, followed by Jukjeon, Dongbaek, and Giheung Libraries.

In areas with poor access to public libraries, the city plans to expand "Smart Libraries" operating 365 days a year to up to 16 locations, allowing citizens to borrow and return books more conveniently.

The city plans to increase library membership, currently at 340,000, by 35,000 annually, expanding to 520,000 by 2028. To accommodate citizens who find it difficult to use libraries due to work or childcare, the city will implement matching reading groups, support for workplace library curation, and childcare book package support. Generation-tailored reading culture programs will also be provided, such as expanding the existing Book Start program for infants and toddlers to include the elderly.

To establish libraries as archives of local historical culture, the city will build a database (DB) for the permanent preservation of library publications, local materials, and specialized resources. It will also expand cooperative projects such as direct lending systems for mutual growth with neighborhood bookstores and collaboration between libraries and schools. Additionally, the city plans to increase the library collection to 2.79 million volumes, raising the number of books per citizen to 2.5.

Meanwhile, Yongin has ranked first in book loans among local governments nationwide for six consecutive years. Last year, the number of public library loans reached 6,021,903 volumes, which is 38.8% higher than Seongnam City's 4,337,612 volumes, ranked second. Among the top 50 libraries in Gyeonggi Province last year, 12 of Yongin's 19 libraries were included.

Mayor Lee Sang-il of Yongin said, "To actively respond to the citizens' strong passion for reading, we have established plans to expand public libraries and encourage reading. We will do our best to support citizens so that they can lead happier lives through library use and reading by faithfully implementing this plan."