Hanam-si Operates Academy to Enhance Practical Skills of Private Small Library Staff, Gaining Attention

Hanam City is operating a variety of programs aimed at strengthening the practical skills of operators and volunteers working at private small libraries within the city.

Hanam City, Gyeonggi Province (Mayor Lee Hyun-jae) is gaining attention for operating diverse programs aimed at strengthening the practical skills of operators and volunteers working at private small libraries within the city.

According to Hanam City on the 17th, the city will run the "2024 Small Library Academy," a series of four educational programs on planning and operating cultural programs for small libraries, on September 26 and 27, and October 4 and 25, to enhance the operational expertise of 63 private small libraries in the area.

The Small Library Academy is an educational program designed to strengthen the capabilities of practitioners managing small libraries. This year, Hanam City conducted a preliminary demand survey among small library operators in the first half of the year to identify desired topics and programs, inviting experts in various fields to provide customized education tailored to the needs of practitioners.

Accordingly, this year Hanam City operated three educational sessions under the Small Library Academy with the themes: ▲ Small Libraries that Help Me Grow (Jeong Gi-won, Chairman of the Korea Small Library Association, September 26) ▲ Operation and Planning of Small Library Cultural Programs (Instructor Park Young-joo, September 27) ▲ How to Organize Fun and Meaningful Reading Groups (Writer Won Hana, October 4).

On the 25th, the course "Spending Time with Materials," which teaches systematic collection management, will be held (Ryu Ban-di, Adjunct Professor, Department of Library, Media, and Information, Daelim University).

Applications and inquiries for the "Spending Time with Materials" course can be made by contacting the Hanam City Library Operations Division.

Park Seon-kyung, head of the Library Operations Division, said, "The Small Library Academy was established to revitalize the operation of municipal small libraries and lay the foundation for growing together with local residents. Especially, the upcoming session on the 25th will provide valuable knowledge on systematic collection management and cultural program operation, so we ask for active participation and interest."

Meanwhile, Hanam City is investing its own budget to support the activation of 64 small libraries (1 public, 63 private) by building and supporting "Ezentouch," a library management system that allows small libraries to share books and manage them systematically.

In addition, to encourage citizens to actively use small libraries, the city supports the production of signboards for newly opened small libraries and conducts various support projects such as purchasing and delivering books annually.

Citizens who want to know about the operation information of small libraries in their neighborhood can visit the Hanam City Public Library website for details.