"Practicality Gained and Comforted Through Books!"... Songpa Residents' Most Borrowed Picture Book 'Hayan Gae'

Songpa-gu Analyzes This Year's Book Loan Status... Loan Volume Up 13% Compared to Last Year
Top Loaned Book: Picture Book 'Hayan Gae'... Most Children's Books in Top 100...Distinct Preferences: 20s Literature, 30s Social Science, 50s+ Human Relations & Self-Reflection...Cooking Books Increase with Single-Person Households, OTT Boosts Interest in Drama Adaptations...Program Participation Up 16%...Libraries as Cultural Spaces in Daily Life

Songpa-gu (District Mayor Seo Gang-seok) announced on the 27th that this year’s analysis of residents’ reading preferences showed a tendency to read for comfort or to gain practical knowledge.

The district explained that with the recent reading boom increasing the number of residents visiting libraries, they decided to analyze reading trends. The data compared the operation status of 11 public libraries as of the third quarter of this year with the previous year.

In particular, the number of library visitors and the number of borrowed books increased by 9.7% and 13%, respectively, proving the reading boom. Compared to the previous year, the number of visitors increased by 115,212, and the number of borrowed books increased by 129,300.

The most borrowed book was the picture book White Dog. It is a 2023 new work by author Park Hyun-min, who won the Excellence Award at the 2021 Bologna International Children’s Book Fair. It is characterized by having a diverse readership ranging from children to adults.

Besides this, the top 1 to 50 borrowed books were occupied by infant and children’s books. Series such as Greek and Roman Mythology, Heunhan Nam-mae, and Tomorrow’s Experiment King were predominant.

On the other hand, reading preferences varied significantly by age group.

Looking mainly at adults, those aged 20-29 borrowed many literary books such as The Dollar Gut Dream Department Store, while those aged 30-39 showed high interest in social science fields like The Tropical Humanities Journey of a Mathematician. Those aged 40-49 mainly borrowed books for their children, such as The Faceless Thief and the Superhero. People aged 50 and above borrowed many books on self-reflection and human relationships, including Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence People, Are There Flowers That Don’t Bloom in the Spring Breeze?, and You Are Stronger Than Someone Who Has Had Nothing Happen.

Regarding these results, the district analyzed that young adults mainly read based on practical criteria such as personal taste and children’s needs, while those in their 50s and older read for emotional comfort or healing.

Results reflecting changes in the times also appeared. With the increase in single-person households, demand for cooking-related books such as Today, It’s Definitely a Rice Bowl increased, and with the spread of OTT (Over-the-top media service) usage, borrowing of drama original novels and movie scripts like Pachinko increased.

The number of participants in cultural lectures and other programs increased by 16% from the previous year to 390,461. This corresponds to 59% of Songpa-gu’s population. This means that six out of ten residents used libraries to participate in programs. The district expects the number of program users to reach 400,000 for the first time by the end of the year.

This indicates that libraries are expanding their function beyond simple book lending to become cultural spaces comfortably used in residents’ daily lives, the district explained.

In response to the reading boom, the district has continued efforts to improve library accessibility. At residents’ requests, the number of books that can be borrowed was increased from 5 to 7, and in December, the ninth smart library will be operated in Pungnap-dong. Additionally, unique projects such as the ‘Library Day Festival,’ ‘Outdoor Library,’ and ‘Ancient Civilization Birthplace Exploration Project’ were carried out.

Seo Gang-seok, Mayor of Songpa-gu, said, “I express my gratitude to the residents who have used the public libraries throughout the year,” and added, “Going forward, Songpa-gu will continue to strive to improve the reading environment so that residents can accumulate culture and knowledge through reading and learn various wisdoms of life.”