Heating Costs of 600 Million KRW Provided to 323 Small Libraries in Gyeonggi-do as 'Cold Weather Shelters'

Gyeonggi Province will support operating expenses for 'Cold Weather Shelters' in small libraries.

Gyeonggi Province announced on the 16th that it plans to alleviate the financial burden on small libraries caused by rising heating and cooling costs by promoting the 'Small Library Heatwave and Cold Weather Shelter Operation Project.' This year, it will invest 600 million KRW to support heating and cooling expenses and the purchase of heating and cooling equipment for 323 small libraries in 27 cities and counties.

Gyeonggi Province is providing heating cost support to small libraries in the region in preparation for the severe cold season. Photo by Gyeonggi Province

Heating expenses include electricity and gas bills from January to March and November to December, as well as promotional costs for the cold weather shelter guide.

Small libraries are small-scale, community-based libraries that provide books and various cultural activity programs to local residents. There are a total of 1,626 such libraries in the province.

Park Min-gyeong, Director of the Library Policy Division of Gyeonggi Province, said, "Through this heating expense support, we hope small libraries will become spaces that deliver the warmth of reading to local residents."