Nowon-gu Hosts 'Architecture Insight' Presented by Human Books

A Special Library Where People Become Books: 15 Years of the Human Library
April Guest: Architecture Expert "Human Book Park Kyung-mo" to Speak at 2 p.m. on the 12th at Nowon Central Library, 1st Floor Dain Jeongdam

Nowon-gu (Mayor Oh Seung-rok) announced that it will hold a Human Library invitation event titled "Architectural Insights Told by Human Books" in celebration of Library Day.

The Human Library is a new concept library service that designates individuals with specific experiences and knowledge as "Human Books," allowing people to access them as if browsing books in a library. When a reader selects a Human Book in their desired field, they sit face-to-face and freely converse to explore the wisdom and stories held by the Human Book.

The April guest of the Human Library, which currently has about 800 registered Human Books including Mayor Oh Seung-rok of Nowon-gu, is architecture expert "Human Book Park Kyung-mo." Human Book Park Kyung-mo will share professional insights on library architecture trends and the operation services of the Human Book Library with local residents.

On the 12th, Library Day, from 2 p.m., residents can have a conversation with Human Book Park Kyung-mo at the first-floor Dain Jeongdam of Nowon Central Library. A classical guitar performance by "Duo Hyun" will also be held on the same day. Residents wishing to participate can apply through the Nowon-gu Public Library website by noon on the 10th.

This Human Book invitation event is special because starting next year, marking the 15th anniversary of the Nowon Human Library’s opening, an additional "Human Book Library" is being established in the Sanggye-dong Nowon Station area youth housing for stable operation. This will include ▲a dedicated space for Human Book browsing ▲a materials reading room and lounge ▲a youth media creation space ▲an education room ▲a music listening room, among other facilities.

Opened in 2012 as the nation’s first, the Nowon Human Library has been actively operating, with 7,000 users last year. It fosters communication and empathy through various channels such as the monthly "Human Book of the Month" curation program, on-demand 1:1 or 1:many browsing, and career exploration future empathy programs linked with local schools. While continuously conducting capacity-building programs for Human Books, it has also operated non-face-to-face platforms via podcasts and YouTube since 2022.

In celebration of Library Day and Library Commemoration Week in April, the district is also running a new member registration event. Among those who newly register at the Nowon-gu Public Library during April, 10 people will be selected by lottery to receive library goods.

Mayor Oh Seung-rok said, "Communication and empathy that share the scent of people are values that future library communities should pursue beyond acquiring knowledge. We will strive to elevate the quality of reading culture where people and books coexist, not only through Library Day commemorative events but also through the upcoming Human Book Library."