Yongin City Opens 14th 'Smart Library' at Mabuk-dong Administrative Welfare Center

Book Lending and Returning Available 24/7 Year-Round
Lee Sang-il: "Continuous Expansion of Library Infrastructure"

Yongin City in Gyeonggi Province announced on the 14th that it has installed and started operating the 14th branch of the 'Smart Library' at the Mabuk-dong Administrative Welfare Center in Giheung-gu. The 'Smart Library' is an unmanned book lending and returning machine that citizens who find it difficult to visit libraries can use 24/7 throughout the year.

Lee Sang-il, Mayor of Yongin, is borrowing a book at the 'Smart Library' opened at the entrance of Mabuk-dong Administrative Welfare Center. Photo by Yongin City

The Smart Library installed at the entrance of the Administrative Welfare Center is stocked with about 200 books, including popular books, this year's books selected by citizens, and children's books. Gyeonggi residents who hold a Yongin City library membership card can borrow up to three books per person for 14 days. If you do not have a membership card, you can issue a mobile membership card on the Yongin City library website.

Accordingly, the number of Smart Libraries in Yongin City has increased to 14 locations: five in Cheoin-gu (City Hall, Jungang Market Station, Yurim-dong Yubang Children's Park, Yeokbuk-dong and Wonsam-myeon Administrative Welfare Centers), five in Giheung-gu (Giheung Station, Bojeong, Giheung, Sanggal, and Mabuk-dong Administrative Welfare Centers), and four in Suji-gu (Jukjeon Station, Seongbok Station, Sinbong and Dongcheon-dong Administrative Welfare Centers).

Yongin City is evaluated as having the highest level of library infrastructure and usage performance nationwide. There are 19 libraries, and the number of library members is 404,683, accounting for 37% of the citizens. The annual number of borrowed books exceeds 6 million. Suji Library ranked first in the number of loans among public libraries nationwide, and 12 public libraries in Gyeonggi Province are included in the top 50 for loan numbers.

Lee Sang-il, Mayor of Yongin City, said, "Last year, about 22,000 citizens borrowed nearly 40,000 books using the Smart Library," adding, "We will continue to expand library infrastructure so that citizens can lead happy lives through reading."