Support for the construction and operation costs of public libraries in Seoul
This year, a budget of 38.5 billion won is supported
· Written by : So-Won Park. Journalist.
In accordance with the “Second Seoul Library Development Comprehensive Plan
(2019-2023),” Seoul is striving to develop a balanced public library so that all citizens can enjoy the knowledge culture without any deviation between regions in Seoul, Korea.
The Seoul City has provided support for the construction and operation of public libraries in 25 autonomous districts to improve the library infrastructure and usage environment so that citizens can enjoy quality library services, and plans to support 38.5 billion won in
budget this year.
First, we support the construction of autonomous district public libraries to create a city where all citizens can walk to the library. In 2019, a total of 5 libraries were provided with 5,244 billion won, and this year, 15 libraries were provided with 22 billion won, which
significantly increased the library and budget.
It also supports facility improvement in public libraries in aging autonomous districts. It is expected to provide 2,661 billion won to five places, including the Gangbuk Youth Culture Information Library. In addition to simple library facilities improvement, a project to create a specialized space that citizens can use in various ways will also be promoted.
For the special space creation project, 15 libraries in 12 autonomous districts applied for
the project through a public offering of autonomous districts, and 8 libraries were selected in March 2020 to support 650 million won.
Public library construction, remodeling, and space improvement projects are selected for
support by considering balanced regional development as a top priority.From 2019 to
2025, a total of 136 libraries, including 66 libraries, remodeling and space improvement
70, will be built and maintained. Plan.
In addition to this, the Seoul Metropolitan Government annually provides administrative
expenses and book purchase expenses to public libraries and small libraries in
autonomous districts, and this year's operating budget is 13.2 billion won. Library
operation support is being promoted to form a library policy environment by
supplementing the finances of each autonomous district library.
The government plans to provide 7,87 billion won (152) for public libraries, 770 million
won (385) for small public and private libraries, 800 million won (9) for the disabled library, and 3.7 billion won (22) for the Office of Education library.
Operational subsidies are differentiated through evaluation based on indicators such as
the degree of financial independence of autonomous districts, the rate of securing legal
librarians, and the integration of city- and ward administration policies. With the supported budget, we intend to expand the collection of public libraries using local bookstores and strengthen the communication and cooperation system with users.
Jeong-Soo Lee, head of Seoul Library, said, “This 'Public Library Construction and
Operation Support' contributes to improving the use environment and qualitative growth of public libraries, so that all citizens can enjoy library services equally. I look forward to
going.”
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