As s cultural space which co-parenting children ... Library is a small town

On last 29^th, in a children library, ‘Mom reading book, Kids reading book’ which is located in Haengdang Seongdong-gu, Seoul, children are reading a book that they picked individually while sitting or lying comfortably. Reporter Bong Kyu Kim bong9@hani.co.kr

A small library

(The first part) Mom reading book, Kids reading book

Building a small library is fashion. Small library began to emerge across the country since the late 1990s to solve childcare and education problems and to make community culture. A small library does not mean only simply small-scale library but also a base of a village community and a cultural space that residents can participate in.

Central and local governments have been moving briskly to create a small library as well as a private organization. On the last July, the mayor of Seoul, Won Soon Park announced that he would establish about 500 small libraries and city libraries by 2030. Last month, even in the Seoul citizen participation budget system which was the first time, it organized 2.832 billion Won for 6 small library projects in five autonomous regions including Kangbuk • Nowon-gu.

We will inspect various looks of small libraries which have been doing noticeable activities through 3 times.

Mother Goose • Witch soup • Beetles..

Moving away from the center of reading, loan, and returning place

Accomplishing a civilian community fitting in with the books

A small library is one of the cultural movements.

30s and 40s dozens of women gathered at a two-story building in Haengdang Seongdong-gu, Seoul on 29^th in the morning. Each of them is a president of an organization. They are present of Mother Goose, Witch soup, and crayon. Like their names, their common business goal of the organizations seems unfamiliar. ‘A neighbor community nurtures children together like our tradition, Pumatyi’. A small sign is attached at the entrance to the building. ‘Mom reading book, Kids reading book’. This is a small library which was built by a director, So Hee Kim (45) in 2001 at her own expense. That day the women mainly discussed coming winter vacation program for children. For several years, the director Kim has done children's Humanities • science courses every day from 10 am to 12 noon during school holidays with college student volunteers. However there is an opinion that we should make children play and sleep more, so she said she decided to change the curriculum drastically. During the meeting, sometime the presidents were laughing or not and they became serious or not because they are the mothers of the libraries.

In fact, this library is the father of libraries which recently have been built competitively in each borough. The director Kim who had been told scolding such as ‘You make a library?’, ‘How scale is it?’ ‘How many librarians are working for it? ‘said that she was not in a good emotional state about this recent trend. Autonomous community only thinks a small library as the size of it. They consider it as a project that they can do themselves proud easily without a lot of money. However, when we compare it with a big library which is focus on reading, loan, and returning place, a small library coordinates with books and makes a civilian community and is name which is coming from one cultural movement which changes a local society.

Mother Goose and Witch soup which was made by moms who considered their children’s Pumatyi education are six or seven families’ community. There are 15 small groups and they play the part of a molecules in each regional village community. ‘Beetles’ is a meeting for a Saturday-off program according to the five-day school week in 2002. Children who were first grade of elementary school at that time now become high school senior in this year. Biweekly Saturday-off plan grew bigger to the Baekdusan travel which was planned by the whole family for a half of year. Mother Goose which was made by kindergarten moms who worried about private English education has been existed for 10 years. Witch soup in which 7-year-old children and mothers made a video picture book twice a year has been existed for 11 years. As the child grew, the sight of parents, the range of the community activities has been broadened. A small group, 'Dahami' became a local volunteer group.

A library, ‘Mom reading book, Kids reading book’ is used by about 900 families. And there are about 300 sponsoring families who can borrow the books while donating 5000 ~ 10,000 Won per month. The library is the small village.

Seoul Metropolitan Government counted the total number of small library to 764 and in this year new 16 places has been built more for six months. Past Saemaeul Books, Book Cafe, libraries according to Library of Law 33 ~ 263 ㎡ are included. Seoul Metropolitan Government said that they will use the book cafes as a base space of the village community so they used the small library budget, 25 billion Won which was made up as one of the village community projects for building many book cafes. The director Kim said that it is hard to make a change by remodeling Saemaeul Books to a book café or a small library and she said the most important thing is not the number of it but the change of operators or mind.

Reporter, Lim, In - Taek imit@hani.co.kr

Original URL: http://www.hani.co.kr/arti/society/area/558104.html

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