VOL.69/2024.04

 

[Book Space in Korean Media ④]

Namsan Public Library

A 100-Year-Old Treasure Chest

 

2023.01.02

 

In Namsan, which boasts beautiful scenery in the center of Seoul, there is a treasure chest that preserves valuable materials. It is a 100-year-old Namsan Public Libary, which has storage for invaluable materials, the first public library built in Seoul. West of Namsan Mountain, where Namsan Public Library is located, there are Ahn Jung-Geun Memorial Hall and Baekbeom Square, making it a perfect place to explore history together with the library. Also, along with the “Samsoon Stair” nearby, Namsan Public Library was used as the background for the drama “My Lovely Sam Soon” and “Encounter.” Now, let’s dive into Namsan Public Library and catch two birds – a historical and drama tour – with one stone!

 

 

A Cultural Space in the Library

 

As the reference room and the cultural space are separated by a stairway at the library, people can focus on the purpose of their visit. “Chungnabi Café (meaning blue butterfly)” on the first floor is organizing an exhibition that will last until January next year, commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Namsan Public Library. At the exhibition, you can see the 100-year history of the library in detail, from when it was built as “Gyeongseong Prefectural Library” in Myeongdong in 1922 to today. Apart from history, it also provides various information about the library, such as its architectural meaning. At the opposite end of the café is Namsan Gallery, which is an open exhibition area. Anyone can take part in an open competition to exhibit at the gallery, as it offers exhibition opportunities for regional cultural artists. The 10th FLY, an art exhibition, was held from November 22 to December 4.
Moving on to the second floor, there is a healing complex centered around the digital lounge. To celebrate the 100th anniversary, “Namsan Haneultteul,” which has been renovated recently, has created sculptures, benches, and chairs with fiberboard made from banners and waste clothing. It turned into a meaningful place by filling the space with eco-friendly structures using waste materials. The lobby of the digital lounge is an open space like a cafe, where anyone, alone or with friends, can come around and read books. Moreover, there is a permanent exhibition commemorating the 100th anniversary on the theme “100” and another exhibition where you can see “upcycled” domestic items used in “Namsan Haneultteul.” At the K-Culture Zone, you can experience K-POP in 3D, enjoy a K-POP star’s performance as if it were held live, and learn about Korean movies and literature that won prominent awards worldwide.
Furthermore, café Namsan 1922, which got its name from the year of the library’s establishment, displays the first edition of books published in each generation owned by Namsan Public Library. It also introduces books curated by local bookstores and those related to bibliotherapy. You can take photographs inside, which is decorated with props, and enjoy reading leisurely in a more comfortable and cozy atmosphere.

 

 

Library of Invaluable Materials

 

The Literature Room and the Korean Literature Material Room on the third-floor store all sorts of Korean literature and their translations. Apart from books, the rooms are also holding a special exhibition titled “Meet Books Hidden in the Shelves,” where you can meet old essays published a long time ago. Also, just like the name “Korean Literature Material Room,” the place displays signatures of Korean writers who visited the library. This place is also where the tvN drama “Encounter” was filmed. In the drama, which drew great popularity on Netflix, too, starring Park Bo-Gum and Song Hye-Kyo, the main male protagonist often appears reading a book. The Literature Room is the place in the scene where Park Bo-Gum reads the book.
In addition, a special exhibition titled “Reading Park Wan-Suh Through Flowers” will take place until January 2023 in the third-floor lobby outside the reference room. The book Reading Park Wan-Suh Through Flowers (Hangilsa) looks at the meaning of flowers in the books of writer Park Wan-Suh. Furthermore, the exhibition space in the lobby on the third floor is filled with meaningful literary books owned by Namsan Public Library, along with an overview of the history of Korean literature where you can see what kind of changes Korean literature has gone through at a glance.

 

 

On the fourth floor, there is the Humanities and Social Sciences Room and a permanent exhibition of Korea’s old textbooks used in schools. The “Kang Yoon-Ho Collection” inside the Humanities and Social Sciences Room displays materials donated by professor Kang Yoon-Ho at the Department of Korean Language and Literature, Ewha Womans University. You can find magazines and newspapers published in the past. In addition, there is a permanent exhibition of old textbooks in the lobby on the fourth floor, where you can get information about the history of Korean textbooks. Plus, go upstairs to the fifth floor, where there’s “Mokmyeokwan,” a treasure chest of all types of invaluable materials. While it is not possible to directly view the documents as they are designated as tangible and registered cultural heritages, you can read them through the touch screen.

 

 

Namsan Public Library is a repository of precious materials, including tangible and registered cultural heritage. It is also an open cultural space and gallery, greeting visitors in various ways. Plus, add other places nearby to your visit to add more colors – the library will become a more vibrant place, offering not only a nice trail to walk along but also a history trip and a drama trip. Just like Namsan Mountain, which changes its clothes every season, how about making unforgettable memories by walking along Namsan Public Library and nearby places that boast many different charms?

 

Namsan Public Library
Website: https://nslib.sen.go.kr/
Contact: +82-2-754-7338
Address: 109, Sowol-ro, Yongsan-gu, Seoul

 

 

 

 

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Written by Kim Jeong-Yeon