VOL.69/2024.04

 

Korean Libraries’ Various Book-reading Activities
and Cooperation Efforts with the Publishing Industry

 

2023.11.06

 

 

 

Libraries are public service organizations that are easily accessible to anyone in their daily lives when it comes to reading activities. The Korean Library Act also defines a library as a place that contributes to the promotion of reading culture based on library materials. After the Korean government designated 1993 as the “Year of Books,” the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism and publishing organizations carried out vigorous campaigns to promote reading among the public. They pushed for the enactment of the “Reading Promotion Act (tentative title)” as a basis for more systematic and continuous promotion. In the process, as discussions progressed with the library community, the Libraries and Reading Promotion Act was enacted in 1994, which stipulated the contents of libraries and reading promotion activities together. As a result, “Reading Week,” which had been organized by the Korean Library Association (KLA) and promoted by government ministries and the publishing industry since 1955, evolved into “Reading Month” by decree.
Since then, the importance of such promotional activities has been further emphasized, and the awareness that reading activities are not limited to libraries has grown. Consequently, the Libraries and Reading Promotion Act was separated into the Library Act and the Reading Culture Promotion Act on April 5, 2007, to promote growth in each area, and to shift to an organic cooperation between libraries and reading promotion activities. As a result, reading promotion activities in Korea expanded beyond the realm of libraries to become a fundamental activity in all sectors of society. In particular, it served as an opportunity for the national and local governments to make active efforts to promote reading.

 

Korean libraries have been running various reading programs

 

Korean libraries carry out various reading programs on a regular basis. It can be seen in the “National Public Library Statistics Survey” the government conducts every year. In 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic made it difficult for libraries to provide full services, the number of programs and participants decreased significantly. Still, in 2021, when the pandemic situation began to improve, the number of programs started to increase again, and libraries are now offering more diverse programs. As of 2021, there were 58,144 programs (including online and offline and one-time programs), which is about 48 programs per library. The number of participants reached almost 13.6 million (11,256 per library). There are also many book clubs that are running in libraries. As of the end of 2021, there were 5,278 book clubs (4.4 per library) and 57,199 participants (about 48 per library).

 

 

Korean libraries conduct reading activities on a regular basis, but they also hold intensive reading programs when there are special occasions or issues related to books. The best example of this is Library Week, which is held annually from April 12-18 by the Korean Library Association (KLA). Started in 1964 to promote the value and necessity of libraries and lay the groundwork for a national reading campaign, Library Week has been a representative library event in Korea for 59 years. With the revision of the Library Act in 2022, the Korean government has been organizing the event in cooperation with the Presidential Committee on Library and Information Policy of Korea and the Korean Library Association since 2023. During the event week, public libraries across the country hold various programs to encourage citizens to be more active in reading. These programs, designed to suit each library’s unique conditions, include reading quiz contests, writing book reviews, drawing pictures for children’s books, exhibitions of original book illustrations, invited lectures by authors, and reading programs for the underprivileged and multicultural families.
From this year, in particular, the first day of Library Week, April 12, was designated as “Library Day” by law, and a library camp was organized at Gwanghwamun Square as the first event to promote various activities of libraries. You can check the Library Week website for a full list of events. Another special day is April 23, World Book and Copyright Day (“World Book Day”). Public and school libraries also organize various reading programs for this occasion. As Library Week and World Book Day are close to each other, there is a recent trend to combine the two events to prepare richer programs.

 

 

Another critical time of year for Korean libraries is September, which has been recognized by law as the “Reading Month” since 1994. With Library Week and World Book Day in the spring and Reading Month in the fall, libraries have actively supported citizens’ reading activities by planning and promoting various reading programs. During these periods, libraries organize meetings with authors, exhibitions, book talks, and experiential programs.
In addition, the “One City One Book” campaign has been actively carried out. First launched in Seattle, USA, in 1998, the program was introduced to Korea in 2003. Most of the programs are organized by local public libraries. Initially, the program was held in two cities, but since then, the number of participating regions has increased, reaching 107 in 2022. The Library on Road program, which consists of book readings, lectures by experts, and field trips, is also a significant focus for libraries. Currently, the Library on Road program is recognized as the most popular library-based humanities books reading program. Since 2019, the more in-depth program, Wisdom School, has also joined the program.

 

 

Various activities to promote reading in partnership with the library and publishing industries

 

Libraries’ various programs to promote reading require close cooperation with publishers. More specifically, the Korea Reading Festival and the Year of Books activities are promoted together. The Korea Reading Festival, now in its 10th year, is an important event that showcases various reading promotion activities in Korea in a new city every year. The host city’s libraries usually take the lead in organizing the event. Many authors, publishers, and book-reading organizations also participate in the festival and organize various programs. The festival has recently evolved into a year-round reading program involving the public and the festival itself (usually held for three days in the first week of September).
The Year of Books, which began in 2018, is another good example of where libraries and the publishing industry collaborate. Libraries, publishers, bookstores, literary and media communities, and more come together and set up an organizing committee to plan and promote the event. A specific age group is targeted each year, such as teenagers in 2020, those aged 60 and above in 2021, young adults in 2022, and those in their 40s and 50s in 2023, to promote in-depth reading programs. (However, it has not yet been decided whether the Year of Books will be organized in 2024.) In addition, regular cooperation between libraries and publishers that hold rights to authors or original artworks of books related to books necessary for reading is also well established. For example, a reading culture platform called “Bookseed” connects authors, publishers, and libraries (librarians) to support programs such as authors’ lectures and original artwork exhibitions by providing information about books. Many librarians have been participating in the publication of the School Library Journal, which has been a great support for reading activities in school libraries.

 

 

Recently, in Korea, there have been conflicts between the library community and the publishing industry over the establishment and expansion of the fixed book price law, the expansion of e-book services, and the review of the Public Lending Right system. However, they are facing common challenges of the times, such as the declining reading population and the recent increase in censorship behaviors to exclude certain books from libraries. At such a time, libraries and the publishing industry should be the leading actors in creating a book-reading society through greater cooperation and solidarity to help more citizens read and grow.

 

 

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Written by Lee Yong-Hun (Library culture critic)