Exit 5 of Chungjeongno Station, Smart Unmanned Library Installed on the 1st Floor of Jungnim-dong Community Center

A Collaborative Creation Born from Jungnim-dong Resident Center in Jung-gu, Seoul and Local Residents' Ideas... 506 New Books Mainly for Adults, 212 Books for Housewives Including Parenting, Learning, Novels, and Essays Available

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Jung-gu (Mayor Seo Yang-ho) installed smart unmanned libraries at two locations on the 28th of last month: near Exit 5 of Chungjeongno Station on Line 2 and on the first floor resting area of the Community Service Center.

The smart unmanned library is a new concept of unmanned automated book service that allows users to borrow and return desired books without visiting the library, making it convenient for office workers to use during their commute.

This project was born from the ideas of the Jungnim-dong Community Service Center, which has been communicating openly with residents and discussing neighborhood issues, and the local residents. Since last year, the district has granted budget allocation authority to the community service centers, enabling direct reflection of residents' demands in project implementation.

Jungnim-dong gathered residents' opinions to install the libraries in places with heavy foot traffic but no nearby libraries, and where many parents have young children in preschool or elementary school. Chungjeongno Station and the Community Service Center were selected as optimal locations. According to the characteristics of each site, 506 new adult books were stocked at Chungjeongno Station, and 212 books for housewives including childcare, learning, novels, and essays were placed at the Community Service Center.

Anyone holding a membership card of the Seoul Jung-gu Integrated Library can use the service. Those who wish to obtain a membership card can visit any library in Jung-gu with their ID to get one. Up to two books can be borrowed per person for 14 days. However, returns must be made at the device from which the books were borrowed. For inquiries, contact the Jungnim-dong Community Service Center.

Jungnim-dong plans to strengthen reading clubs and reading culture programs through the operation of the smart unmanned library and is preparing various activities to spread reading culture. By enhancing both offline and online communities simultaneously and sharing diverse information such as books and movies, they aim to brand a unique reading culture for Jungnim-dong.

Seo Yang-ho, Mayor of Jung-gu, stated, "Changes are gradually happening in the neighborhood through residents' proposals. Projects reflecting residents' needs and demands are continuously being discovered. We will continue to promote lifestyle-oriented projects closely connected to residents' lives, such as the smart unmanned library project that allows borrowing books within a 10-minute walk from anywhere."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.