Gwanak-gu's 'Neighborhood Bookstore Direct Loan System' 1st Anniversary... Results?

Over One Year, 10,377 Citizens Borrowed 14,197 Books... Returned Books Used as Public Library Collections... Significantly Increasing Citizen Reading Opportunities and Contributing to Revitalizing Local Bookstores and Regional Economy

[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] The ‘Neighborhood Bookstore Direct Loan System,’ launched last year as a campaign pledge of Park Jun-hee, Mayor of Gwanak-gu during the 7th local government term, marked its first anniversary on June 10.

The ‘Neighborhood Bookstore Direct Loan System,’ implemented for the first time in Seoul by Gwanak-gu (Mayor Park Jun-hee), is a service that allows residents to borrow and return books they want to read directly at nearby neighborhood bookstores without having to visit the library.

Books borrowed and returned through the ‘Neighborhood Bookstore Direct Loan System’ are purchased by public libraries, registered as part of their collection, and stocked accordingly.

Residents can use neighborhood bookstores like public libraries, and neighborhood bookstores, which have faced difficulties securing sales channels due to the expansion of online distribution networks, benefit from increased user numbers leading to higher sales, creating a win-win effect that revitalizes bookstore operations.

In June last year, the district signed agreements with seven local bookstores registered as members of the Korea Bookstore Association and launched the ‘Neighborhood Bookstore Direct Loan System’ service.

Since the launch, the total number of users has reached 10,377, with 14,197 books borrowed (as of June 9, 2020), showing steady popularity among residents.

Mr. Kim, a resident of Gwanak-gu in his 50s who frequently uses the direct loan system, said, “I can receive the books I want at the bookstore within 2 to 3 days, and I find it convenient to borrow new releases and bestsellers, which are usually not available at libraries, as new books. Also, I feel the unique comfort of neighborhood bookstores that cannot be experienced through online purchases, which makes me visit more often.”

Above all, a notable achievement is the increase in sales at neighborhood bookstores. Residents who come to borrow reserved books often browse the bookstore and purchase books they did not reserve, which adds to the sales.

Seong Byung-chan, CEO of Dream Bookstore, which operates a neighborhood bookstore, said, “Local neighborhood bookstores mainly sold study materials for students, but since participating in the ‘Neighborhood Bookstore Direct Loan System,’ sales of novels and humanities books have increased. Sales have risen from twice to three times compared to before participating in the project.”

Especially, when all local libraries temporarily closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the ‘Neighborhood Bookstore Direct Loan System’ effectively played the role of a library among book lovers.

In April, when COVID-19 was rampant, the number of users at local bookstores reached 1,607, about twice the monthly average of 840 users.

In response to the increasing demand for the direct loan system, the district expanded the loan limit from 2 books per loan to 5 books starting September last year and extended the loan period from 1 week to 2 weeks.

The book purchase budget was also increased by 60% from 50 million won last year to about 80 million won this year, all of which was spent on book purchases for the direct loan system in the first half of the year. The budget shortfall caused by the surge in demand due to COVID-19 will be supplemented using 50 million won from the city’s book purchase budget in the future.

Additionally, the district is encouraging not only public libraries but also private libraries and reading clubs supported by book purchase budgets to actively use neighborhood bookstores, focusing on stabilizing the operation of the struggling neighborhood bookstores and revitalizing the local economy.

Anyone who is a regular member of the Gwanak-gu Integrated Library, regardless of residence, can apply for the ‘Neighborhood Bookstore Direct Loan System’ reservation through the Gwanak-gu Integrated Library website or app. Currently, seven neighborhood bookstores, including Dream Bookstore and Daemin Bookstore, are participating in the project, and the number of participating bookstores is planned to expand to nine by 2021.

Mayor Park Jun-hee said, “Since the ‘Neighborhood Bookstore Direct Loan System’ has received great love from citizens over the past year, we plan to increase participating bookstores and strengthen promotion so that more citizens can use the direct loan system. I hope that the ‘Neighborhood Bookstore Direct Loan System,’ which increases citizens’ reading opportunities and revitalizes the operation of struggling local bookstores, will be expanded to more local governments and contribute to the activation of neighborhood bookstores in the region.”

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