‘The Love to Come? Loving Life in the Era of COVID and Climate Crisis?’

Mapo-gu Seogang Library invites CBS PD writer Jeong Hye-yoon for a session on essential stories for us now and how to start and share them together

[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] Mapo-gu (Mayor Yoo Dong-gyun) has prepared a special program to help residents exhausted by the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) as the Mapo-gu Sogang Library (hereafter Sogang Library) celebrates its 13th anniversary this year.

Opened in February 2008 with an area of 1,185㎡ and 220 seats, Sogang Library has grown into a substantial library housing over 70,000 volumes over the past 13 years.

Recognized for its contribution to revitalizing the local residents' reading culture, it has been selected several times as an excellent public library. In January last year, through remodeling, it introduced the maker space ‘Haebom’ and the publishing creative space ‘Book C’ to attempt a new transformation.

Considering the COVID-19 situation, the 13th anniversary special program is prepared for non-face-to-face participation. On the 20th at 2 p.m., the 'Library Invitation Seat' will host writer Jeong Hye-yoon, a CBS radio PD and author of 'The Love to Come,' 'Geniuses of Privacy,' and 'Anyway, Memo,' under the theme ‘The Love to Come? What It Means to Love Life in the Era of COVID and Climate Crisis.’ This session will provide time to contemplate how to start and share stories that are essential to us now.

Following this, the Sogang Library’s representative program ‘Reading Human, Homo Bookus’ will conduct a six-week ‘Reading with Romain Gary’ session starting from the 25th, with French language specialist translator Baek Seon-hee as a mentor.

Reading programs for children on spring break are also prepared in various ways according to grade levels.

For pre-elementary school 4th and 5th graders entering adolescence, the program ‘Write Your Own Playful Word Game’ will be held in four sessions starting from the 18th. At the maker space ‘Haebom,’ the passive program ‘Ppirippiri? Reply Haebom!’ is planned to maximize creativity by allowing pre-elementary school 3rd to 6th graders to create activities on their own.

Meanwhile, Mapo Central Library is also operating a special program ‘Mapo Reading Family’ to promote residents’ reading culture and support local bookstores.

‘Mapo Reading Family’ is a program open to all Mapo-gu residents and local bookstores, connecting clubs with similar themes and characteristics to bookstores on a 1:1 basis, calling them ‘families’ (家門), and supporting reading activities for one year.

Mapo Central Library supports ▲ lending books necessary for reading clubs (worth about 1 million KRW per club) ▲ and enables each family to operate one linked program annually (such as author invitations, workshops, etc.).

The bookstores linked to each club provide ▲ venues for reading clubs and linked programs ▲ and coaching for reading clubs, serving as spaces for communication through books.

Eligibility for application includes local bookstores in Mapo-gu and reading clubs composed of 10 to 15 local residents. Bookstores can apply by the 17th, and clubs from February 23 to March 12.

For more details, inquiries can be made to the Library Operations Team at Mapo Central Library.

Yoo Dong-gyun, Mayor of Mapo-gu, said, “Currently, residents are continuing a frustrating daily life with many restrictions due to COVID-19,” adding, “I hope that Mapo-gu’s diverse and rich library cultural programs and good books can be a source of rest and vitality in residents’ lives.”

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