Installation of a '24-Hour Unmanned Library' at the Entrance of Gangbuk Culture and Arts Center Plaza

Available 365 Days a Year, 600 Popular Books Preferred by Residents Available

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Gangbuk-gu (Mayor Park Kyum-soo) will officially operate a 24-hour unmanned intelligent library where books can be easily borrowed anytime starting from the 5th.

The unmanned library is an intelligent library where users can borrow and return books 24/7 by themselves. It provides a non-face-to-face automated service suitable for the COVID-19 era.

It is located at the entrance plaza of Gangbuk Culture and Arts Center (85 Samgaksan-ro).

Any member of the Gangbuk-gu public library or Seoul Citizen Card app members can use the intelligent library. After finding the desired book using the touch screen, users simply scan the barcode on their public library membership card or Seoul Citizen Card on the reader. The Citizen Card is an application that allows integrated use of public facilities within the Seoul area.

Like a regular library, books can be borrowed anytime without a separate reservation process. Borrowing is allowed for 2 books per person for 14 days, and the loan period can be extended once for an additional week. If borrowed books are not returned on time, borrowing will be prohibited for a period calculated by multiplying the number of overdue days by the number of books. Book returns are only possible at the unmanned library device.

The district has stocked 600 new and recommended books in the intelligent library. The books were selected based on loan records from the district’s public cultural information center, reflecting residents’ preferences. An additional 600 books will be added in the second half of the year. The district plans to analyze frequently borrowed materials to assist in purchasing new books.

For inquiries, contact the Gangbuk Cultural Information Library.

Mayor Park Kyum-soo of Gangbuk-gu said, “The unmanned intelligent library is a place where people can safely and conveniently borrow books non-face-to-face in the COVID-19 era. We will strive to create an environment where residents can enjoy reading anywhere.”

Meanwhile, separate from the intelligent library, the district has been operating the U-Library service using subways since 2011. The U-Library allows users to search the holdings of all public libraries on the website and borrow and return books at nearby subway stations.

Currently, the U-Library service is available at Subway Line 4 (Suyu Station, Mia Station, Miasageori Station) and the Ui-Sinseol Urban Railway (Gaori Station, Solsaem Station, 4.19 Democracy Cemetery Station). It has also been established at Mia-dong Complex and Gangbuk Cultural Information Library.

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