Gwangyang-si Wins 'Grand Prize' in 2021 Reading Academy Policy Evaluation

Published 14 Dec.2021 11:53(KST)

Gwangyang Jungma Library Solidifies Its Status as a Humanities Value Library

Gwangyang-si Wins 'Grand Prize' in 2021 Reading Academy Policy Evaluation

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Heo Seon-sik] On the 14th, Jungma Library in Gwangyang City, Jeollanam-do announced that it won the grand prize, the highest award, at the evaluation of the ‘2021 Reading Academy’ project hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and organized by the Korea Publication Culture Industry Promotion Agency, surpassing prominent competitors.

The Reading Academy is a national government-funded public project that actively encourages and supports humanities lectures to enhance the intellectual spirit of the entire nation and spread a reading culture in local communities.

This award was given after a strict evaluation of lecture content, citizen participation rate, promotion, and student satisfaction among about 100 institutions nationwide that conducted the 2021 Reading Academy project, selecting a total of 10 institutions (1 grand prize, 2 excellence awards, 7 merit awards), with Jungma Library honored with the grand prize.

Jungma Library, which has promoted the Reading Academy (formerly Humanities Reading Academy) policy project for eight consecutive years since 2014, had previously won the encouragement award in 2016, excellence awards in 2017 and 2018, and a merit award in 2019. By winning the grand prize this year, it has solidified its status as a humanities library.

Despite the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic from June to October this year, Jungma Library appropriately combined face-to-face and non-face-to-face (online) lectures, continuing a total of 16 lectures across three fields: philosophy, natural sciences, and social sciences.

In particular, focusing on the changing social phenomena brought by COVID-19, the lectures were conducted on timely topics such as ▲the phenomenon of the mind examined through a philosophical approach ▲coexistence of natural ecological environment and humans ▲ways to live happily and well together in a competitive society of survival of the fittest, attracting a total of 1,131 participants, showing greater citizen response than ever before.

In the government evaluation, Jungma Library seems to have received high scores for solidifying the project plan, flexible yet systematic operation amid COVID-19, number of students, formation and activities of clubs as follow-up meetings, customer satisfaction, and outstanding policy promotion.

Ko Geun-seong, Director of Library Operations, said, “According to Gwangyang City’s library specialization strategy, Jungma Library values the humanities and discovers and operates policies accordingly.”

He added, “We will not be satisfied with this grand prize and will continue to provide high-quality new reading services to repay the citizens’ support.”