Borrow Books at the Smart Library! ... Pohang City, Contactless Book Lending

With a city library membership card or ID, anytime

Access to 9 locations including Pohang Medical Center, Marine Park, and Cheolgil Forest

Pohang City Hall, Gyeongbuk.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Seryeong] The Pohang City Small Library in Gyeongbuk is operating a smart library to implement contactless book lending.

The smart library is an unmanned library that enhances user convenience by automating lending and return tasks through the introduction of a 'book automatic return sorter' using RFID, a wireless radio frequency identification technology.

The smart library, which started in 2017 with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism's U-Library service project, is currently operating in a total of nine locations, including Pohang Medical Center and Cheolgilsup Smart Library.

Smart libraries are mainly operated in areas where public institutions and public libraries are far away and difficult to use, aiming to allow citizens' cultural activities to be free from physical constraints.

Smart libraries at Songra-myeon Administrative Welfare Center, Pohang Medical Center, Semyung Christian Hospital, Marine Park, and Cheolgilsup operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, while the smart library at the community center of Hyeonjin Ebeobil Apartment in Jangseong-dong, Buk-gu, is available from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. without holidays.

Smart libraries located in institutions such as Ocheon-eup Citizens Welfare Center, Indeok-dong Eoullim Welfare Center, and Duho-dong Senior Welfare Center have usage hours set according to each institution's operating hours.

Each library holds 300 to 500 volumes, including users' requested books, new releases, and popular books, and borrowed books must be returned at the smart device from which they were lent.

Books can be borrowed by presenting a city library membership card, and at Pohang Medical Center, Senior Welfare Center, Marine Park, Semyung Christian Hospital, and Hyeonjin Ebeobil, up to two books per person can be borrowed for two weeks with an ID card.

A library official said, "We hope the smart library will serve as a foothold for a reading culture free from time and space constraints," adding, "We will do our best to provide user-centered customized services."

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