Nowon-gu to Promote 2022 Reading Community Support Project 'Chaek.Mo.Mo'... Recruitment Until the 24th

'Book Gathering Group' "ChaekMoMo" Project Application Open Until March 24, Selecting 40 Teams... 500,000 KRW Reading Support Fund, Increased Autonomy by Removing Spending Restrictions, Collaboration with Public Libraries

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Nowon-gu (Mayor Oh Seung-rok) is conducting the 2022 “Meetings Gathered by Books” (hereafter referred to as Chaekmomo) project, a support program to revitalize reading communities, and is recruiting participants until the 24th.

Chaekmomo, a Nowon-style reading community support project, was established to expand personal reading into social reading by providing opportunities for communication and discussion among residents, moving beyond simple book reading.

The district will select a total of 40 resident reading groups and provide each group with 500,000 KRW in activity funds along with education and discussion programs.

Eligible applicants are reading groups of four or more members residing in Nowon-gu or based in Nowon-gu. Applications are only accepted if the group representative and at least 50% of the group members are Nowon-gu residents.

This year, reflecting last year’s survey results from reading communities, the restriction limiting book purchase expenses to 50% or less of the total support funds has been lifted, allowing the entire activity fund to be used for book purchases, thereby increasing the autonomy of the groups.

In addition to activity funds, various other supports are provided. Librarians from seven public libraries in Nowon-gu are assigned to each group to help utilize the libraries’ infrastructure and content.

Furthermore, orientation and training are provided to help groups learn the know-how of managing reading meetings. Based on this, groups will continue various forms of reading discussions and gatherings, experiencing diverse activities both inside and outside the libraries.

The journals and records written by the 40 reading groups during their activities will be compiled into a book at the end of the year and reborn as community resources for the region.

Those wishing to participate in the Chaekmomo project can download the application form from the Nowon-gu Office or Nowon-gu Public Library website and submit it via email to the person in charge by 6 p.m. on March 24.

The final selected groups will be announced on the website on April 21. For detailed information regarding application and activities, inquiries can be made by phone to Bulam Library.

Oh Seung-rok, Mayor of Nowon-gu, said, “Although information can be obtained through various media, reading remains the most effective means to acquire quality knowledge and expand thinking,” adding, “We will continue to create various opportunities to expand from personal reading to social reading and build Nowon as a lifelong learning city.”

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