Na Kwangguk of Jeonnam Provincial Assembly: "Provincial Library Fails to Meet Legal Librarian Requirement"

Only Eight Librarians for 1,400 Daily Visitors
Facing Both Staff Shortages and Parking Woes
Urgent Need for Countermeasures

Concerns have been raised that the Jeonnam Provincial Library is facing difficulties in normal operations due to a shortage of legally required librarian staff and limited parking space.

Na Kwangguk, a member of the Jeonnam Provincial Assembly (Democratic Party of Korea, Muan District 2), stated on September 22 that during the '5-Minute Free Speech' at the 393rd extraordinary session held on the 19th, he pointed out the lack of staff and facilities at the provincial library and urged the Jeonnam provincial government to promptly come up with countermeasures.

Na Gwangguk, Jeonnam Provincial Assembly Member

According to Assemblyman Na, in order to be registered as a public library, the institution must meet the requirements for librarian staff, materials, and facilities as stipulated by the Library Act. However, Jeonnam Provincial Library currently employs only eight librarians, which falls far short of the legally required thirteen. As a result, the provincial library has not been officially registered as a public library, which in turn restricts its eligibility for national subsidies and participation in government-funded projects.

Assemblyman Na stated, "The shortage of librarian staff is causing disruptions in library operations, and the lack of public library registration is excluding us from various government support programs."

In addition, the lack of parking space has also been identified as a major obstacle for library users. Jeonnam Provincial Library receives an average of about 1,400 visitors per day and has more than 50 staff members, but there are only 63 parking spaces, resulting in chronic parking shortages. Complaints from the public regarding this issue continue to be filed.

Although the free parking lot at Mokpo National University’s Namak Campus, located a five-minute walk away, can be utilized, concerns have been raised about its effectiveness due to issues with crosswalks and accessibility. The temporary parking lot being prepared separately by Muan County offers only eight spaces, which is far from sufficient to meet parking demand.

Assemblyman Na emphasized, "As a regional representative library that should provide knowledge and information services, it is unable to fulfill even its basic functions due to a lack of staff and space. To guarantee residents' cultural rights, it is urgent to expand librarian staffing and construct a parking tower as practical solutions."

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