The Republic of Korea (South Korea) Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has announced 537 won (US$482 million) of central and local government funds has been earmarked for the opening of 66 new public libraries and 114 small libraries.
According to the Korean Herald (27 January 2011) the government plans to increase the total number of public libraries in South Korea from 748 in 2010 to 814 in 2011, staffed by an additional 212 public librarians. In an intriguing move, the government aims to decrease the number of visitors per library per year by 6,000 – from 68,000 to 62,000 – in an attempt to improve service quality.
UK Libraries Under Threat
This news comes in stark contrast to that from the United Kingdom, where librarians and library lovers across the country prepare to do battle to save their local library services. According to Public Library News, 401 Libraries across the country are either under threat or have recently been closed. An additional 53 mobile libraries are at risk of being taken off the road. The library budget for the country of Cornwall has been cut by 23 per cent, while Hertfodshire’s funding has been cut by £581,000 with 661 hours slashed from opening hours.
The 1964 Museums and Public Libraries Act requires that local authorities in the UK provide a ‘comprehensive and efficient’ library service to their residents. Save Somerset Library campaigners are calling for a national public inquiry into the current cuts and threats to services.
The Guardian has even published a map, documenting the exact location of each of the libraries threatened with closure. Many British media outlets have been focusing on the developing story, with staged ‘mass borrowings’, in which library members systematically borrow every item contained within a library until it is empty, receiving a great deal of attention.
Australian Libraries Damaged by Floods
Many libraries in Australia are also facing tough times in the coming months, though this is due to natural, rather than man-made causes. Many libraries in Queensland and Victoria have been damaged by recent floods which have devastated many areas, with flood water covering an area larger than France and Germany combined. The damaged libraries include the BoysTown Library in Brisbane, which offers services to disadvantaged children and young people up to the age of 25. Further information about flood affected libraries is available from the Australian Library and Information Association.
The Importance of the Local Library
The local library was recently described by Tim Lott, as the beacon of civilisation and ‘a symbol of what we (the United Kingdom) as a country stand for’. The South Korean Government’s decision to increase funding despite trends in other parts of the world is a telling one. At the end of World War II, the literacy rate in South Korea was just 20 per cent. Today it is over 93.5 per cent (United Nations Development Programme Report 2008). The end of the war saw the establishment of the National Library of Korea and ten years later the Korean Library Association was established with the goal of establishing small libraries in villages – by 1970 there were 35,000 small libraries across Korea. Libraries have been a crucial part of the South Korean social and economic success story. It is a lesson which should not be overlooked.
Cate Allan - Cate Allan is a Melbourne-based writer and editor. She has published widely on language, travel and the arts.
Join the Conversation