Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Kim Jongdeok presents the National Library of Korea with its 10 millionth book after signing an inscription in it commemorating the ceremony.
The number of books housed at the National Library of Korea (NLK) now exceeds 10 million, making it the 15th largest national library in the world. As the nation's central library, this institution represents everything that is Korean, collecting and preserving everything that is published in the country. The library’s possession of more than 10 million books proves that the Korean people have accumulated the creative capability, in terms of culture and academic publications, to stand at a world-class level.
The history of the library dates back 70 years. It opened in Sogong-dong, in Jung-gu (district) in central Seoul, in October 1945 with some 280,000 books formerly owned by the library of the Japanese Government-General of Korea. Since then, its number of books surpassed 1 million just before the Seoul Olympics in 1988, 5 million in 2004 and 10 million in 2015, showing about a 30-fold growth over its 70 years. As of 2014, more than 1.62 million people use the library every year.
The library has also been making efforts to digitalize its content. The National Library of Korea has set itself the goal of digitalizing 2.5 million books which were published more than five years ago and which can be shared among libraries according to copyright law. In line with this project, the library plans to digitalize 250,000 books this year alone.
A celebration of the 10 millionth book and of the 70th anniversary of the library took place on May 14, under the slogan of, “The 10 Millionth Book Shows Your Power.” At the celebration, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Kim Jongdeok said, “The National Library of Korea has been a wise friend of the people, acting as a hub to compile the capabilities of Korean culture and Korean academia, collecting our national knowledge and information resources. Its 70-year history and its 10 million books will intelligently lay a firm foundation to usher in a rapidly-changing future.”
To mark the 10 millionth book and the 70th anniversary, the library will host a special exhibition, an international symposium, outdoor concerts and meetings with authors through June this year.
More information about the library is available at its homepage in both Korean and English: http://www.nl.go.kr/nl/index.jsp
Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Kim Jongdeok (right) passes the 10 millionth book to National Library of Korea Chief Executive Lim Wonsun.
Visitors review the special exhibition that marks the 10 millionth book and the 70th anniversary of the National Library of Korea.
The National Library of Korea stores every book published in Korea in its storage rooms. The library is aiming to digitalize 2.5 million books among its 10 million-book collection, in line with rapidly developing technology.
The National Library of Korea first opened in Sogong-dong in Jung-gu, central Seoul, in October 1945.
By Yoon Sojung
Korea.net Staff Writer
Photo: National Library of Korea
arete@korea.kr