[K-Lib. News] “They’re not closing, are they?” Libraries are serious these days

There is an issue that has been quietly but consistently mentioned for a few months now. It is the Yoon Seok-yul government’s budget cuts to the publishing industry. I realized that libraries were not far behind, but when I finally faced the reality with my own eyes, my heart swirled with anxiety.I work as a librarian at a public library in Mocher, Seoul. Even though I’m a new librarian with only a year of experience, I’ve been able to witness how much this has affected the relationship between libraries, as I’m part of a library that is valued by the city government.

The reality of budget cuts

‘The Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism has drastically cut the budget for reading, bookstores, libraries, and publishing this year, and the support centered on books, such as the reading movement and cultural activities, has disappeared, and the opportunity for citizens to enjoy culture through books seems to be disappearing. The largest government support that has disappeared from the publishing and reading sector is the ‘National Reading Culture Promotion Support Project’ (6 billion won as of 2023), and while the government’s general stance is to ‘abolish redundant projects and create a community-centered book reading atmosphere,’ no concrete plans have been made so far.(…)’

Budget cuts (material photo) ⓒ Pixabay

This is a summary of a recent <Hankyoreh> article (March 14, ‘”Don’t read books”…Publishers scream at government budget cuts’). ‘Library policy development and service environment improvement’ was cut by about 5.2 billion won, ‘library foundation creation’ by about 3 billion won, and ‘library realistic creative space creation’ by the entire amount (1.9 billion won)… Libraries were not immune to the budget cuts.”

The air in the library was unusually heavy on the day the news broke. We had to modify or cancel plans we had already made to meet the budget, and the time we spent in meetings to do so often put other tasks on the back burner. But even after so many meetings, it was clear from the tone and content of the aftermath that the process was not smooth sailing.

For a while, I would go to work with a banner on the outside of the library that said something about budget cuts. It wasn’t that long ago, just a few months ago. The conversation among librarians often went something like this:

“Is this a good thing…?”

“I don’t know…”

“This isn’t going to close the library, is it?”

“Let’s hope not…”

So, what are some of the problems that budget cuts have created on the ground? It may be happening elsewhere, too:

First, book purchases have been cut. Every library is different, but we usually buy new books on a regular basis, every one to two months, but since the budget cuts, the amount of new books coming in has been noticeably lower. It varies from municipality to municipality, but some libraries have only seen a 20-30% drop in purchases, while others have seen a 50% drop in purchases.

The same is true for the Wish Book service, which buys books that users want. While the number of books requested is increasing, the amount of books purchased is down by about 20% compared to before. I’ve heard that some libraries have become more selective about the books they accept, which has resulted in more rejections.

Library (Material photo) ⓒ Pixabay

Second, the support program was reduced. The budgets for Bookstart, reading clubs, and Year of the Book events have all been eliminated, so the Bookstart application process, which was one of my desk duties, suddenly disappeared, and the funding for clubs was cut in half or eliminated altogether. The same goes for programs at the library. The budget has been reduced, which naturally limits program planning.

Finally, operating expenses have been reduced. This is because there are fewer librarians running and managing libraries than before. The amount of work that one librarian has to do has increased from two to four or five jobs, and the lack of manpower has led to problems with user services. For example, the number of librarians at the desk to help borrow and return items has decreased from two to one, resulting in long waiting times, or even replaced by machines.”

In fact, when a librarian has to go to the shelves to do business or find a book requested by a user, he or she is forced to vacate the desk. Then, you’ll see a line of other users waiting to borrow and return books, often several times a day.

The library is a growing organism

In addition, there are inconveniences for the elderly who are not yet familiar with the machines. We are trying to help them by teaching them how to use it, but it is not easy when they are busy. But I think the biggest problem is that we don’t have the manpower to solve such problems.”

The same is true for facility operations. It has become difficult to replace old shelves and items, and big projects like remodeling have become a distant memory. I’m worried that even small systems like heating and cooling will have cost-related issues in the future. For example, when an old system fails or breaks down, it needs to be replaced, and the longer it takes to fix the problem, the more complaints we receive.

If you study or have studied library and information science, you’ve probably heard of Langanathan’s Five Laws of Libraries, which are the basic standards for public libraries. The five rules refer to libraries as “growing organisms. It means that while remaining true to its essence of lending books, it must evolve to meet the changing times and the needs of its users.”

However, the current situation of the publishing industry and the culture of book use makes me wonder if there is a way for libraries to survive in the distant future. I wonder if the most important factors that make up public libraries – books, librarians, and users – will remain unchanged and safely welcome the warm spring again. I hope so.