[Yonhap News Agency = Kim Yeon-hee] Dong-gu, Gwangju (Commissioner Lim Taek), announced that it will start operating the ‘Book Garden’ at the city library on weekdays from April for office workers and middle and high school students who have difficulty visiting the library on weekdays due to work and study.

Beginning in April, Dongguan will extend the weekday hours of the Dongguan District Library’s bookstore from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., a change from the previous hours. The library’s first and second floors will be open until 9 p.m. on weekdays, except when the library is closed (second and fourth Mondays) and holidays. Weekend hours will remain the same, until 5pm.

The Book Garden, a three-story library that houses about 23,000 books, officially opened on December 26 last year. Since its opening, the library has been providing various library services, such as organizing reading culture events, and has become a “way of life” for local residents, with more than 35,000 people visiting within three months.

“We are extending the opening hours so that residents who have difficulty visiting the library on weekdays can conveniently use books and libraries,” said Dong-gu Office Mayor Lim Tack. “We will continue to make efforts to establish the ‘Book Garden’ as a space and center for enjoying reading and various cultural activities.”