Yongin Mayor Lee Sang-il Registers as Human Book, First Among Four Metropolitan City Mayors...To Offer Talent Contribution on 21st

[Suwon Ilbo = Reporter Park Noh-hoon] Yongin Metropolitan City announced on the 15th that Mayor Lee Sang-il, who registered as a "Human Book" at the city library, will deliver his first talent-contribution lecture to citizens on the 21st.

A Human Book is a talent-sharing service in which citizens with specific experiences and knowledge register as library collections instead of books and exchange useful information through free conversations with readers.

The mayor registered as a Human Book in the art humanities field at Suji Library on the 23rd of last month. It is extremely rare for local government heads across the country to register as Human Books, and among the four metropolitan city mayors, Mayor Lee is the first.

The special lecture that the mayor is preparing for his first talent contribution will be held from 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. on the 21st in the audiovisual room on the 3rd floor of Suji Library, targeting approximately 70 citizens.

The lecture will address the theme of "There's a Reason for Expensive Paintings," exploring the top 10 most expensive paintings in the world (by auction standards) and the top 10 most expensive paintings in Korea (by auction standards), while unfolding stories related to paintings through examples of artists' lives and painting styles.

Particularly in this special lecture, the mayor plans to provide supplementary explanations about artists' lifespans and historical contexts to help citizens who find it difficult to understand famous artworks and struggle to appreciate them gain easier access to art pieces.

The mayor previously delivered a lecture on "Paintings with Stories" to elderly students at Giheung Elderly University in July.

Citizens interested in attending the lecture can apply through the Suji Library website (lib.yongin.go.kr/suji/).

Mayor Lee Sang-il stated, "The Human Book service is a renaissance of libraries that helps citizens share experiences and knowledge with each other and communicate smoothly for the development of a humanities-focused city," and added, "I registered as a Human Book and am preparing lectures to share knowledge about art, music, and literature that I have enjoyed."

A 'Human Book' is an innovative library service in which, instead of books, people with specific experiences and knowledge are 'lent out.' The name 'Human Book' comes from the meaning of a 'walking book.'

Readers can select a desired person-book from a list of prepared Human Books, check it out, meet at a scheduled time, converse, and receive information. The strength of this service is being able to directly hear 'vivid stories, experiences, and thoughts' that cannot be obtained from paper books from 'speaking authors.'

The city launched the Human Book service in October of last year.

As of the end of August, 174 Human Books are registered at Yongin City libraries. A total of 204 citizens have viewed Human Books in diverse fields including career exploration, child education, and hobbies.

Among these, the most frequently viewed Human Books recently are long-term activists in their respective fields, such as Lee Kyung-sook in the horticulture field and writer Park Cho-i in the humanities field.

The city plans to recruit activists in various subject areas and expand content to revitalize the Human Book service. First, the city will display the Human Book of the Month on library shelves, and by year-end, will select outstanding activists and award the Excellence Human Book of the Year.

For citizens curious about Human Books, the library plans to post promotional videos and introductory materials through its website, blog, YouTube, and other social media channels.

Citizens aged 18 and older who wish to register as Human Books can apply through the Yongin City Library website (lib.yongin.go.kr).

The library accepts applications year-round. Applicants can convey topic-related information and activity plans through approximately one hour of conversation with library staff.

The mayor said, "The greatest characteristic of the Human Book service is that anyone, regardless of gender or age, can communicate with their neighbors through knowledge they wish to share, without necessarily receiving specialized education in a particular field," and added, "For the Human Book service to become richer, active participation by citizens is crucial. If citizens interested in sharing their talents knock on the library door, the library will serve as a bridge connecting Human Books and citizens."