Quality Standards of Public Libraries in Gyeonggi Province Vary Dramatically by Region

Public libraries operated by various municipal governments in Gyeonggi Province are showing dramatically different quality standards depending on the region.

According to the Gyeonggi Province Public Library Evaluation Report released on the 10th, Gwacheon City recorded 9.02 books per capita, 5,976 won per capita in material acquisition expenses, 11.74 books per capita in off-site circulation, and 1,980 residents per librarian.

This far exceeds the provincial average of 0.94 books per capita, 1,253 won per capita in material acquisition expenses, 1.8 books per capita in off-site circulation, and 21,165 residents per librarian.

Meanwhile, Uijeongbu and Yongin cities recorded the lowest per capita material numbers at 0.31 and 0.39 books respectively, while Goyang City had 53,461 residents per librarian—27 times higher than Gwacheon City—but spent only 418 won per capita on material acquisition, just one-third of Gwacheon's spending.

Additionally, Yeoncheon County recorded the lowest per capita library usage frequency among the 31 municipalities at 1.01 visits, while Gwangju City showed extremely poor performance in off-site circulation at 0.61 books per capita.

Notably, the average per capita material count in 10 municipalities north of the Han River was 0.69 books, representing only 67% of the average 1.03 books in 21 municipalities south of the Han River, while material acquisition expenses of 999 won accounted for just 74% of the 1,349 won average in the southern region.

A provincial official stated, "The province and local governments are consistently pursuing policies to build and support public libraries, but significant regional disparities remain."