A revolution in learning

In today’s increasingly digital world, collecting and enjoying books may seem outdated. Nonetheless, many still remain attached to paper books as they allow for a “comprehensive” experience. “I love the feeling of turning the pages, which is a special experience. Paper books will always be closer to my heart,” says 34-year-old office worker Chung Hye-sun.

In order to survive in the digital era, many libraries are specialising, devoting their shelves to a specific category or language, for example.

Design and art are the “in” industries in South Korea at the moment and more libraries are increasing their stock of design and art books.

In Gahoe-dong, a quiet, traditionally upper-class neighbourhood in central Seoul, stands a modern, flashy archive of design. The Hyundai Card Design Library, established by Hyundai’s credit card company, opened last month under the slogan “Everything about design since the Bauhaus movement”.

The three-story building is home to more than 11,000 books, the collection ranging from Taschen’s publication of Playboy covers to complete editions of the now-defunct Life magazine, internationally acclaimed Italian design and architecture magazine Domus and more.

The library marked its opening by exhibiting all editions of Visionaire magazine, a US fashion-based pan-cultural publication.

Its founder, Cecilia Dean, delivered a special lecture to design enthusiasts at the opening. Since most of the Visionaire copies are limited editions, people must wear gloves to touch some of the exhibited items to prevent damage.

To make the collection stand out from others, the card company hired experts in architecture, industrial, visual and general art and design as book curators and assigned them to select the books. Their mission was simple but not easy: The books had to be inspiring, useful, wide ranging, influential, thorough, aesthetic and timeless. The curators chose more than 5,000 titles from all over the world and left commentaries for 850 of them, which can be read on iPads installed on the second floor.

The design of the library was optimised for the preservation of the books.

“Hyundai Card has a motto of maximising the windows but sunlight could pose damage to the books in the long run. We had to compromise – we used glass that allows less sunlight to pass through. The bookshelves are located away from the windows to keep away the sun, but the room is still full of natural sunlight,” says Cha Kyung-mo, a spokesman for the card company and library.

On the first floor is a cafe with contemporary art magazines from different countries. On the third floor is a very small room resembling a meditation spot.

“We wanted to bring back the cosy atmosphere of the attic and the view from here is exquisite,” Cha says.

Cha says the library is for all people who are interested in design.

“Every year about 3,000 design majors graduate from schools. However, there isn’t really a proper archive or library to fulfil their desire to get the latest information in their industry. We have decided to adopt an analog style, combined with the state-of-the-art field of design,” Cha says.

Dagam in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, has about 25,000 books mainly about fine arts. First started as a small section in the library, it outgrew other sections and the management decided to convert the concept of the institution to a library specialising in art.

“At the time when people were talking about practical studies we thought tracking down the origins of the arts would be interesting,” says Jeong Hee-sook, a library spokesman.

Libraries have always served as the frontline of new ideas and latest information. A growing number of people look toward English texts to get the latest information from other parts of the world and at the same time strengthen their English aptitude.

In the bustling area of Anguk-dong in central Seoul is a library dedicated to English-language material on Buddhism. The Buddhist English Library of Seoul, aligned with the Institute of Buddhist English Studies, opened in 2007, has become a sacred spot for foreigners wanting to learn more about Buddhism and seeking inner peace.

There are more than 800 books about Buddhism theories and principles in English, which are mostly donated by travellers and mediators, many of whom are foreigners. The institution was established by a monk and remains independent from the central Buddhist management, relying on volunteers to run it.

In a separate room, bookshelves host other genres, such as books about other religions such as Islam or Baha’i and even a rare book on The Beatles.

The library also holds programmes such as Tibetan and vipassana meditations, group English studies and yoga, hosted by foreign monks or Korean instructors.

Juyeop Children’s Library in Ilsan, Gyeonggi Province, has more than 8,000 of its books written in foreign languages out of 100,000 holdings. It recently announced a plan to specialise in foreign languages and the second floor of the library will be rearranged into a “Global Library” in the near future.