Libraries support multicultural families

By Kim Tae-jong

For Kim Gyeong-hwa, a migrant wife from China, a library is not just a place to read books, but a great conduit to a smooth adjustment to Korean society.

“I usually spend a lot of time here reading and learning Korean. I can also get reading material and information in Chinese, which I find is great for my kids when I want to teach them about their mother’s country,” she said.

She is a regular visitor of the Pyeongnae Library in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province and also has a job as a story teller to kids during a culture program at the library, which she says helps her interact with the community.

“By telling Chinese fairy tales, I can share my Chinese culture with people from various countries, which I think is great,” she said. “I think multicultural libraries are a great idea to support people like me.”

The library was opened last year, with the aim of helping multicultural families in the region. It houses tens of thousands of books in Korean and various other languages and other multimedia material.

It also offers various cultural and learning activities and events for multicultural families.

“Of course, our library is open to everyone,” Hwang Gyeong-soo, official from the library said. “People can meet others during various events, which we believe can help multicultural families to become a part of our society.”

Different from other support institutes run by religious groups, migrants feel at ease when they access libraries without worrying about cultural and religious differences, Hwang said.

As libraries have emerged as a valuable resource to help multicultural families, municipal governments have introduced related initiatives for sponsorship by the private sector.

Currently, there are several multicultural libraries in operation across the country, especially areas with a high concentration of multicultural families, such as in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province and in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province. And special sections devoted to multicultural families have been built in about 20 public libraries.

To help migrants and their families find necessary information, Gyeonggi Province currently operates an online multicultural library (https://global.library.kr), which was launched in 2009.

“People can find useful information in 10 different languages at our website that tells them which libraries to go to get a book they want. It also serves as a portal to provide them with other information like about latest cultural events,” Ryu Hee-gyeong, official from the municipal government, said.

The Ministry of Culture and Tourism, in charge of supporting libraries, also plans to increase the annual budget for programs for multicultural families.

“Instead of supporting the construction of a library for multicultural families, which involves too much money and time, we will encourage and support public libraries to be equipped with a special section for them,” Ki Min-do, official from the ministry, said.

The budget from the central government to support libraries for multicultural families stood at about 600 million won this year, up from 370 million from last year. But it will slightly increase next year, he said.