Reading room hours expanded for late-night users including workers and teenagers; children's sections at Doksan and Gasan libraries to pilot extended Wednesday evening hours until 8 p.m.
Geumcheon-gu will extend reading room hours at four of its public libraries — Gasan, Doksan, Siheung and Geumnarae — by one hour, from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m., starting in October.
The extended hours will give residents who visit the library late due to work or hagwon schedules an extra hour for studying and reading. Teenagers in particular will benefit from longer access to a free public study space.
While some libraries in other Seoul districts have already extended their reading room hours to 11 p.m., Geumcheon-gu is the first district to operate all four of its public library reading spaces until that hour.
Alongside this, the district will extend children's section hours for the convenience of young visitors and their guardians. This year, the children's sections at Doksan and Gasan libraries will stay open until 8 p.m., up from the current 6 p.m. closing time. The pilot will run on alternating Wednesdays — Doksan library on the first and third Wednesdays of each month, and Gasan library on the second and fourth. Based on the results, the district plans to expand the extended children's section hours to all four public libraries in 2027.
Ahead of the extended hours taking effect, the district is inspecting safety vulnerabilities inside and outside the libraries, reviewing the routes patrons take when heading home, and assessing the nighttime environment, including security and lighting facilities. The district has also asked the local police precinct to step up late-night patrols around the libraries. Information on Seoul's "Ansimi" safety app will be posted inside the libraries so late-night visitors can access safety support services. The district said it will continue to monitor the nighttime environment after the extended hours begin and make improvements as needed.
"Expanding library hours is a core lifestyle-focused project of the ninth elected-term administration — one that extends public services to cover the hours residents actually need," Geumcheon-gu District Mayor Choi Ki-chan said. "We will make sure residents — teenagers, workers, children and families — can use the library conveniently at the times that work for them." He added that the district would "continuously monitor usage and gather residents' feedback to build a stable operating system."
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