Seoul Outdoor Library is an innovative model for the following reasons:

1. It’s the world’s first sustainable outdoor library, operating continuously.
As the world’s first model to extend the library space from inside a building to outdoors, it represents a new library that consistently operates year-round rather than hosting one-time events like ordinary libraries.

2. It’s an eco-friendly library that minimizes carbon emissions.
The outdoor library is a building-free library that minimizes carbon emissions associated with construction and operation. Citizens who interact with nature also become aware of the importance of the environment.

3. It’s a delightful library easily accessible to everyone.
It’s not just changed to an open space where anyone can use books without the need for membership or borrowing procedures, but also a delightful space offering various programs that couldn’t be materialized within the confines of a traditional quiet library building.

Right now, we reached a point where we:

• Identified issues such as the need for safe spaces and the problem of declining reading rates.
• Devised ideas to meet the demands of citizens and create an environment where books and cultures are accessible.
• Provided public services by creating Seoul Outdoor Library, easily accessible to everyone.
• Operate an outdoor library that provides a variety of cultural services impossible to offer indoors.
• Conducted an evaluation survey and found that over 90% of visitors were satisfied, indulging in reading books.

Now, we are at the stage of diffusing our innovation. To spread Seoul’s innovative policies to other cities, we organized policy briefing sessions. Up until now, 150 individuals participated in the sessions, showing interest in our model. Seoul Outdoor Library has gained attention as a new paradigm in reading culture, and we are continuously striving to expand its reach.

Citizens are the partners who have the utmost importance. Anyone can use books without the need for a borrowing process, yet the loss rate of books is only about 1%. Through collaboration with local merchants, we have attracted citizens’ interest in the local community by selling agricultural products. We also partnered with embassies to provide books and programs for foreigners. Also, we conducted programs that allowed people to experience various cultures beyond Korea.

Many citizens participated in the 500 diverse programs run until now. Reading clubs gained opportunities to engage in activities in new spaces. Officials utilized the outdoor library as a platform to promote policies. Numerous institutions and social organizations hosted various events, providing opportunities to interact with people. Local bookstores specializing in certain topics such as science and environment were able to collaborate with the community by offering curated collections and special programs.

In 2023, 1.6 million citizens visited the Seoul Outdoor Library to enjoy books, relaxation and culture, marking a sevenfold increase compared to 2022. Seoul Outdoor Library was able to validate its innovative achievements through satisfaction surveys and project impact assessments: 93% of visitors expressed satisfaction, and 83% read at least one book. It was quantitatively confirmed that the open reading experience contributed to enhancing citizens’ reading activities.
Due to 94% of respondents showing their intention to revisit the space, continuous visits from the existing visitors are expected. As the outdoor library becomes a tourist attraction in Seoul, both domestic and foreign tourists seeking this innovative place are anticipated to increase.

Seoul Outdoor Library faces the challenge of being heavily influenced by weather conditions since it is outdoors. If it rains, people can’t read books or participate in programs outdoors. Since weather can’t be accurately predicted, we flexibly responded according to weather conditions and manuals. We informed citizens about the operation status through the website and SNS.
Furthermore, since Korea experiences summer from July to August, it is challenging to spend time outdoors. Considering a new approach to turn this issue into an opportunity, we took on a challenge of a new realm called the ‘Night Library,’ where people could enjoy reading and culture while indulging in the cool breeze by operating outdoor library in the evening.

We have infrastructure, operational policies, and personnel in place. To operate the outdoor library, we needed a stage, rest areas, and secure bookshelves accommodating 10,000 books. We established internal policies and guidelines to prepare for continuous operation and to brace for contingencies. Staffs dedicated themselves to book selection, planning with ideas and event management etc.
The programs were operated more effectively through collaboration with experts in various fields. The outdoor library became more vibrant thanks to the mature participation of citizens. With the mature civic consciousness of citizens, the outdoor library was able to be well-maintained in an orderly manner and this was a crucial element of our success.

In 2022, for the first time, we transformed Seoul Plaza in front of Seoul Library into a building-free outdoor library. In 2023, we expanded to Gwanghwamun Plaza and Cheonggye Stream. Other departments in our organization also benchmarked the outdoor library and transformed Hangang Park into a space for books and culture.
Many institutions in other cities are showing interest in the outdoor library model. Other institutions nationwide took part in our briefing sessions and and this initiative has also received extensive media coverage.
If there is a willingness to provide citizens with a place where they can enjoy culture safely and services tailored for citizens, this innovation can be replicated in various places in the future.

Various cases of lowering the barriers to entry for public services need to be created, based on the needs of citizens and aimed at addressing social issues. We have learned from both success and failure through various attempts that the quality of life for citizens would improve when policies were more refined. Besides, we have learned that citizen-participation projects would enhance the quality of public policies and enable sustainable maintenance, thereby raising civic awareness.
Seoul Outdoor Library is a meaningful model not only for its sustainable development and safe public space but also for its ability to address social issues such as the climate crisis while reflecting the demands of the public.

Our innovation model consists of two main factors:

1. Citizens’ participation. The outdoor library was created through people’s participation. Built on a foundation of mature civic consciousness in an open space, the outdoor library recorded less than 1% book loss rate, close to 0% loss rate for rental items, and minimal waste production. Many citizens participated in creating a trustworthy cultural space together on their own.

2. Collaboration with the local community. The outdoor library served as a platform for collaboration. We operated various festivals with local merchants, marginalized groups, and youth and collaborated with other institutions on programs with themes such as environment and science.