If this self-driving library came to my town, maybe I’d read a damn book
A city in South Korea will trial ‘library’ robots
Story byIoanna Lykiardopoulou
Ioanna is a writer at TNW. She covers the full spectrum of the European tech ecosystem, with a particular interest in startups, sustainabili(show all)Ioanna is a writer at TNW. She covers the full spectrum of the European tech ecosystem, with a particular interest in startups, sustainability, green tech, AI, and EU policy. With a background in the humanities, she has a soft spot for social impact-enabling technologies.
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Smart libraries are also a thing in South Korea
In October,Seoul Metropolitan Library, operated by Seoul City, opened an automated library at the subway station City Hall.
With over 1,000 books, it’s the country’s largest smart library, designed to make book rental services easy, accessible, and safe, especially amid the pandemic.
In thepress release, the Chief Librarian of the Seoul Metropolitan Library noted:
Promoting libraries and reading culture in a digitalized era is challenging, to say the least.
Data released byStatistics Koreain September showed that, in 2020, the average number of visitors per library was down 69.5% year-on-year and the number of loaned books decreased 14.8%.
And my guess is that the numbers are unlikely to go up in the future.
So, perhaps South Korea has got it right and the use of automated book rental services, such as smart libraries or self-driving robots, can contribute to the promotion of readingactualbooks.
And personally, I can’t wait to see a cute library bot strolling across my street.
