National Library for Children and Young Adults 국립어린이청소년도서관 (NLCY)

Overview

The National Library for Children and Young Adults (Korean: 국립어린이청소년도서관, NLCY) is a branch library of the National Library of Korea, dedicated to providing information services, reading promotion, and cultural programming for children and young adults. Located in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, the NLCY is Korea's representative specialized library for young readers and serves as a national resource center for children's and youth literature.

History and Founding

The NLCY was established and opened on 28 June 2006, under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. The six-story library building, with four above-ground and two underground floors, is situated near Gangnam Station, providing convenient access for families and young visitors. Since its opening, the library has expanded its programs and facilities, including an Interactive Storytelling Room (2009), the Ma Hae Song Private Collection (2011), and augmented reality experiences in later years.

Collections and Holdings

As of May 2021, the NLCY holds 715,066 volumes, including 520,851 volumes of oriental books, 80,400 volumes of western books, 17,459 volumes of periodicals, and 96,356 units of non-book materials. This constitutes the largest collection of children's and youth materials in Korea. The library systematically collects knowledge and information resources related to children and young adults, and makes them available for researchers, librarians, and the general public.

Access and Usage

The library is open to the public with multiple floors dedicated to different age groups and reading activities. Floor 1 houses the Children's Collection and Dream Makerspace. Floor 2 offers maker spaces and storytelling rooms. Floor 4 features a Picture Book Room with augmented reality. The library runs cultural reading programs, capacity-building training for librarians nationwide, and international cooperation initiatives with ASEAN partner libraries.