Seoul Metropolitan Government plans to build a new type of public facility which provides life-long learning along with library services in Geumcheon-gu, southwestern Seoul. 

The city adopted the concept from the United Kingdom’s “Idea Store,” a one-stop location for various services including a child care center, conference room and adult education, departing from the traditional function of the public library.

“The scale of the facility won’t be big as the one in London but we expect it to be hailed by the citizens when we run programs that meet their needs,” said Han Min-ho, an official at Geumcheon-gu District Office.

An Idea Store in Tower Hamlets, the fourth poorest borough in the U.K., runs some 800 programs per year and the number of users have more than tripled in the past 12 years from 550,000 in 1998 to 2 million in 2010.

“The innovative facility, Idea Store, will boost self-esteem of the residents in Geumcheon-gu,” Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon said during a meeting with the district office.

The municipal government said that the construction of the building would start in the second half of the year and it was considering financing the plan with budgets allocated for the city or company contributions.

From news report (khnews@heraldcorp.com)