Library takes top prize at National Library of Korea-organized video competition, showcasing its mobile reading service
Junggok Library, a district-run public library in Gwangjin-gu, won the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Award — the top prize — at the 2026 "Libraries and Librarians" video competition organized by the National Library of Korea.
The competition was open to libraries and their staff nationwide, with the aim of uncovering and sharing stories about libraries, librarians and patrons, as well as outstanding service cases. Of 43 submitted entries, 12 advanced to the final round, where judges combined panel scores with on-site audience votes to select the winners. Junggok Library received the top prize at the 2026 Librarians Festival held Thursday at the Grand Hotel in Daegu.
The winning entry was titled "Beyond the Library — Library Damas." The video documents the library's mobile reading and culture service, "Library Damas," which uses a district-owned vehicle to travel to neighborhoods across the area and connect with residents in person.
Library Damas launched as a pilot program in 2023 and expanded into a full-scale project in 2024. In 2025 it was linked to the Seoul Metropolitan Government's "Hip-dok Seoul" initiative, and this year it has been participating in events such as the outdoor library at Seoul Children's Grand Park, reaching an ever-wider audience of residents.
The award is also significant for expressing the library's community presence and the potential for expanding library services through the new medium of video.
"This award is the result of our staff's dedication and the participation of local residents," a Junggok Library official said. "We will continue to look beyond the walls of the library and develop a range of services that connect books, culture and people in the everyday lives of our community."
Gwangjin-gu has been gaining wider recognition for its library services: in April, it ranked second among Seoul's 25 autonomous districts in the overall service impact index in the "2025 Seoul Public Library Performance Survey." Library Damas also received an encouragement award in the local public institution category at the Seoul Metropolitan Government's "2026 Second-Half Outstanding Proactive Administration" competition.
"The most important change in libraries is not the building — it is how we reach out to residents," Gwangjin-gu District Mayor Kim Kyung-ho said. "We will keep developing and supporting services that go directly into people's lives, so that residents of Gwangjin-gu can encounter books and culture wherever they are."
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