A library can be more than just a place for reading books and studying.
This especially applies to mothers and their children, and even more so to those from overseas, living far away from their original homelands.
At Modoo (meaning “all together” in Korean), a multicultural children's library in Imun-dong in northern Seoul, the mothers love to go to the library as much as their kids. Though it's a children’s library, it's not just for the little ones.
The first thing that catches people's eyes when stepping into the library is the “mother tongue nurture declaration” displayed on a book shelf. This is a special statement to encourage every mother who visits the library to speak in their mother tongue to their children, instead of making them speak in Korean. This is designed to address the guilt migrant women feel over their inability to speak perfect Korean to their children and to respect their multicultural background, according to staff member Seong Jee Yeon. (Left photo: Migrant women at Modoo Multicultural Library in Seoul)
The library strongly values multilingual education since it can create a real bond of affection between mother and child. The library also runs a special reading program that encourages migrant women to read books to their kids in their native language.
For migrant spouses, especially women married to Korean husbands, the family-like atmosphere of the library offers a special chance to socialize and exchange useful information with other women in similar situations, along with Korean mothers. They mingle and participate in various programs run by the library, like the puppet shows. In fact, their puppet show performance has been staged more than 20 times thanks to invitations and requests from other organizations, schools and libraries. (Right photo: Mothers and children having fun at the Christmas party on Dec. 22, 2010, at Modoo.)
Amgaamaa Manibazar from Mongolia is one of the regulars who like to participate in the library's programs with her children and loves to mingle at the library. She meets other women with various nationalities, actively engages in the library's various programs and leads the mothers' puppet show performances. One of her Mongolian friends who also often visits the library says her child loves to come because it's “fun and exciting.”
These mothers and children arrange social gatherings and parties, like their Christmas party on December 22, 2010. The mothers prepared food from their home countries, gave a dance performance and played games.
Books and other library facilities are also very important to the visitors. The library has 18,000 books in 12 languages, including Chinese, Japanese, Mongolian, Thai, Farsi and Vietnamese. It also has a brand-new audio-visual facility, called the “Oli Boli Room,” where mothers and children enjoy reading fairy tales and picture books from around the globe, as well as participate in special programs.
| Modoo has a total of 18,000 books in 12 languages. |
The library also arranges consultations and assistance in cooperation with the Purun Citizen Community, a group for migrant women who experience difficulties adapting to life in Korea, according to library manager Kim Jeong-yeon. It also provides “books on wheels” services, with the library staff bringing books to migrant women who cannot visit the library but still want the chance to read books in their native language.
This library was originally established by the non-profit Purun Citizen Community in September 2008 and supported by the STX Group and Community Chest of Korea. As one of the few multicultural libraries in Korea, it is operated by two Korean staff members and six volunteers from China, Japan, Mongolia, the Philippines and Vietnam who help up to 50 visitors daily. It opens at 10 a.m. and closes at 6 p.m. on weekdays, and closes at 4 p.m. on weekends. It is closed on public holidays. To learn more about the library, please visit its homepage (http://www.modoobook.org/) (Korean only) or call 02-965-7530.
There are current five Modoo Multicultural Libraries countrywide, in Gumi (Tel. 054-443-0545) and Daegu (Tel. 053-471-4250) in North Gyeongsang Province, and Changwon (Tel. 055-256-8779) and Busan (Tel. 051-412-0511) in South Gyeongsang Province.
By Yoon Sojung
Korea.net Staff Writer
