A new library for the disabled opened on Monday at the National Library of Korea in Seocho-dong, Seoul. The fully equipped independent library designed to provide improved services replaces the former information center for the disabled.

The purpose of the new library is to “tear down the barriers of information accessibility” in order to give hope to some 2.5 million disabled people in Korea who wish to have easier access to information, the library said in a statement.

The Independent Library for the Disabled provides services such as automated video and audio services, books in Braille and other facilities to assist the disabled. As opposed to the previous help service center, this library allows for more independent access for those who want to use the library’s many resources.

The library is taking the necessary steps to provide disabled users with as much access as possible to the library’s collections and publications, said Cho Su-yeon, a public relations official at the library.

The National Library of Korea was founded in 1945 and holds more than 8.7 million volumes of publications.

By Julie Jackson