Abstract

The study aimed to identify current situations of Korean church libraries. The results from 22 church libraries are investigated in terms of some factors such as material organization, quantity of materials, facilities, staffs, budgets, public services, users and classification systems. Current libraries are very small in its facility, quantity of the materials and the budget, and lack of the full-time librarian. Recently, children's libraries are established among small churches, and their budgets and public services are stable. Suggestions for revitalizing the church libraries are made: the pastor's understanding of the significance of church library for missions' sake, establishment of more church libraries, acquisitions of various non-book materials, budget security, necessity for a full-time librarian, provision of various types of services and cooperations among church libraries.