Journal of the Korean Society for Library and Information Science
- P-ISSN1225-598X
- E-ISSN2982-6292
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A Study of Scholarly Information Services in Public Libraries
Yejin Kwon
Abstract
This study aims to analyze the current status of scholarly information services in public libraries in Korea. To this end, it examines data from the Korean National Library Statistics System, metropolitan representative libraries, and three individual public libraries. The analysis of national statistics revealed that approximately 61% of public libraries provide scholarly information services, and that smaller libraries—based on budget and membership size—are less likely to operate such services. Furthermore, case studies on the metropolitan representative library and three individual libraries investigated their operation methods, number of databases offered, and access points. The findings indicate that Korean public libraries’ scholarly information services are limited in quantitative scale, vary significantly in service quality among libraries, and suffer from insufficient budgets, staffing, and expertise. These limitations appear to stem from a lack of consensus on the definition and scope of scholarly information services, as well as insufficient recognition of their necessity. This study contributes as foundational data for discussing future directions to enhance scholarly information services in Korean public libraries.
- keywords
- Public Library, Scholarly Information Service, Academic Database, Reference Service
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