Abstract

This study examined the librarian staffing structure of 52 public libraries in Incheon Metropolitan City using Non-metric Multidimensional Scaling (MDS) and hierarchical cluster analysis. Data were drawn from the 2024 National Library Statistics System, incorporating seven variables: total librarians, proportion of non-regular librarians, budget, collection size, visitor count, loan volume, and program participation. The two-dimensional MDS solution explained 95.1% of data variance (Stress=0.115, RSQ=0.951), with Dimension 1 reflecting library scale and Dimension 2 representing employment stability (r=−.939 with non-regular ratio). Cluster analysis identified five operational types. Notably, 19.2% of libraries fell below the statutory minimum staffing standard, and small non-regular-staff libraries—despite serving over 100,000 annual visitors—showed a non-regular ratio of 83.3% and the highest per-librarian workload, resulting in structurally limited service capacity. Cross-tabulation confirmed a significant association between cluster membership and governance type. Policy recommendations include revising staffing standards to reflect actual service demand, mandating minimum regular librarian ratios, and ensuring staffing equity across different library operators.