Korea, South



     


Directory Information

 Formal Name:     National Central Library
 Address:             60-1, Panpo-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul 137-701
 Phone:     (02) 535-4142     Fax:        (02) 535-6988

History

 The Library opened on October 15, 1945 and a library school was established on April 1, 1946.  The Legal Deposit System was established on October 28, 1963, and at the same time the library was renamed The National Central Library.  In 1967the library expanded into five divisions and one branch and was reorganized in August 1982.  The Main Library moved to a new building in May 1988.  The Library Promotion Act changed the governing authority from the Ministry of Education to the Ministry of Culture (now the Ministry of Culture & Sports in April 1991 and there was a reorganization in December 1991.

 The principal functions of The National Central Library are prescribed in the Library and Reading Promotion Act.  They are:

1. Acquisition, processing, analysis, preservation, accumulation of domestic and foreigh library materials and providing public access to them.
2. Deposit of domestic publications.
3. Resource sharing with other libraries.
4. Preparation and standardization of bibliographies and management of ISBN and ISSN system.
5. Control of NATIS (National Information System) and library information networks through library automation.
6 Cooperation with foreign libraries and international exchange of materials.
7. Guidance and support for library services, cultural activities and life-time learning activities for other libraries.
8. Formulation and implementation of various policies for reading habits.
9. Research and study of library management.
10. In-service training of librarians.
11. Other necessary services for functioning as the national representative library.

Organization

 Since the reorganization of the Library in December 1991 there are two Departments--Library Management Department and Library Service Department.  Under the Library Mangement Department are the General Affairs Division, Planning & Cooperation Division, Cultural Research & Training Division and Library Automation Office.  The Library Service Department consists of the Public Service Division, Deposits Division, Acquisition & Technical Processing Division and Bibliographic Control Division.  In addition there is one branch.  Total number of personnel is 251 of which 127 are librarians, 34 are classified general administration and 90 others.

Buildings and Facilities

 The 1988 building is a ferro-concrete structure with seven stories and a basement.  It is 66, 888 square meters and includes stacks, reading rooms, an exhibition hall, and rare book collections.

Collections

 The Library collections include comprehensive domestic publications collected by the legal deposit and oversea materials collected through purchase, donation or exchange.

 The Classics of the Library include about 3,000 rare old books published before the 17th century.  Among them, the Sibchil Sachan Gogeum Tong Yo printed with the earliest metal types in Yi-Dynasty (1403 AD) is designated a national treasure.

 The National Central Library administers the legal deposit system.  The Library and Reading Promotion Act requires all publishers to deposit two copies of every title within 30 days of publication.  Materials to be deposited include books, serials, A/V materials, map, slides, computer data and microforms.  Deposited materials are to be preserved permanently as national liberature for public access and the bibliographical information of the deposited materials is distributed home and abroad by the "Korean National Bibliography Monthly" and "Korean National Bibliography".

 In addition to the legal deposit, the Library collects materials by purchase, donation and international exchange.  The collections of the Library consist of oriental books, western books, old & rare books and non-book materials.  Oriental books include Korean, Japanese and Chinese items both prior to 1945 and post-1945.  The Library also has colletions of Western items divided between pre-1987 and post-1987.  Government publications, newspaper (domestic and foreign), and foreign and domestic serials are also available.

Catalogs, Bibliographies, and Indexes

 One of the major tasks of the Library is to standardize bibliographical works in order to promote free flowof bibliographic information, to control national bibliographical information system and to share bibliographical information database intrnationally.

 The Library as national agency of ISBN and ISSN issues internationallystandardized numbers to books and serials published in Korea to promote efficient flow of publications and bibliographical information.

 For efficient data retrieval by subject, the Library develops Subject Headings and Thesaurus.  The Library standardizes catalog through internationally interchangeable KORMARC in processing bibliographic information, establishing database, producing and distributing of printed cards and publication of bibliograpies.

 The Library produces variousbibliographical publications of its collections to extend library services including interlibrary loans.

• Korean National Bibliography (annually)
This title contains bibliographical information of the publications deposited annually since 1963 when the legal deposit system introduced.
• Korean National Bibliography Monthly (monthly)
As a current bibliography, this title contains monthly depossited information.
• The Union Catalog of Foreign Books in Korea (annually)
For the purpose of promoting interlibrary loan, this title carries bibliographical information of foreign books collected by domestic libraries every year since 1970. The 124 libraries in Korea take part in this Union Catalog publication program.
• Bibliographic Index of Korea (annually)
As a subject bibliography, this title contains bibliograpical information about theses, general publications, dissertations and research papers in a specific subject field and published withdifferent subject areas every year.
• The Classified Catalog (annually)
A book catalog of the whole collection edited by the origins and subjects it is arranged into sections for oriental books, western books, oriental classics, foreign classics, and collections.

 Other publications include DOSEOGWAN, quarterly library journal and a newsletter and Book of the Month.

Reference and Reader Services

 The collections of the Library consisting of oriental books, western books, old & rare books and non-book materials are kept in reference rooms and stack rooms.  Current publications are displayed with open-shelf system in reference rooms and publications kept in stack rooms are run by close-shelf system.

 Oriental books collected before 1945 and monographs from 1946 to 1983 can be accessed through the circulation desk on the 1st floor.  Books after 1984 are accessible by open shelf system in each reference room on 3rd and 4th floors.

 Dissertations are accessible through closed shelf sysstem in the Dissertation room on the 5th floor.

 Serials, Government Publications and Newspapers are accessible in Serials room, Government Publication room on 3rd floor.  Current issues are accessible directly and bound ones are by loan.

 Western books collected before 1987 are accessible through 1st floor circulation desk and those after 1988 are accessible directly in reference rooms.  Western serials including newspapers and magazines are accessible in Serials room and current issues are accessible directly while bound volumes are by loan.

 Old and rare books and private collections are displayed in closed shelf in Old & Rare Collections on the 7th floor.  Non-book materials are on the 7th floor.

 In response to individual information needs, information and reference services are provided by phone, fax, mail, and interpersonally.  Telephone service named "Kulbang Chonwha" is a knowledge & daily life information source.

 The Branch operated for thepublic including children and juveniles performs all functions of a public library.

Automation

 The automation of the National Central Library consists of implementing a total system for computerization of library services and constructing national information system KOLIS-NET (Korean Library Information Service Network).

 Until 1988, the computerization of library services launched in 1976 with government's study of feasibility, have constituted its first phase of building the basis for the KOLIS-NET through developing KORMARC FORMAT, introducing computer systems, inputting data, supplying printed cards, and establishing a general computerization development plan etc.

 According to the 1989 government decision to speed-up the computerization of library services as a part of balanced regional development policy, the KOLIS-NET plan to link major domestic libraries with foreign bibliographical information networks systematically from 1991 to 1997 has been in progress.

 CENTLAS (Central Library Automation System) including acquisition, processing, interlibrary loan, searching, data management and bibliographical publications modules has been developed.  a software program named KOLAS (Korean Library Automation System) has been developed to assist domestic libraries' automation.  KOLAS is distributed free to libraries needing to computerize library services.  KOLAS based on KORMARC is distributed to help other libraries construct their own databases.

 KOLIS-NET is being constructed from 1991 to 1997 as a part of national information infrastructure program.  The National Central Library is the center of KOLIS-NET, which links public libraries, university libraries and special libraries.  Altogether, it will link 24 regional centers and 468 libraries.

Statistics

Domestic books 1,358,343
Oriental books 168,578
Western books 192,617
Old & Rare books 211,149
Non-book materials 300,684
Total 2,231,371