KJCKorea
Journal Central

This study analyzed the patterns and perceptions of self-censorship among public library librarians and school teacher librarians in Korea and explored practical measures to safeguard intellectual freedom. To this end, the concepts and types of intellectual freedom and self-censorship were reviewed, and interviews were conducted with 26 practicing librarians and teacher librarians who had experienced self-censorship. The findings show that, among the participants, self-censorship occurred mainly at the material acquisition stage in both types of libraries, with external pressure and concern over patron complaints identified as the primary causes. Across both groups, its justification was attributed to user protection and consideration of users’ age and developmental level, whereas the grounds for viewing it as unjustified centered on the infringement of intellectual freedom and the right of access to information, as well as the undermining of collection diversity. Meanwhile, in public libraries self-censorship was characterized more as a response to external pressure and administrative factors, whereas in school libraries it was more often justified through the institutional characteristics of educational purpose and student protection. This study is significant in that it provides comparative baseline data on the patterns of self-censorship in public and school libraries and suggests practical directions for improvement at the legal and institutional levels.

This study examined changes in public library role discourse in South Korea by analyzing changes in role types and the relational structure among role types in studies published between 2000 and 2024. Based on a review of the literature, public library roles were systematically classified into 19 role types. To compare changes in role types and their relational structure over time, the study period was divided into two phases: the first period(2000-2015) and the second period(2016-2024). Frequency analysis, keyword network analysis, and ego network analysis were conducted. The findings are as follows. First, public library roles expanded beyond traditional roles centered on information access and use, education, reading, and cultural participation to encompass a broader social roles, including civic participation, public deliberation, community problem-solving, community building, and support for democracy. Second, during the second period, network density increased while the average path length decreased, indicating stronger interconnections among role types. In addition, the centrality of several role types, including community interaction, bridging the digital divide, community problem-solving, community building, and civic participation, increased substantially. In particular, information access and use, community interaction, and bridging the digital divide exhibited the highest levels of degree and closeness centrality. Third, ego network analysis revealed that the ego networks of recently emerging role types expanded substantially, while their direct connections with traditional role types also became stronger. This study contributes to the literature by empirically identifying the relational structure among public library role types and their changes over time through keyword and ego network analyses.

This study conceptualizes public library activities involving citizens as service providers as ‘civic services’ and identifies their core attributes to establish a foundation for institutionalization. Research methods included a literature review to define the concept, 11 representative case studies, and a status survey of 37 public libraries in Seoul over a three-year period (2019-2021). The results show that public library civic service is an active model of citizen participation characterized by four core attributes: 1) structural leadership of the public library organization in processes such as recruiting and training; 2) regular service for a certain period of time; 3) clear beneficiaries and intended professional activities; and 4) institutionalized compensation and recognition. The status survey revealed that 384 programs were operated with 2,687 participating citizens, demonstrating progress from simple assistance to professional domains such as reading guidance and local archiving. These findings suggest that public library civic services serve as a key mechanism for creating public value and building social capital in local communities.