KJCKorea
Journal Central

This study aims to identify factors that hinder the utilization of discarded books in public libraries, seek solutions, and suggest methods to effectively utilize discarded books. A literature review, field case study, and interview method were used. 19 public libraries in 7 metropolitan cities and provinces across the country were examined, and 22 librarians were interviewed. The librarian’s awareness of the utilization of discarded books and their understanding of the relationship between free distribution of discarded books and the Public Official Election Act were investigated. As a result of investigating the factors hindering the use of discarded books, the Public Official Election Act was found to be the biggest factor. Accordingly, this study suggests an efficient method of enacting local government ordinance and national laws to enable free distribution of discarded books. Different utilization methods are proposed depending on the cause of discarding books.

This study analyzed cases of reclusive loner services to develop public library services for social reintegration of reclusive loner. As a result, public libraries need to play a multi-layered role through service innovation such as providing customized information and counseling services to close the information gap for reclusive loner, providing social connection opportunities through online reading meetings and non-face-to-face programs, creating public libraries as psychological stability spaces, providing customized services to ensure anonymity, expanding vocational education and learning programs to support reclusive loner self-reliance, revising the Library Act for service sustainability, preparing ordinances to support local governments, and establishing a comprehensive support system through cooperation between multiple ministries.

This study investigates the experiences and concerns of public librarians responsible for statistical data management and explores strategies to address related challenges. In-depth interviews were conducted with ten librarians handling statistical tasks at public libraries in Metropolitan City A and Province B in the Yeongnam region. Findings revealed that librarians had established a systematic workflow involving data collection, internal verification, data entry, and external verification. Effective communication between the overall statistics coordinator and department-specific data collectors ensured efficient task distribution and discussions on data collection standards. Recognizing the importance of public library statistics in performance evaluation and policy development, they employed strategies such as utilizing backup data, conducting internal consultations, and addressing external inquiries to maintain data accuracy and consistency. Despite these efforts, issues such as varying interpretations of survey items, unstable data management systems, and data entry errors were reported. This study’s findings are expected to improve the understanding of public library statistical tasks and contribute to enhancing survey methods and workflow processes.