Abstract
The study has tried to analize and appraise how did public library system under the Japanese imperialism affect the establishment and managemant of Korean public libraries. To achieve the purpose of the above-mentioned study, the contents of $\ulcorner$Japanese library statute$\lrcorner$ under Japanese imperialism and the current $\ulcorner$Korean library law$\lrcorner$ have been mutually compared, at the same time, the vestiage of Japanese imperialism in view of the establishment, personnel administration and reading systems have been concretely investigated, analyzed and compared. The conclusions obtained from the above are as followings. 1. In those days of the Korean Liberation, the situation of Korean public libraries was such as it under the Japanese rule and so, their names were only changed. However, as a part of its independent activities, the national library have once carried out the various programs such as the training of professional librarians, the establishment of the new classification schedule and the chief Librarian and deputy Librarian from the professional librarians in the office regulations, and they were well worth being the good examples for today's Korean library circle. Though the Goverment of the Republic of Korea had been formally established, the situation of the library circle was very dull owing to the Korean war for a long time. In 1963, $\ulcorner$The Korean library law$\lrcorner$ was promulgated, but the establishment of public libraries did not give satisfactory results because of the institutional fragility. In the 1980's the importance of library was embossed from the viewpoint of life-long education and the number of libraries was increased. However, there were still the remaining vestiges of Japanese library system in the practical library services. 2. After the Korean Liberation, the influnces of public library system under the Japanese imperialism showed in the office regulation of national library and the Korea library Law were also in the legal mechanism. In particular, the regulations of $\ulcorner$The staff-member of public library$\lrcorner$ and $\ulcorner$Admission fee of public library$\lrcorner$ including the chief librarian have referred to the library system under the Japanese imperialism since the liberation day to date. 3. At that time of the Korean Liberation, the U.S.Military Government Office had decided that the public library administration should be attached to the administration of local and internal affairs in accordance with the Japanese administative system. As a result, the public libraries had been forced to be indirectly affected by public library system under the Japanese imperialism for twenty years since the Liberation. 4. Since the Liberation, the personnel adminstration of public library has been so far on the steps of model under the Japanese imperialism. As the result of the field survey, the position standards of local chief librarians, non-professional character, the extra post system and the preponderant appointment of non-professional offices have analyzed by the influence of Public library system under the Japanese imperialism. Therefore, the Government authorities-concerned must readjust the standards of qualification and the divided duties corresponding to the position of public library staff members and to stipulate expressly in the revised library law. In addition, the regulation of the admission fee should be also actively detected for the free adminssion of library users. 5. Since the Liberation Day, the reading methods of public library have been so far similar to reading method under the Japaness imperialism. For example, the admission fee levied, the complicated procedures of using books including entrance and exit of a library, no-admission system, the limited lending books, the deposit system of outdoor lending books and the surety liable jointly and severally are originally caused by bureaucracy of under the Japanese imperialism. Therefore, the public libraries should make an offer space and opportunities which can enjoy freedom to the gull in future. The procedures and standards of library users will be simplified, if possible. As the above-mentioned, the actual conditions of Korean public libraries have been examined and analyzed. As the result of it, there are still the remaining vestiges of public library system under the Japanese imperialism in the establishment and management of the nation-wide public libraries. Such the remnants are an obstacle to the democratic development of public libraries and so, the authorities-concerned should take the proper-measures as soon as possible.