Problems in defining public library users as viewed through the 'book-room' phenomenon in Pusan

도서원현상을 통해 본 공공도서관 이용자에 대한 인식의 문제

This study, that is made by an on-the-spot survey and a library survey, is aimed at finding some problems in the recognition regarding public library users and suggesting the clue to solve the problems revealed in the way of having compared with 'Book-Room' and Public Library. Poor material was always a troublemaker in this study. Especially the part of 'Book-Room' phenomenon is wholly dependent upon a field survey, that is, interview with a 'book-room' clerks, gathering the advertising leaflets, a close observation on 'Book-Room', etc. There are little printed materials, much less precedent research theses. In the other parts of this paper, there are needed good statistical materials, but the nortion presented in the public library user statistics-for example pupil, students, housewives, old men, the generality of people, etc.- is so vague that it is insufficient and unhelpful for this study. In my judgment, with all these limitations, this article gets some results as follows : 1. 'Book-Room' is the cultural organization which is being operated by, for, of the community inhabitants and it takes on the character of movement - labor movement, cultural movement, and community movement. 2. The pioneer of the Book-Room is 'Yangso Hyupdong chohap' (which means good book- cooperative association) lasted from 1978 to the next year. 3. 'Arom'(means learning) Book-Room is the first real Book-Room at Seomyon district in Pusan established in 1987. 4. Book-Room can be classified by its character as 'Labor BookRoom' and 'Cultural Book-Room'. There are 10 Labor BookRooms and 4 Cultural Book-Rooms in Pusan. 5. Labor Book-Rooms organized themselves to 'Labor Book-Room conference'. 6. Book-Rooms have done their best to extort the needs and interests of the community inhabitants, but relatively public libraries do not, hence the majority of residents are neglected from the public library service. This is at Book-Rooms' back to have been spread so quickly. 7. There is a very large gap between the component ratio of community inhabitants by class and that of public library users by same criterion, that is, in the case of the former, the labor class goes beyond a half point, in the latter, the majority of public library user is composed of students and housewives. 8. Researchers and librarians have concentrated their attention and effort not upon whole residents in community but upon existing users at present time. They do not try to develope potential users. So, researchers' and librarians' recognition regarding the public library users needs to be changed. 9. The concept of 'core-user' may be the key to solve the problems related with public library users. For the purpose of ensuring the 'core-user', it is necessary to study the community and inhabitants.