• Journal of the Korean Society for Library and Information Science
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.5-31
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• 2006

National libraries are responsible for collecting all publications issued in their respective countries. But national libraries vary widely in their origins and functions. In one or another form they are found in more than a hundred countries. The purpose of this paper is to suggest the backgrounds and theoretical informations to restructuring the completely centralized organizational framework of National Library of Korea. In order to achieve this goal. the national library systems of four culturally advanced countries, that is, British Library, Die Deutsche Bibliothek, Bibliotheque nationale de France, National Diet Library are analysed with respect to the grounds of main library, regional libraries. departmental or subject libraries, branch libraries, and their mutual relation.