• Journal of the Korean Society for Library and Information Science
• /
• v.56 no.1
• /
• pp.5-25
• /
• 2022

In most countries, public libraries are knowledge information centers, complex cultural spaces, lifelong learning facilities, and third places for local residents. The social homage spoken on the premise of this identity and socio-cultural role is the knowledge and information agora, cultural infrastructure, living room in the city, and the university of the people. However, if there is a significant gap between public libraries regardless of country or region, it will inevitably lead to information gaps, regional gaps, and cultural inequality and cultural welfare gaps among local residents. This study is regarded as the essence of regional cultural facilities and premised that the regional gap in public libraries is a factor of regional cultural gaps. Based on this premise, the gap between the location quotient, input indicators, and output indicators of public libraries of regional governments in Korea and basic local governments in the Gyeongbuk region was analyzed. And this study derived core elements through correlation and regression analysis of input and output indicators of all public libraries nationwide, developed a management model for each indicator, and suggested a plan to resolve the relative gap for public libraries by city and county in Gyeongbuk.

• Journal of Korean Library and Information Science Society
• /
• v.53 no.2
• /
• pp.215-239
• /
• 2022

All public libraries are local public goods and cultural infrastructures whose ideological pillars are publicly operated, free, and open to all. This identity is justified when the public library provides various knowledge information, various programs, and community space to local residents within the service area, and ultimately contributes to the cultural development of the nation and society. To this end, the country and local governments must expand the number of individuals that meet legal standards, deploy competent professionals, and provide facilities and spaces that are easy to access and use. However, if there is a gap in infrastructure and services between regional public libraries, it causes inequality in access and use of residents, which inevitably leads to information gap and cultural welfare gap. Therefore, this study was analyzed the relative gap using the location quotient, key infrastructure indicators and service indicators of public libraries of regional government in Korea and basic local government in the Chungnam region from the viewpoint that the balanced development and capacity building of public libraries must precede the establishment of a public library in Chungnam region as a life-friendly knowledge information service institution, culture enjoyment and lifelong learning space. Based on the results, a method to resolve the gap was suggested by dividing the elements of gaps in public libraries into accessibility, core infrastructure, and services, focusing on vulnerable cities and counties in the Chungnam region.