• Journal of the Korean BIBLIA Society for library and Information Science
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.45-66
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• 2017

To resolve the problem that multicultural people in Korea suffer from difficulties especially with prejudice and discrimination, it is necessary to raise the cultural diversity in communities in Korea through cultivating multicultural awareness among non-multicultural people. In this vein, public libraries, as cultural exchange institutes, can affect multicultural awareness of the people. This study investigated how characteristics of public libraries and their local communities are related to the users' multicultural awareness. The study found that multicultural awareness of library users was significantly influenced by the characteristics of public libraries but not by the characteristics of communities. It is suggested that public libraries should consider cultural diversity on overall library services for their general users to support their multicultural awareness.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Library and Information Science
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.103-124
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• 2011

The 21st century society is becoming globalized rapidly due to mass immigration and South Korea has become a multicultural nation since 2007 with over one million foreigners living here. Due to these social environmental changes, there was a need to provide multicultural programs and services in public libraries. In order to develop multicultural library services, we need to look into what librarians and users of public libraries know of the existing services. We assumed that comparing the two groups, librarians and users, and establishing a fit model would be the most effective way to provide information. According to the survey, there were differences in understanding between the two groups. By providing services that help fill in the gap, public libraries could be closer to multicultural families, and help them become integrated into Korean society. We have presented a multicultural service model based on the results of the survey.

• Journal of the Korean BIBLIA Society for library and Information Science
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.77-99
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• 2023

This study aims to quantitatively assess collection and circulation data of one small library in an area where multicultural users are concentrated and draw policy implications on improving multicultural services for public libraries. The Ansan Multicultural Small Library was selected for examining the library's collection and circulation usages from 2016 to 2022. The numbers of collection and circulation, collection turnover rates and use factors were calculated by year, language, and KDC subject. The result of this study presents the empirical evidence drawn from users' circulation usage, which can be a basis for leading to valid collection development and multicultural service policies.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Library and Information Science
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.279-301
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• 2011

This study analyzed 138 multicultural programs from 40 libraries during the last two years. The study compares multicultural programs running in Korean libraries with those from American and Canadian libraries which have a long history of multicultural societies. The results are listed below. There is a need for long-running multicultural programs that address the needs of its users even from the planning stages. Programs should include out-reach based running methods, daily life based subjects and contents, and differentiated approaches for different levels and ages of users.

• Journal of Korean Library and Information Science Society
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• v.51 no.2
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• pp.213-243
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• 2020

The research aims to investigate immigrants', librarians' and multicultural experts' information needs and perception on current multicultural services in Korean libraries, and to suggest the directions for providing multicultural library services. The research collected the data through conducting both in-depth interviews and focus group interviews with immigrants, librarians and multicultural experts. The research found the significant and emergent features on immigrants' and librarians' requests and perception about current library multicultural services. On the analysis of the findings, the research discussed the implications of the policies for library multicultural services and the alternatives to improve library multicultural services and librarians' multicultural competencies.

• Journal of Korean Library and Information Science Society
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• v.51 no.3
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• pp.351-384
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• 2020

The research aims to develop the courses for librarians' continuing education to build up multicultural competencies in library services. In order to achieve the purpose, the study designed the research processes as followings: first, multicultural environment analyses with various materials such as statistics or national reports; second, librarians' and multicultural users' needs analyses of multicultural library services and library works; third, job competency analyses through reviewing related laws, rules, guidelines for library multicultural services, etc. On the basis of the results from the three-step analysis phases, the study deducted the candidate courses for librarians' multicultural education. After testing validity of the candidate courses by expert panels on library multicultural services, the research suggested the final 16 courses and follow-up research projects for designing and implementing the suggested courses in real class fields.

• Journal of the Korean Society of School Health
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.146-156
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• 2018

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare the factors related to violence victimization between multicultural and Korean-origin adolescents. Methods: This study used the data of the 2017 Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-Based Survey. A total of 54,748 multicultral and Korean-origin adolescents were included in the analysis. Weighted percentage and means were used to describe the sample. Simple and multiple logistic regressions were conducted using SAS 9.2. Results: The multicultural adolescents experienced more violence victimization than Korean-origin adolescents. In both groups, middle school students, habitual drug users, and those not living with their family showed a greater risk of becoming a victim of violence. In Korean-origin adolescents, while girls and those with mid-level family economic status showed a lower risk, those who had experienced sadness or despair, suicidal ideation, smoking and problematic drinking showed a higher risk of becoming a violence victim. In multicultural adolescents, those with a lower subjective health status and a lower stress level had a higher risk of violence victimization. Conclusion: Results of this study suggest that the factors significantly related to violence victimization differ between multicultural and Korean-origin adolescents. Therefore, different approaches are required for the prevention and management of violence victimization in different populations.

• Journal of the Korean BIBLIA Society for library and Information Science
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.47-64
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• 2009

The world has rapidly become culturally diverse, and Korea has gradually grown into a multicultural society, mainly due to marriage immigrants and foreign laborers, whose number exceeds over one million nationally. Their adjustment and acculturation in Korea, however, dose'nt seem painless and untroubled, and public libraries are in duty to provide multicultural service for these population. Providing useful services on the homepage makes it possible for users to find the information they need without having to visit the actual library. A more detailed research will be conducted by examining the multicultural services provided by the public libraries in Australia, Canada, the United States, and Japan, the leading multicultural societies. The further examination will be conducted on these libraries in terms of four aspects, that is, information, literacy, education, and culture, as declared by Public Library Menifesto. In Korea, translation and interpretation services, homework help, child literacy are necessary services at the public library, Management of independent multicultural site, shared services between Regional Central Library and Community Public Library, cooperation with libraries, government and organization will be helpful to multicultural library services.

• Journal of Korean Library and Information Science Society
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.269-297
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• 2011

The purpose of this study is to investigate the current nationwide status of the multicultural and multilingual library services in Korea. To do this, a survey aimed at the public libraries, the non-governmental organizations and the governmental bodies that provided library services with multicultural and multilingual materials was conducted. Also, 15 librarians and the persons in charge were interviewed. As a result of this study, some recommendations not only regarding national library policies but also regarding public libraries providing multicultural library services to local users were suggested.

• Journal of Contemporary Eastern Asia
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.125-147
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• 2020

On the World Refugee Day in 2017, Yao Chen, a Chinese actress, philanthropist, and social media influencer, posted messages in her Weibo in support of the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR). Yet, social media users quickly interpreted this supportive message of the refugee program as encouraging people to "accept and receive refugees" (jieshou nanmin) into China. Particularly, the category of Middle Eastern refugees elicited most criticism in China's cyberspace. As the inclusion of refugees is an integral part of immigrant multiculturalism, this article examines the limits of multicultural imagination of refugees―particularly those from the Middle Eastern and North Africa―in contemporary China. I argue that the limits of multicultural imagination in contemporary China is profoundly shaped by an intricate interweaving of domestic policies and global imaginaries toward refugees. By deploying a mixed methodology, such limits are examined from legal-institutional, ideological, and sociocultural perspectives. More specifically, three interrelated aspects will be highlighted in the article: (1) the global circulation of right-wing populism imaginaries, and their entanglements with the anti-Muslim sentiments in contemporary China; (2) the current insufficiency of the legal-institutional framework regarding refugees and asylum-seekers, which needs to be contextualized in China's modern history of dealing with refugee issues; (3) population politics, the rise of Han-centric nationalism, and their constraining impact on the interpretation of historical events related to cultural diversity. In conclusion, this article also offers potential implications for further examining the different yet potentially intersected genealogies of multicultural imaginaries beyond the Middle Eastern and North African refugees in Asia.