• Journal of the Korean Society for information Management
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.51-71
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• 2017

This study conducted a survey to measure recognition distance between the materials which are located separately in a children's library targeting 200 elementary school lower grade students, higher grade students, and school parents(adults). And compared recognition distance between the elements of materials of individual visitor group with multidimensional scaling and K-mean group analysis. Multidimensional Scaling (MDS) is a technique for projecting the cognitive state in space by evaluating the similarity or attribute of the analysis target. Even though it is mainly used for market diagnosis in marketing, It can also be applied to present an ideal physical layout plan by analyzing the distance. As a result of analysis, the main discoveries are as follows. First, elementary school students cognize child, baby and computer materials should be adjacent as a same group. But recognition of adults(school parents) is reflected by differing from elementary school students vastly. They cognize that computer materials should be formed as a special group separated from child and baby's materials. Second, elementary school higher graders and adults(school parents) groups also want to separate their main reading materials from baby's book, therefore They both want to secure silent reading space separating from baby. Third, as a result to confirming how this recognition distance system of materials is reflected in a real children's library through three children's libraries in Y-gu, Incheon, there is no library with structure according perfectly with a recognition system of a particular class, but a recognition system of adults and elementary school students is partially reflected because baby, child and computer materials, and baby and child materials are commonly separated and placed. It is difficult to insist that a recognition system of a visitor group, especially a recognition system of children is absolute consideration conditions in material placement of a children's library. However, understanding cognition of the user groups can be an important evidentiary factors to offer differentiated service space according to visitors and effective placement of the elements of library resources.