A Study on the Orientation of Larchiveum of National Library of Korea : With a Focus on the Activation of Personal Library as Archive
This paper presents an investigation into the orientation of Larchiveum of National Library of Korea, which has b...
A Study on the Orientation of Larchiveum of National Library of Korea : With a Focus on the Activation of Personal Library as Archive
This paper presents an investigation into the orientation of Larchiveum of National Library of Korea, which has been pushing Larchiveum as a model of paradigm changes to the forms and values of libraries according to the changing types of information resources and the development of network technologies. The study thus set out to analyze the Larchiveum of National Library of Korea and personal libraries and propose plans to activate personal libraries as archives at National Library of Korea and improve its Larchiveum. Today National Library of Korea is claiming to advocate Larchiveum, but it has faced a criticism that its Larchiveum is merely an extension of libraries and has shown its limitations. The study thus focused on establishing the identity of Larchiveum through the activation of personal libraries. It was unfortunate that there were no in-depth researches on the personal libraries of National Library of Korea, which led to the analysis of work experiences and domestic and overseas cases of personal libraries for the research.
The Larchiveum of National Library of Korea has revealed its limitations clearly due to the absence of devoted organization and professional workforce, legal and institutional limits, space restriction, and the identity issue of Larchiveum. The personal libraries of National Library of Korea are similar to manuscripts in the nature of materials and the purport of foundation. Even though they have a lot of advantages including the collection of valuable materials and the securement of research data, they are rife with problems including the absence of planned collection policies, lack of manpower, and the arrangement and description issues to hinder the immediate availability of materials as archives. Based on concerned cases home and abroad, the investigator searched for a model to push Larchiveum forward based on the applicability of personal libraries and their utilization as archives.
Based on the findings, the study proposed the following plans to activate personal libraries as archives: first, personal libraries should improve their collection procedures; second, they should supplement their classification and description systems; and third, a national archive should be set up with personal libraries integrated into it.
Those proposals led to the following suggestions to improve the Larchiveum of National Library of Korea: first, the laws and regulations should be arranged regarding the system and operation of Larchiveum; secondly, an organization should be formed to devote itself to Larchiveum and secure professional manpower; and finally, the entire resource rooms should turn into Larchiveum, and a web Larchiveum should be established.
The present study leaves something to be desired since it was not able to establish a theory based on literature study with no previous studies on personal libraries. Additional researches will be needed to improve the classification system to turn personal libraries into archives and address a Larchiveum model based on personal libraries in details.