Korean Studies institutions play a substantial role in the systematic collection and management of manuscripts. These institutions collect a diverse range of manuscripts, primarily consisting of old documents and manuscripts(Gomunseo and Gomunheon), f...
Korean Studies institutions play a substantial role in the systematic collection and management of manuscripts. These institutions collect a diverse range of manuscripts, primarily consisting of old documents and manuscripts(Gomunseo and Gomunheon), from families(Munjung), Seowon
(Confucian academies), and individuals across the country. These institutions refer to the collected private records as "Korean Studies materials"(Gukhak materials).
Gukhak materials are resources that demonstrate the specific lives and activities of the private sector of the time. This aligns with the modern objective of manuscripts management, which is "recording daily life and preserving community memory." Therefore, these materials are records that should be preserved as evidence and memories of activities in the private sector of that era.
Until now, much research on Gukhak materials has focused on content analysis and value discovery from bibliographic or historical perspectives. Furthermore, services provided by Korean Studies institutions have mainly focused on providing bibliographic information for individual items.
However, Gukhak materials possess a distinct context as records produced and accumulated through the activities of organizations, such as family or Seowon, and their members. Despite this, there has been a limitation in failing to systematically organize the collective structure
and contextual meaning inherent in them as archives. Therefore, it is necessary to preserve the context, such as the production background and accumulation process, of Gukhak materials. To achieve this, an archival approach that emphasizes the connection between records and the understanding of context is required. In particular, the archival arrangement and description of Gukhak materials can significantly facilitate their access and utilization.
Therefore, this thesis proposes arrangement methods and description elements from an archival perspective, specifically targeting records held by families, Seowon, and Hyanggyo (local Confucian schools) among the collections of Korean Studies institutions, where the context can be identified. The research process and results are as follows:
First, the definitions of Korean Studies institutions and Gukhak materials were examined through an analysis of relevant regulations. In addition, through a literature review, the concepts and principles of archival arrangement and description were identified to review methods appli
cable to Gukhak materials. This process highlighted the necessity of applying theories such as the principle of provenance and the principle of hierarchical management. Along with this, domestic and internationaldescription standards applicable to Gukhak materials were identified.
Second, to investigate the necessity and feasibility of applying archival arrangement and description to Gukhak materials, the characteristics of materials from families and Seowon collected by these institutions were analyzed. Additionally, the current status of arrangement and description was analyzed, with the Advanced Center for Korean Studies(Andong), the Honam Institute for Korean Studies, and the Chungnam Institute of Confucian Culture selected as subjects of analysis. The analysis pointed out limitations in existing practices while identifying reference cases for archival application.
Third, arrangement methods and description standards were presented to maintain the basic attributes of records and utilize them as search tools. A hierarchical arrangement method of "Collection - Series - File - Item" was proposed, focusing on the activity context of the organization or its members. For description, ISAD(G), DACS, and the Rules for Archival Description(Korea) were selected as reference standards. Furthermore, reference cases were derived from the existing description elements of Korean Studies institutions. Finally, the proposed description elements were applied to actual Gukhak material collections to examine their feasibility.
In addition, Korean Studies institutions hold Gukhak materials produced from multiple sources. Therefore, it is necessary to describe the background and history of the creators in detail and provide this information to users. To this end, this thesis referred to ISAAR(CPF), a standard for describing creator information as authority records. Based on the description elements presented in the standard, the application of actual Gukhak material creator information was attempted.