Nowadays, universities function as educational and research institutions that play a central role in producing social knowledge and nurturing experts. Alongside this, academic libraries strive to collect high-quality physical information resources, pr...
Nowadays, universities function as educational and research institutions that play a central role in producing social knowledge and nurturing experts. Alongside this, academic libraries strive to collect high-quality physical information resources, provide services to users, and contribute to achieving the university's goals.
However, the increasing volume of printed materials produced and collected during this process creates a shortage of physical space in libraries. This problem is compounded by the need for academic libraries to transform their spaces to meet changing user demands, deepening crisis in managing library collections. To resolve this situation, the establishment and operation of a shared preservation repository at the academic library level is essential. This study proposes operating a shared preservation repository to address collection storage issues in Busan-area academic libraries and aims to understand the perceptions of university librarians, who will be the primary operators.
Surveys and in-depth interviews with librarians at Busan-area academic libraries revealed that most libraries were experiencing storage saturation issues, and all librarians considered a university-level shared preservation repository necessary. Key requirements for stable operation were identified as securing operational funds, allocating staff, and obtaining government financial support. Benefits cited for a shared preservation repository included increased space for individual libraries and resolution of individual storage saturation issues. However, concerns also existed regarding the degree of resource sharing, the burden of facility maintenance and operating costs, and insufficient operational personnel. Therefore, it was analyzed that establishing a practical foundation for shared preservation repository operation through continuous research is necessary.
This study holds significance in proposing practical measures for operating a shared preservation repository for academic libraries and in identifying practitioners’ needs by examining the perceptions of university librarians in the Busan area, and aspect that has been understudied.