This study aims to investigate, compare, and analyze the main lending policies of University libraries in Korea and suggest improvement measures based on the results. The results showed that the percentage of external users' membership is low at 68.8%...
This study aims to investigate, compare, and analyze the main lending policies of University libraries in Korea and suggest improvement measures based on the results. The results showed that the percentage of external users' membership is low at 68.8%, and that undergraduate and graduate students can borrow up to 10 books each, and professors can borrow up to 30 books. Loan periods were often set at two weeks (14-15 days) for undergraduates, 30 days for graduate students, and 90 days for professors. Most university libraries allow loan reservations and extensions, but extensions are often limited to one per status. Sanctions for overdue books mainly consisted of suspension and late fees, while lost and damaged books often required the return of the same item or reimbursement from the city.
The study suggested several ways to improve the lending policy of university libraries. First, university libraries should be open to local residents, and national university libraries should be open for free to increase accessibility. Second, it is necessary to reduce or abolish discrimination based on status in the number and duration of loanable books and raise the minimum number of books available for loan to 10. Third, the loan period should be extended from a minimum of six months to a maximum of one year for undergraduates, three months for graduate students, and six months for professors, and doubled for undergraduates with disabilities. Fourth, university libraries that do not have a loan reservation system should actively introduce it. Fifth, to reduce the psychological burden of overdue loans, alternative measures such as volunteer lending were suggested instead of limiting loans to the length of the overdue period. Sixth, for lost or damaged books, the basic policy should be to purchase and return identical materials, but in the case of out-of-print materials, allow for the return of similar materials, and provide an exemption clause for unavoidable reasons. Seventh, non-book materials should be included in the lending rules in line with international trends, and the number of items that can be borrowed should be limited to 1-2 to minimize inconvenience to users. Eighth, lending rules should be categorized by type of disability to make it easier for people with disabilities to use the library.
The university library lending service is an important link between users and the library, and it is a major factor in determining the image of the university library. Therefore, an authoritative organization should take the initiative to establish consistent regulations, and further research on e-book lending regulations is needed.