earticle

영어

A public library is a social institute that preserves the cultural heritage of mankind and provides the nation the chance to enjoy knowledge and information regardless of division of area. It goes without saying how important the role and function of a public library is in an information-oriented society. The public service of libraries should equally be provided to satisfy the public needs in every local. For this reason, this study delves into the equity of public service provided by the human resources, material resources, and the budget with respect to local communities. Besides, these factors are analyzed by Coulter’s Index of Inequity. According to the analysis, a significant gap between local public libraries in equality were discovered and following conclusions were derived. First, the number of librarians in Sejong should be adjusted referring to the cases of Jeju, Jeonnam, and Gangwon. Second, the number of library’s administrative staffs in Daegu, Daejeon, Ulsan should be adjusted referring to the cases of Jeju, Chungbuk, Sejong. Third, Sejong should increase the number of seats of the libraries. Fourth, the population per seat of every area needs to be decreased in the long-term referring to Jeju. Fifth, it needs to adjust the number of books per capita referring to the Jeju or Sejong. In conclusion, this analysis may help guide in developing better policies to provide equal library services.