Drive-Thru Library Service in Korea

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the case of ‘drive-thru’ services newly introduced and tried in libraries in Korea under the influence of COVID-19, and to develop and propose a service model so that this service can be continuously applied to all libraries in the future. Therefore, the method of study was selected and analyzed by selecting one of the representative libraries that provide related services in Seoul Special City, Incheon Metropolitan City, and Anyang City of Gyeonggi Province. In addition, a focus group interview was conducted with twelve people in charge to find a way to apply the drive-thru service to the library. As a result, the library’s drive-thru service is a way to fulfill the library’s original purpose of providing information materials while minimizing faceto-face contact with users. It was concluded that it is a suitable method for a library of complex buildings, where there is a lack of parking space. In addition, it was deduced that it may be one of the ways to use the library efficiently for office workers who are unable to use library services during the opening hours. Therefore, if the drive-thru service is implemented according to the developed model, it is expected to increase the library visit rate and data utilization rate. © Seong-Kwan Lim, 2021