Library Policy in the Republic of Korea: Second Library Development Strategic Plan

Abstract

This paper aims to introduce and share globally Korea's experiences and practices regarding library policy and to bring new evidence to establish national library policy by introducing Korea's Five-Year Library Development Strategic Plan, as laid out by the Presidential Committee on Library and Information Policy in 2014. Serving as a centre for cultural community, the library of today contributes to the realization of happiness for every citizen by facilitating the public's participation in and boosting of opportunities for cultural activities. With a vision of ‘The Library Creating Happy Life and Future’, in 2014, the committee announced seven driving strategies, with twenty strategic tasks and ninety-two specific implementation tasks in the Second Library Development Strategic Plan. This plan has yielded fruitful results and has led to success in developing libraries in Korean society. Considering that the situation varies from one country to another, the plan introduced in this paper cannot be regarded as a one-size-fits-all model. Korea's practice, however, is well localized and well developed through collaborative work among several government bodies and stakeholders of libraries in Korea, so it is expected that this policy will provide a good example of a strategic plan for developing libraries in the long run.