Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate and analyze actual cases of specialized libraries which are increasing in number due to the influence of the local government policy and the specialization-oriented social atmosphere and to explore the development direction of specialized libraries in the future. In order to do that, the distributions, collections, facilities, professional manpower, programs, and services of the libraries providing specialized services were investigated and analyzed. A total of 55 libraries were analyzed and the implications and proposed policy directions based on the analysis are as follows. First, when selecting a specialized subject, the library should consider the local resources, local identity, local brands and demand of local residents. Second, specialized collections should be related to the specialized topic, and the number of specialized collections should be more than 10,000, but the proportion of specialized collections compared to the total collections should also be considered. Third, the design of space should consider the specialized subject, taking into account that required spaces and types are different depending on the type of specialized subject. Fourth, Specialized libraries should have specialists from the specialized area and the role of universities and librarian education institutes seem to be critical for cultivating specialized personnel. Fifth, the program type implemented by specialized libraries should be appropriately selected and operated from the program types of view-type, event-type, lecture-tepe, experience-type and contest-type, based on the specialized subject.