Abstract

In the so-called “information society,”the information service function of public libraries is gaining an increasing importance. In order to meet the growing demand for educational information, the Korean government established the Center for Educational Multimedia Research and Development and opened in 1996 the EDUNET as a comprchensive educational information network. In this context, public libraries as social education institutions are expected to provide educational information services by utilizing the EDUNET information resources. The availability of EDUNET will even increase when the librarians assist users with systematic information search services, and digitalize printed materials in the library. For this purpose, it is necessary for them to accommodate new information technologies and, thereby, to raise the level of information services up to that of their users’needs by enhancing the librarians’expertise in helping users search information effectively. In this end, we suggest a financial decision be made to build an oversea educational information exchange system.