Abstract

This study aims to examine community information services provided by public libraries to explore strategies for their future development and enhance these services for the sustainability of local communities. The study categorized local information services into 17 categories and identified 60 detailed types. An analysis of 116 public libraries in the Chungcheong region revealed that 36% of the libraries offered community information services, while 64% did not. Among the 17 categories, the services provided were primarily concentrated on history/culture, employment, leisure, administrative information, education, and village communities. In eight areas experiencing population decline, the provision of community information services was notably lacking, highlighting the need to actively develop these services to support community sustainability. The study proposes expanding the concept of locality and diversifying service categories, conducting user needs assessments to reflect local residents’ interests, strengthening human resource cooperation, and establishing digital archives of local materials in collaboration with related institutions.