Evaluating and Restructuring Library Specialization Strategies: A Case Study of Pyeongchang County

Ji Yoon Ro; Younghee Noh; Inho Chang

doi:10.5865/IJKCT.2025.15.4.123

Evaluating and Restructuring Library Specialization Strategies

A Case Study of Pyeongchang County

Authors

Ji Yoon Ro Dept. of Library and Information Science, Gwangju University
Younghee Noh Dept. of Library and Information Science, Konkuk University
Inho Chang Dept. of Library and Information Science, Daejin University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5865/IJKCT.2025.15.4.123

Keywords:

Specialized Libraries, Regional Contexts, Program Sustainability, User Demand, Implementation Model

Abstract

This study diagnoses the outcomes and limitations of thematic specialization in Pyeongchang County’s public and small libraries and proposes a sustainable re-specialization model. Through literature review, current status analysis, and survey research, the implementation of the 1st Mid- to Long-term Development Plan (2020-2025) was evaluated, and a demand survey (n=169) comparing users’ and non-users’ perceptions along with a librarian survey (n=7) were conducted. Findings reveal that both users (66.3%) and non-users (62.5%) prioritize user demand and community needs analysis, with no statistically significant differences between groups ( =2.15, p=0.91). While the 1st plan achieved results in remodeling and infrastructure, program sustainability was constrained by insufficient specialized personnel, governance structures, and financial continuity. Pyeongchang’s thematic specialization tracks (digital, senior, youth, culture & arts, everyday-life, multicultural) align with regional contexts (average 3.5-3.7 points), but sustained success requires integrated mechanisms: specialized librarian systems, cohort-type program architecture, cross-sector network governance, and diversified funding portfolios. Library-specific implementation models and a phased roadmap (2026-2030) are proposed to transform specialization strategies into sustainable structures.

Publication Facts

This article

Author statements

Data availability

N/A

16%

External funding

N/A

32%

Competing interests

N/A

11%

This journal

Other journals

Articles accepted

43%

33%

Days to publication

145

Indexed in

Editor & editorial board: profiles
Society: N/A
Publisher: RIKCDT(Research Institute for Knowledge Content Development & Technology)

Downloads

Published

2025-12-30

How to Cite

Ro, J. Y., Noh, Y., & Chang, I. (2025). Evaluating and Restructuring Library Specialization Strategies: A Case Study of Pyeongchang County. International Journal of Knowledge Content Development & Technology, 15(4), 123–144. https://doi.org/10.5865/IJKCT.2025.15.4.123

Download Citation

Issue

Vol. 15 No. 4 (2025)

Section

Articles

License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The authors retain copyright in their work.
The RIKCDT is granted a non-exclusive, perpetual worldwide license to publish, disseminate, and maintain the version of record in all media formats, including print and electronic formats.
The article will be published under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) license, which permits users to read, download, and share the work for non-commercial purposes with appropriate attribution, but does not permit any modification, adaptation, or creation of derivative works.
IJKCDT articles may not be republished in whole or in part, whether for commercial purposes, in print or online.
No dispute shall be raised on matters RIKCDT already managed on research papers published in previous journal.