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International Journal of Knowledge Content Development & Technology - Vol. 14 , No. 1
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[ Article ]
International Journal of Knowledge Content Development & Technology - Vol. 10, No. 4, pp. 83-101
ISSN: 2234-0068 (Print) 2287-187X (Online)
Print publication date 31 Dec 2020
Received 20 Nov 2020 Revised 20 Dec 2020 Accepted 24 Dec 2020
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5865/IJKCT.2020.10.4.083

A Study on the Current Status and Librarian Perception of Readers' Advisory in Korean University Libraries: A focus on Leisure Reading
Dae-Keun Jeong*
*Assistant Professor, Gwangju University, Gwangju (dkjeong@gwangju.ac.kr)

Abstract

This study attempted to establish the role of university libraries for leisure reading by identifying the current status of university libraries about leisure reading, which is a part of the reading support service and by investigating and analyzing the university library librarian's perception of the necessity of leisure reading. To this end, a survey was conducted on university libraries. As a result of the survey, 78% of university libraries were conducting leisure reading, and 72% of them provided separate space. Separate manpower was provided only in 30% of libraries, and book lists were provided mainly by best sellers. Regarding the need for leisure reading (4.28) and the role of university libraries (4.32), librarians responded that it was a necessary service for university libraries, and university library librarians that currently provide spaces and programs were more aware of the need.

Keywords: Readers' Advisory, Librarian Perception, Leisure Reading, Extracurricular Reading, Interesting Reading, Recreation Reading
1. Introduction

In the modern society represented by the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the amount of information necessary for human life has rapidly increased along with the diversification of media. However, due to the development of various media information and communication technologies, the amount of book loans in domestic university libraries and the library utilization rate of university students decreased sharply. According to the Educational Statistical Yearbook of the Korea Educational Development Institute, in 2011, the number of annual users of university libraries reached 1,685,490, and the number of loans per year reached 24,153,402. However in 2015, the number of loans per year dropped to 1,232,257, and the number of loans also sharply decreased to 12,259,680. In 2018, it decreased even further, with 1,139,761 loans per year and 11,152,307 loans, indicating that college students' use of university libraries continues to decline (Korean Educational Development Institute, 2019).

The decrease in the utilization rate of university libraries acted as a crisis in the aspect of university libraries, along with problems at the university level, such as a decrease in new students, and became the basis for the establishment of the University Library Promotion Act. In December 2018, after twists and turns, the University Library Promotion Act was enacted, and in January 2019, the Ministry of Education announced the 2nd Comprehensive University Library Promotion Plan (2019-2023) according to the law. While the first comprehensive plan for university library promotion was carried out in terms of expanding academic resources, the second comprehensive plan for university library promotion focused on reinforcing user-centered education and research. In particular, as a promotion task in the aspect of reinforcing support for students' teaching and learning activities, support for reading education to foster humanities thinking and ability such as critical thinking, creativity, communication, cooperation, and more on. which are basic literacy of students, was selected. However, even before the efforts of the Ministry of Education, university libraries made efforts to support reading education in various aspects, the amount of reading among university students is constantly decreasing, and measures are needed.

The decline in college students' reading rates is similar in the US. The reading rate of college students in the U.S. also fell from 59.3% in 1992 to 52% in 2002 (American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 2019), and the National Endowment for the Art conducted a study to improve the reading rate of college students in order to solve the problem of falling college students' reading rates, and the results were reported that leisure reading according to this study had a positive effect on improving students' academic ability(Bradshaw & Nichols, 2004). Since then, interest in leisure reading has gradually increased, in a 2011 Gustavus Adolphus College, Minnesota survey on reading for students confirmed that students enjoy leisure reading and that leisure reading for interest helps students acquire various skills (EBSCO Post, 2016).

Therefore, it speaks of the necessity that university libraries should be used as a space for leisure reading for interest and fun, not just for academic reading for study. It also shows that there is a need to expand reading support services in terms of leisure reading for interest as well as academic efforts to improve student learning ability. Therefore, this study attempted to identify the current status of university libraries in terms of leisure reading among students' reading support services in university libraries, and to establish the role of university libraries in leisure reading through the perception of librarians.

2. Literature Review
2.1 Development of leisure reading and prior research

The term for leisure reading is used in various ways. When looking at the terms for leisure reading in university libraries, it is used in various ways, such as Leisure Reading, which emphasizes reading for rest in leisure time, and Extracurricular Reading, which means free reading outside of the class, rather than reading for the subject, Interesting Reading, which focuses on fun and interest, and Recreation Reading, which focuses on rest and play. In this study, Leisure Reading, which is most commonly used in university libraries and overseas research, is used as a representative term, and leisure reading is defined as "reading in the extension of rest with the aim of having fun and enjoyment, not reading for learning such as major books in college".

According to a study by Zauha(1993), leisure reading for enjoyment in overseas university libraries began in 1920-1930, and due to the increase in research related to leisure reading, it was already an important part of the role of librarians in university libraries in the 1930s and 1940s. At that time, the university library had a Browsing Room, and it was possible to read novels and non-fiction works carefully selected by librarians outside the classroom for leisure reading. However, from the 1940s to the late 1950s, interest in leisure reading began to diminish as the budget was reduced and the focus on reference services tailored to the class. In the 1970s, as the focus was on subject-specialized services, interest in leisure reading became even lower, and after 1990, it almost disappeared.

However, as mentioned earlier, the National Endowment for the Art(2004) announced that leisure reading had a positive effect on the improvement of students' academic ability, with concern about the continuing decline in the reading rate of college students, since then, research on leisure reading in universit libraries has been actively conducted again. Rathe and Blankenship (2006) proposed a collection of recreational reading in university libraries, and Feighery (2007) conducted research on reading in university libraries and extracurricular books. Dewan (2013) pointed out the problem of reading in university libraries, and Sievert et al. (2018) proposed a book tailoring service, a reading support service for college students to use their leisure reading time. As such, studies on leisure reading books abroad have been actively conducted until recently, and they are applied in various ways to libraries.

Research on reading in Korea has been actively conducted since the 2000s. Many studies on reading are actively conducted in school and public libraries rather than university libraries, and the age group is also targeting elementary, middle and high school students rather than college students. Although not as high as elementary, middle, and high school students, research on reading is being conducted with the focus of college students, and reading research for college students can be broadly divided into university level and university library level. When the research field was divided, it could be classified as reading education, reading discussion, reading therapy, reading facts, and case studies. These are summarized in Table 1.

Table 1. 
Trend of prior research in domestic reading field
Division Researcher
University library level Reading education Cho(2015), Yang(2014), Ko & Jeong(2012), Lee(2012)
Reading Discussion Lim(2017), Park & Lee(2015), Kim(2013)
Reading therapy Choi(2014), Lee(2010)
Actual condition and case study Song(2018), Chung(2017), Han(2014)
University level Reading education Lee(2017), Son & Jang(2018), Cho(2015), Park(2006), Kim(2002)
Reading Discussion Son(2019), Kim(2019), Cho(2019)
Reading therapy Kim(2008), Koo(2007)
Actual condition investigation Kwon(2007), Lee(2004)

In the case of foreign countries, research on leisure reading is being actively conducted, but as we have seen earlier, the fact that little research has been done on leisure reading in Korea is confirmed. So it can be said that research on leisure reading from the perspective of domestic university libraries is imperative.

2.2 University student reading status

According to the 2019 National Reading Survey, 52.1% of adults read more than one book a year based on a paper book, and 4-5 out of 10 people did not read a single book in a year. The reading rate of the 19 to 29 years old, including the college student group, is 70.4%, which is better than that of all adults, but the annual trend shows a marked decrease in the reading rate of college students. At the start of the survey in 1995, the reading rate of college students was very high at 94.9%, but it continued to decline with the passage of time, and it has dropped by more than 20% in 2019. Annual amount of reading also fell every year, In 2017, it fell below 10 books per year, and even lowered to 8 in 2019. As the reading volume of college students is rapidly decreasing, it is urgent to prepare countermeasures.

Table 2. 
Trends in reading rate of Korean university students (ages 19 to 29) (based on paper books)
Year Reading rate Annual amount of reading per year Remarks
2019 70.4% 8.0 -
2017 73.5% 9.9 -
2015 86.6% 11.4 -
2013 88.2% 11.7 -
2011 88.3% 16.3 -
2006 88.6% 14.6 -
1999 91.2% 14.5 -
1995 94.9% - 18 to 29 years old
Source: Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. (2020). National Reading Survey 1995~2019 Researcher Reorganization.

In fact, this phenomenon is not very different in the case of the United States, not only in Korea. Table 3 shows the reading rate of college students in the United States surveyed by the National Endowment for the Art. In the case of the United States, as in Korea, the reading rate is decreasing over time, and the rate of decline among college students is lower than that of the total reading rate (American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 2019).

Table 3. 
Trends in Reading Rate of American University Students (18 to 24 Years Old)
Year Reading rate Overall reading rate Remarks
2017 47.3% 52.7% -
2012 51.8% 54.6% -
2008 50.7% 54.3% -
2002 52.0% 56.6% -
1992 59.3% 60.9% -
Source: American Academy of Arts and Sciences. (2019). Humanities Indicators.

For this reason, the United States also made efforts to improve the reading rate of college students, and according to the National Endowment for the Art report published in 2004, it was announced that leisure reading had a positive effect on the improvement of students' academic ability, as a result, interest in leisure reading began to increase. According to a 2011 survey of Gustavus Adolphus College students in Minnesota, 93% of students enjoy leisure reading. Also newspapers, magazines, and leisure reading for interest have been confirmed to be helpful in acquiring various skills to become more mature students by satisfying students' needs(EBSCO Post, 2016).

In addition, according to Hailley(2018), leisure reading not only improves academic ability, but also critical thinking skills that are necessary in modern society, which is much more abundant that simply reading academic materials for information acquisition.

This phenomenon can be confirmed not only in the United States, but also in domestic studies. According to a study by Chae and Shin(2015), who studied the relationship between reading and academic achievement and employment, it was confirmed that the amount of reading of high school students' literary and liberal arts data had a positive effect on the scores of the college entrance exam. Also it was confirmed that there is a correlation between the amount of reading of literary and liberal arts data and employment and average monthly wage. In the aspect of getting a decent job(large corporations, public institutions, financial institutions, etc.), the percentage of employed students who did not read a single literary book when they were a student was 27%, whereas those who read 11 or more books were more than 8%, with 35%. In the case of educational books, 24% of students who did not read a single book were employed, whereas those who read 11 or more books showed a high employment rate of 20% or more.

When looking at various research results, it was possible to confirm the necessity of not only academic reading for study but also leisure reading for interest and fun, and university libraries also need to expand reading support services in terms of leisure reading for interest as well as academic efforts to improve students' learning ability.

3. Application examples of leisure reading books in university libraries2)

Overseas university libraries provide information by configuring separate spaces and on-offline collections for leisure reading to encourage leisure reading for university students. The New York University Library in the United States has prepared an offline collection on the 2nd basement floor of the Bobst Library, the main library, so that students can read leisurely from academic materials when they need a break. Materials for this collection including the New York Times and bestsellers, provide a variety of genres such as fiction and non-fiction including mystery, crime, science fiction, biographies, romance, cartoon novels. Library collection information can be searched through the "Books & More" tab in the library search system, and is provided in connection with the leisure reading collection on the 2nd basement floor.


Fig. 1. 
New York University Library Leisure Reading Collection

The Loughborough University Library in England has prepared an independent collection of leisure reading books on the fourth floor of the library for students' leisure reading. The Leisure Reading Collection has a sedentary space where you can read comfortably and provides materials in a variety of genres, including contemporary literature, biographies, fantasy, cartoon novels, and science fiction novels. In addition, information for leisure reading is categorized by author, language, genre, period, and region, and the second foreign language materials of the related collection are stored separately in 426.64. Lists are also provided online, and in particular, cartoon materials that are difficult to find in university libraries are provided as a well.


Fig. 2. 
Collection of leisure reading books at Loughborough University Library

The University of Dundee Library in Scotland provides space for leisure reading collections in the “Broughty Ferry Beach Club” on the first floor of the main library, providing updated information from time to time. Leisure reading materials are composed of best-selling, crime, fantasy, comic novels, historical novels, fiction including mystery and sci-fi novels, and non-fiction materials including biological history, music, sports, travel, and fitness(yoga, etc.), etc. Leisure reading collection materials can be viewed online in the form of e-books.


Fig. 3. 
Collection of leisure reading books at University of Dundee Library

4. Study design and Analysis
4.1 Study design

In this study, the following research questions were set up in order to confirm the necessity of leisure reading through prior research in university libraries and to achieve the research objectives that can be practically applied in university libraries.

RQ1. What is the leisure reading environment (status) of university libraries?
RQ2. What is the perception of domestic university library librarians for leisure reading?

A questionnaire survey was conducted to confirm the proposed research question, and the detailed contents for the questionnaire are shown in Table 4 below.

Table 4. 
Contents of the survey
Division Content of the questionnaire
General status library name, region, library affiliate, librarian's reading volume, work experience
Reading support service status implementation of the reading support service, provided reading support service, whether space for leisure reading is provided, location of the leisure reading space, the availability of leisure reading list, provision form of leisure reading list, The collection of leisure reading books, operating personnel, leisure reading operation programs
Librarian's perception recognition of leisure reading, importance of leisure reading, role of university library

The subject of t`he survey was 415 university libraries, excluding annexes, among 453 universities presented in the 2018 Educational Statistical Yearbook. The survey was conducted both online and offline, from July 20 to August 15, 2020. Offline questionnaires and links to online surveys were sent via e-mail, the librarian in charge of reading support was encouraged to take a survey by phone twice. In this study, cross-over analysis, t-test, and one-way ANOVA analysis were conducted.

4.2. Research Results
4.2.1. General status

In this study, a questionnaire was conducted for university libraries nationwide to investigate the current status of leisure reading in university libraries and librarians' perceptions of leisure reading. However, despite continued efforts, only 50 university libraries responded in the aftermath of COVID 19.

Among the university libraries that responded, 13 public institutions(26%) and 37 private institutions(74%) were classified by department. By region, the Seoul Gyeonggi area answered the most with 18(36%), followed by 14(28%) in the Gyeongsang area.

Table 5. 
Affiliation and Region of Response Library
Affiliation Frequency Percent Area Frequency Percent
Public 13 26.0 Seoul, Gyeonggi Area 18 36.0
Gyeongsang Area 14 28.0
Chungcheong area 6 12.0
Private 37 74.0 Honam area 5 10.0
Gangwon area 7 14.0
Total 50 100.0 Total 50 100.0

4.2.2. Reading support service and leisure reading operation status of university library

1) Current status and program of reading support service

Among the libraries that responded, general reading support services were operated by 45 libraries(90%), and the most frequently provided programs were reading clubs and reading-related events such as reading reports and book review, book recommendations, book exhibitions, and reading camps.

Table 6. 
The availability of operation of reading support service and operation program
Division Operation of reading support service
Operation 45(90%)
Operation program Book clubs club(24), debate(4) 28
Book events reading plan, reading report and book review contest(7), reading photo contest, extensive reading award, reading golden bell, reading certification and mileage (3), book exchange, one city one book, etc. 17
Book recommendations book recommendation(4), recommended book(3) 7
Reading Special Lecture special reading lecture, author meeting, book concert (2) 4
Book exhibitions theme book exhibition 2
Reading camps reading camp 2
Non Operation 5(10%)

2) Current status of leisure reading

Looking at the status of providing leisure reading spaces and programs among the reading support services, 11 of the libraries(22%) that responded did not provide spaces and programs related to leisure reading, and 39(78%) libraries provide spaces and programs for leisure reading. Among the institutions that provide leisure reading spaces and programs, 11 halls(22%) did not provide a separate space but provided a program-oriented leisure reading support service, and 28 halls(71.8%) provided space for leisure reading. Of the libraries that provided a separate space for leisure reading, 9 buildings(32%) provided services as corners in the reading room in the library, and 8 buildings(28.6%) provided services by providing separate spaces in the library lobby. In the case of separate reading rooms, there were 6 halls(21.4%), and the 3 halls(10.7%) provided leisure reading space in the space adjacent to the study room.

Table 7. 
The availability of space provision for leisure reading and location of space
Division Leisure reading space
Providing space and programs 39(78%)
Providing space Separate space inside the library 28(71.8%) Lobby in the library 8(28.6%)
Organization of separate reading room 6(21.4%)
Corner in reading room 9(32.1%)
Space adjacent to study room 3(10.7%)
The others 2(7.1%)
No separate space 11(28.2%)
Not providing 11(22%)
Total 50(100%)

Reading lists for leisure reading were provided by 31 buildings(79.5%), of which 61.5%(24) libraries provided reading lists both online and offline. There were 8 institutions(20.5%) that did not provide the reading list itself.

Table 8. 
Reading list provision form for leisure reading
Provision status Frequency Percent
Offline 2 5.1
Online 5 12.8%
Online and offline 24 61.5%
Not provided 8 20.5%

Looking at the field of leisure reading provided, bestsellers are provided in 26 of the 30 replies(86.7%), followed by 16 classics(63.3%), 15 learning cartoon(50%), and 14 travel(46.7%), followed by 13 self-development programs(43.3%).

Table 9. 
Field of provision for leisure reading
Rank Field Frequency Rank Field Frequency
1 Bestseller 26(86.7%) 12 Science fiction 11(36.7%)
2 Steady seller 19(63.3%) 13 Art 11(36.7%)
3 Educational cartoon 15(50.0%) 14 Newspaper 11(36.7%)
4 General cartoon 14(46.7%) 15 Music 10(33.3%)
5 Travel 14(46.7%) 16 Health 10(33.3%)
6 Self-development 13(43.3%) 17 Cooking 10(33.3%)
7 Romance novel 12(40.0%) 18 Parenting 10(33.3%)
8 Historical novel 12(40.0%) 19 Fashion magazine 10(33.3%)
9 Martial arts 11(36.7%) 20 Home 9(30.0%)
10 Fantasy 11(36.7%) 21 News magazine 9(30.0%)
11 Mystery 11(36.7%) 22 Science magazine 9(30.0%)

Looking at the personnel for leisure reading, 70% of responding libraries did not have a separate staff, and only 30.7%(12) had librarian staff(10) or general staff(2).

Table 10. 
Existence of staff for leisure reading
Division Frequency Total
Staff available Librarian staff 10(25.6%) 12(30.7%)
General staff 2(5.1%)
Staff Unavailable 27(69.3%)
Total 39(100%)

4.2.3. Research on the perception of leisure reading in university library librarian

1) Librarian perception for leisure reading

In this study, it was identified whether the librarian of a university library knew about leisure reading among reading support services. About 70% of all librarians(35) said they already knew about leisure reading, and 11(22%) said they had heard of it but did not know it well. Four halls(8%) answered that they had never heard of leisure reading.

As a result of examining the differences according to the institution affiliated with the university, there was a difference between the librarians of public and private universities, about 76% of private university librarians knew it, but 54% of public university librarians knew it, librarians who had never heard of it were only public universities librarians. Depending on the number of librarians who have worked for less than 5 years, only two(25%) of the librarians already knew, and the rest of the librarians answered that they had not heard or did not know. On the other hand, most of the librarians in the 1 to 20 years answered that they already knew about leisure reading. As a result of analyzing the recognition of leisure reading according to how much the librarian reads for fun, it was found that librarians who read a lot of books for fun have a relatively higher awareness of leisure reading than librarians who do not read. It was found that there were statistically significant differences in affiliation, the number of years of employment, and the number of reading books for fun.

Table 11. 
Librarian's perceptions of leisure reading by number of years of employment
Division The status of librarian's perception t/F　 χ²
Already know Heard of it but don't know well Never heard of it Total
35(70) 11(22) 4(8) 50(100)
Affiliation Public 7(53.8) 2(15.4) 4(30.8) 13(100) 12.389 0.002**
Private 28(75.7) 9(24.3) 0(0.0) 37(100)
Number of years of employment Less than 5 years 2(25.0) 3(37.5) 3(37.5) 8(100) 17.607 0.024*
Less than 5-10 years 9(90.0) 1(10.0) 0(0) 10(100)
Less than 10-15 years 6(75.0) 2(25.0) 0(0) 8(100)
Less than 15-20 years 10(90.9) 1(9.1) 0(0) 11(100)
More than 20 years 8(61.5) 4(30.8) 1(8.0) 13(100)
Number of reading books for fun 1 or more per week 5(100.0) 0(0) 0(0) 5(100) 17.133 0.009**
1 or more books per month 24(80.0) 6(20.0) 0(0) 30(100)
1 book or less per month 5(38.5) 5(38.5) 3(23.1) 13(100)
Rarely read 1(50.0) 0(0) 1(50.0) 2(100)
* p<0.05, ** p<0.01

2) Perceptions of the importance of leisure reading and the role of university libraries

University library librarians, who examined the influence of the awareness of leisure reading on the importance of leisure reading among university students, scored 4.28 out of 5, and recognized that leisure reading was important for college students in university libraries. As a result of examining the difference depending on whether or not they are aware of the existing leisure reading, there was a slight difference with 4.34 points if they already knew it, 4.18 points if they had heard of it, and 4.00 points if they had never heard of it. When asked if it was the role of university libraries to provide reading spaces and information for leisure reading, the score was 4.32 out of 5, and librarians generally recognized it as the role of university libraries. When looking at the difference according to whether to recognize leisure reading, a librarian who had already known was rated 4.43 points, which was higher than that of a librarian who had never heard of it(4.25 points) or who had heard it but did not know it well(4.00 points). However, there was no statistically significant difference.

Table 12. 
Librarians' perceptions of the importance of leisure reading and the role of university libraries
Division The status of librarian's perception N M S t/F p
Importance of leisure reading Already know it 35 4.34 0.639 0.748 0.479
Heard of it but don't know well 11 4.18 0.603
Never heard of it 4 4.00 0.000
Average 50 4.28 0.607
Perception of the role of university libraries Already know it 35 4.43 0.655 1.718 0.191
Heard of it but don't know well 11 4.00 0.775
Never heard of it 4 4.25 0.500
Average 50 4.32 0.683
* p<0.05, ** p<0.01

Table 13 shows the importance of leisure reading and the role of university libraries according to whether space and programs are provided to university libraries

Table 13. 
Perception of the importance of leisure reading and the role of university libraries according to the status of space and program provision
Division Question Detailed contents N M S t/F p
Importance of leisure reading Space and program Provided 39 4.31 0.614 0.364 0.549
Not provided 11 4.18 0.603
Space Separate space provided 27 4.44 0.506 2.332 0.112
No separate space provided 11 4.00 0.775
Space location Lobby in the library 8 4.25 0.463 2.905 0.044*
Organization of separate reading room 6 4.83 0.408
Corner in the reading room 9 4.56 0.527
Space adjacent to study room 3 4.00 0.000
The others 2 4.00 0.000
Perception of the role of university libraries Space and program Provided 39 4.31 0.614 3.234 0.078
Not provided 11 4.18 0.603
Space Separate space provided 27 4.59 0.501 5.373 0.009**
No separate space provided 11 4.09 0.831
Space location Lobby in the library 8 4.25 0.463 2.113 0.112
Organization of separate reading room 6 4.83 0.408
Corner in the reading room 9 4.78 0.441
Space adjacent to study room 3 4.33 0.577
The others 2 4.00 1.414
* p<0.05, ** p<0.01

Regarding the importance of leisure reading, institutions that currently provide space and programs for leisure reading scored 4.32 points, while those that do not provide them scored 4.18 points, which is slightly higher for institutions providing space. As for the space, the library that provided a separate space scored 4.44 points, and the institution that did not provide a separate space scored 4.00 points. Depending on the attraction of space, the library, which is separately organized in the form of a reading room in the library, was very important with 4.83 points, followed by the case with a corner in the reading room (4.56 points). There was a statistically significant difference. Overall, the importance of leisure reading was recognized more importantly in the case of providing space and programs, or in the case of spaces, in the case of providing separate reading rooms or corners.

When asked whether it is the role of university libraries to provide space for leisure reading for students to rest, the library that provides space and programs for leisure reading was 4.31 points, higher than library librarians that did not provide it(4.18 points). The library that provided separate space(4.59 points) better recognized that it was the role of the university library rather than the library(4.09 points) that did not. As with the importance of leisure reading, the library that provides a separate room in the reading room among the separate spaces was the highest with 4.83 points, and it was confirmed that the library provided it as a corner was very high with 4.78 points compared to the library not provided(4.00 points).

5. Discussion and Conclusion

As a result of prior research, it was confirmed that leisure reading for rest, not reading for study, had an effect on students' academic ability improvement, acquisition of various skills, and even employment rate. Therefore, this study was to recognize the necessity of reading for rest, not for academic purposes among the provided reading support services to university libraries and to understand the current status of leisure reading in domestic university libraries and the perceptions of university library librarians on leisure reading. Through this, I tried to establish the role of university libraries in leisure reading for university students.

First, as a result of examining the current status of leisure reading in domestic university libraries, 90% of the university libraries that responded were operating reading support services, and the programs provided were mainly reading clubs and reading events. Libraries that provide space and programs for leisure reading accounted for 78%(39 libraries) of the total. In the case of space, about 72%(28 libraries) of university libraries provided a separate space for leisure reading, and 20%(6 libraries) of university libraries provided services by forming a separate reading room for leisure reading. A separate personnel for leisure reading was provided by only 30% of the libraries. Reading lists for leisure reading were distributed online and offline, and the main fields of providing were novels such as bestsellers and steady sellers, and a lot of information was provided in the fields of educational cartoon(50%) and travel(46.3%). Looking at the results of the survey on the current status of leisure reading in domestic university libraries, most of the university libraries responded that they were providing reading support services, also provided leisure reading books for rest. However, as a result of examining the actual space, programs provided, and reading list, it appears that there is a lack of clear perception for leisure reading. Leisure reading, which is currently provided by university libraries, is not a systematic and active service linked to students' reading and creativity, but rather a service at the level of providing recommended and encouraged books among existing reading support services.

Second, as a result of examining librarians' perception of the provision of leisure reading services at university libraries, librarians were very positive(4.28 points) about the necessity of leisure reading for students to rest, and thought that providing space and programs for leisure reading was also an important role of university libraries(4.32 points). In particular, university library librarians who already know or are already providing services placed more importance on the necessity (4.34 points) and role (4.43 points) than those who do not. Also, for the space for leisure reading, the librarians of university libraries that provide a separate space(4.44 points) or a separate reading room for leisure readings in the library(4.83 points), evaluated the necessity of leisure reading of university students higher than those of university libraries that do not. In terms of the role of the university library, university library librarians which provided a separate space(4.59 points) or organized space as a reading room(4.83 points), answered that it is an essential role. Like previous studies, it can be seen that practically, it has proven its effectiveness at the level of university libraries through active spaces and programs for leisure reading. In other words, university libraries should not only provide materials for academic purposes, but also actively provide materials, spaces, and programs for students' rest and interest. However, most of the university libraries are still very short of manpower who can actively practice leisure reading, and this study confirmed that there is also a lack of infrastructure, such as space and programs for this, and lists of reading materials provided online and offline.

In this study, as a result of examining the current status of university libraries and the perceptions of librarians, support for leisure reading is provided in many university libraries, and librarians also recognized the necessity. However, the leisure reading program was not properly implemented due to work overload and lack of staff. Therefore, a separate space for leisure reading should be provided and a reading room for leisure reading should be constructed in the library, and it is necessary to secure a librarian for leisure reading.

When the idea that books are hard and uninteresting and the perception that libraries are uncomfortable and boring are resolved through funny and interesting books and comfortable spaces provided by university libraries, college students will come back to the library, and the reading rate of college students will also improve.

The results of this study were targeted at 400 university libraries, but the response rate was low due to the influence of COVID 19. Therefore, there is a limit to generalize to all university libraries. However, through a survey of librarians' perceptions, it was confirmed that leisure reading is necessary for university libraries and is an important role of university libraries. Therefore, there is a need to prepare a leisure reading space model and reading collection that all university libraries can utilize through in-depth research such as university students' perception of leisure reading and expert FGI.

Notes
2) Leisure reading application examples of overseas university libraries summarized and reorganized the contents of ``2019 Global Trends in Academic Information'' published by the Korea Education and Research Information Service in July 2019.
Acknowledgments

This Study was conducted by research fund from Gwangju University in 2020.

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[ About the authors ]

Dae-Keun Jeong has MA and PhD in Library & Information Science from Chonnam National University, Gwangju. He has published 3 book, and 32 articles. He is Director of the Institute of Economic and Cultural in DEOHAM, and he has been Professor in the Department of Library and Information Science at Gwangju University. He teaches courses in Information Policy, DataBase in Theory, Information Systems Analysis, School Library Management in the Department of Library & Information Science. He worked at Chonnam National University Library and Konkuk University Institute of Knowledge Content Development & Technology.

 

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