I also liked the exchange program that Namsan has organized with Japan.  I hadn’t realized from their website that they actually sent a person there (”human exchange” as Professor Park translated).  Again, I would have liked to know a bit more about that and tried to ask the gentleman who was with us about it when we went by the display but didn’t get too far.  Still, I appreciated the more international aspects of this public library.  (They also had an excellent collection of English-language literature, below).

Just a sample of the impressive English-language collection available at Namsan

Statue outside Namsan Public Library

What struck me most, however, was how busy it was! On a Monday in August, close to 5pm and nearly every seat was taken! That is so interesting because everything I read before coming implied that Koreans didn’t especially value libraries or were just beginning to do so with some concerted efforts by the government. Whether they “value” them or not, they certainly appear to like visiting them!

I also enjoyed the little gallery off the lobby that we visited last.   At the moment, the exhibit was photography done by a group of either high school or college age students (I couldn’t tell which).  The public library in my home town has a similar room that always displays local art and it’s a very popular feature. What a great way to get the community and local students involved and visiting the library.

Virtual Fish Pond

What struck me the most about Yonsei was the depth and scope of planning that went into the entire project. Everything was considered; from the additional 2 floors of below-ground storage space on reserve for future materials right down to the design of the table and chairs. I was especially impressed by the fact that the work stations and all of their components were custom made both for the space and to accommodate the librarians’ and users’ needs. They even thought of putting in cell phone chargers and bars to allow students to secure their laptops should they need to walk away from their station. Well-thought-out is very much an understatement in this case.  Also similar to the National Library, there was a Global Lounge, below, which provided language-specific computers for students to use.

Also interesting was the tour guide’s admission that many of the areas and technology were not being used for their intended purposes. I wonder if that really even matters, as long as the space is being used at all? She didn’t seem overly concerned, more just accepting of the fact that you can’t anticipate everything.

No more thumbtacks- Virtual Message Board

It should also be noted that aside from being beautifully designed from a usability stand point, it was a stunning structure. Technology has a tendency to render a space somewhat cold in my opinion, but they did a wonderful job at Yonsei of keeping the area warm and welcoming. The indoor flower bed and chirping crickets, not to mention the roof garden gave the entire facility a very calming, zen feeling that was really very pleasant.

Stunning Yonsei Library Roof Deck

Our classroom building at Yonsei.

Having a mixed class of Korean and American students has added a certain depth that comes from a mingling of many perspectives. Many of the Yonsei students majored in library science as undergrads and have limited practical experience. They also come from a culture where libraries have experienced great expansion and technological growth in the past half-century. Our class discussions and group work – including a group planning project for an academic library – benefited from the collaboration of the two cultures. We’ve discussed the similarities and differences between libraries in the two countries and learned a great deal in the process.

Beyond academics, the Yonsei students have taught us much about Korean culture and fielded our questions about food, shopping, traditions and etiquettes. One student directed me to a traditional tea house called Dawoonsami near the university. Another explained during a two-day monsoon that Koreans traditionally cook kimchi, seafood, or scallion pancakes on rainy days as a quick and easy dinner. Another student joked about how her mother has four refrigerators in her apartment – three for the sole purpose of making kimchi.  One night some of the students treated us to a night of karaoke in an artsy area of Seoul near Hongik University. We spent the evening singing to American and Korean songs and got to see a side of the students that usually isn’t expressed in the classroom environment.

The August 2009 Academics Libraries Class

Our stay at Yonsei University began and ending with a group dinner involving the students, professors, and dean. This was a great way to get to know one another in an informal setting and discuss what we planned to learn in the beginning and what we had discovered in the end. On Friday night we all said our goodbyes, but it was far from a final farewell. Two Yonsei students will be attending Simmons this year. They’ve treated us to a few nights of pork and kimchi, and we’ve already planned a night out at Boston Beerworks in September.

As with the other two libraries, I’m again noticing the amount of planning that goes into every detail (it’s really starting to become a theme). I adored the system they had for children to keep track of the books they’ve read using savings-bank-like passbooks.  (Once they return a book, they place the passbook in a very cute, child-size machine which stamps it with the title of the book).  It’s interactive, it feels “adult” which I think kids really enjoy and it likely gives them a sense of accomplishment by being able to see all the books they’ve read.

Child-Size Self-Checkout Stand

And the maps and comic books!  Biannually, the library creates reading guides in the form of maps and comic books (with illustrations done by high school students), containing summaries and reviews from other students.  They were incredible.  So clever and beautifully done.  I can really see how that would make reading seem appealing to young adults. For a country that is only in the beginning stages of developing its children’s librarian program, they have done a superb job in all aspects of this library’s design and implementation.

I also liked the emphasis they put on foreign language study and the appreciate the amount of money they must have put toward developing their international collections. I’m a firm believer in learning new languages young and this would be an excellent place to start.

“Uncle Sam’s Reading Club” was a fantastic room (I could have stayed all day re-reading my childhood favorites!).

Finally, the director was truly a lovely person. She clearly loves what she does and people like that have such a positive impact on their institution.

We were lucky enough to visit on a day when the digital library is officially closed so we were able to appreciate how vast (and tidy) the space  really is- computer stations as far as the eye can see!  I would also be interested to see it on a busy day; our tour guide told us that thousands of people come in each day to use their resources.  (I wonder how often the recording studio and blue screen room are used?  And by whom?)

Also interesting was the bank of international computers, a feature also available at the Yonsei University Library.  Whether the purpose of these computers is to encourage foreign language study by Koreans or to accommodate international visitors wasn’t clear but either way it is a useful and thoughtful element of the library.

Another aspect that was common in several of the libraries visits was the need to reserve a seat.  In most cases, this was done using a large screen near the entrance.  You scanned your library card and it brought up a map of the seats from which you could select one to reserve for a certain number of hours (usually a maximum of three).  The fact that this is necessary really underscores how very “used” libraries are in Korea.  We were continuously amazed at how crowded each and every library was, at 4pm in August no less.

All in all, however, it was an excellent visit and an incredible institution. I am tempted to get a temporary library card and go back!

PS. I especially liked their “mascots”, the three colorful gentlemen below.

On Tuesday we visited the Yonsei University Library here on campus.

The Yonsei Library strives for a balance between technology and nature.

The library first began in 1915 with just 230 books, and has since expanded into a multi-media student center and award-winning research institution. The library includes two buildings: the older Central Library houses a majority of the books and subject specialties and the newer Yonsei-Samsung Library features RFID kiosks, a U-lounge, information commons, multi-media center, a roof garden, and even a few bug zappers.  Want to play memory games on the multi-function digital table with your friends or post an advertisement on the digital communication Memoboard? Go for it. The library was bustling in early August and can have up to 10,000 students per day during finals. It’s certainly the place to be.

Tune in later for more adventures from the Soul of Asia.

Over the next two weeks, the students will take an academic libraries course, team taught by Professor Morner and Yonsei Professor Ji-Hong Park. There are also seven Yonsei students in the class, so it’s a true cross-cultural experience. As Professor Park said in his introduction on the first day, it’s like bibimbap - the ingredients, on their own, don’t amount to much, but delicious things happen when you put it all together.

In addition to class meetings, we’ll be visiting eight different libraries around Seoul. Today, on our first visit, we’ll see the National Library of Korea.

Yonsei is a wonderful host, particularly Professor Jee Yeon Lee, Dean of the Library Science Department. Last night we were treated to a welcome dinner at a traditional Korean restaurant – no shoes, sit on the floor – which was a perfect opportunity to get acquainted with our Korean colleagues in a casual setting.

Check in over the next two weeks to hear from Professor Morner, some of the students, and myself.

The new library building (six floors plus a rooftop terrace, 570,000 square feet) opened last May. It was funded largely by Samsung, and the technology is out of this world. Students enter/exit the library by swipping their RFID student ID card. Study areas are divided by function: reading/writing, laptop use, AV, etc., and the design of each area is appropriately differentiated. Every seat in the library is part of an electronic reservation system.

The area by the main entrance is called the U-Lounge, and includes seat reservation terminals and a bank of gigantic shiny touchscreen monitors that serve a variety of purposes. One is an enormous campus map / library floorplan. Others allow you to search the OPAC or read newspapers. There is an electronic bulletin board system with general notices displayed, and if you swipe your ID card, private messages appear (although it’s a huge monitor and anyone could read over your shoulder, so I wouldn’t recommend sending anyone a truly private note this way). There are also a few monitors built into tables (think the old Galaga video games) where students can work collaboratively / play. I’ll be curious to hear usage statistics on this area when I’m back in August – it’s a stunning showpiece, but I wonder about the practicality of having to stand at the monitors, and also about privacy issues.

The Yonsei library is the first in Korea to systematically employ subject specialists. Library science is taught at the undergraduate level, so most librarians don’t come to the field with extensive knowledge in other areas. Yonsei has gone out and hired people in specific fields (law, medicine, the sciences) to work in the library as subject specialists while studying library science. According to my tour guide, this has been a very successful experiment and they hope to see other libraries do the same.

My favorite feature, because it’s so simple and so logical: a laptop lock at each laptop workstation. So if you have to walk away from your station for a moment (say, to use the bathroom) you can leave your laptop without worrying about it disappearing. Brilliant!

For more about the library, check out the website: http://library.yonsei.ac.kr/eng/
And also this dramatic video: http://library.yonsei.ac.kr/eng/aboutLib/pr.asp

More later on my Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday adventures…

Meaghan O’Connor, GSLIS Fellow for Dean’s Initiatives, is spending a week in Seoul to prepare for the 2009 GSLIS travel course to Yonsei University.

First off I gave a presentation about Simmons GSLIS to the Yonsei LIS students. Despite being in the middle of final exams (I feel bad about being here during exams), about 15 students attended. There is definitely high interest in the dual-degree program, as evinced by the number of questions asked. Jee Yeon had warned me that the students might be very quiet, which is the usual dynamic in a Korean classroom. She and I were suprised and delighted by how many questions the students asked. Interestingly, one of the biggest concerns was about gender. The students had heard that Simmons is a women’s college, and the men seemed a bit nervous about that. I assured them that GSLIS is co-ed, although there are more females because, well, it’s library school.

I had lunch with Jee Yeon, two other professors from the library science program, and the dean of the humanities program (LIS falls under humanities at Yonsei). I appreciated the change to get to know Professor Park, who will be co-teaching the summer 2009 course with Claudia Morner. He will accomany me to some of the libraries I will be visiting this week.

After lunch, Professor Park and I went to take a look at the dormitory Simmons students will stay in next summer. It is quite satisfactory, with a computer room, tv lounge, quiet study room, cafeteria, and laundry facilities. I didn’t get to look into a dorm room, though, because they are all occupied at the moment.

I spent some time walking around campus in the late afternoon. It really is quite a large campus, and very hilly. Students should expect a good bit of walking while they’re here. It is also a beautiful campus, with many quads and lots of green space. I think it will be especially beautiful in the summer.

Yonsei administrative building

Yonsei University Main Gate

From my campus walk, I passed through the main gate for a stroll around the city. I found the goldfish treats that a friend of mine told me to look out for. They’re made in a type of waffle iron and filled with a sweet bean paste. So delicious! Serving size was three (more than I could eat, so I have one more for breakfast) for 1000 won, which is less than $1US.

Activities for today (Tuesday): tour of Yonsei University library, visit with GSLIS alum Hae-young Rieh, who teaches library science at a different university.

Meaghan O’Connor, GSLIS Fellow for Dean’s Initiatives, is spending a week in Seoul to prepare for the 2009 GSLIS travel course to Yonsei University.