A Research on the Actual Conditions of Library Practice Education in Korea

한국에 있어서 사서실습교육의 실태 조사연구

1. Library practice education in Korea is in the form of field experience, that is, Practicum, which is one type of field experience. 2. The practicum is a short-term work experience guided by the academic institutions. (2 to 6 weeks of full time employment in a library, or one to two semesters of approximately 10 to 12 hours weekly) 3. Field work is largely accepted as a required subject. 4. Field work is usually carried out during the first semester of senior year. (or of sophomore year in junior college) 5. Libraries in other universities (or in other institutions) can beused for a student's field work. But the current tendency is to use his or her own university's library. 6. Most universities give one credit for 2 weeks' field work. 7. The method of evaluation is strict: A or 'excellent' (above 90), B or 'good' (above 80), C or 'fair' (above 70), D or 'bad' (above 60). 8. The expense of field work is usually included in the tuition fees. However, some think that an additional fees should be collected in the case of special practice. 9. Respondents to my survey say that the field experience is necessary so that professional librarians can connect theory and practice. 10. They also indicate that there are some problems in library practice education: administrative difficulties in the department chairman's office, the burden on professors in the library being used, and the limited number of libraries in which the field work is practicable. 11. The Department of Library Science is responsible primarily for providing faculty supervision over the students, and secondarily for the preparation of evaluation cards and field work reports. 12. Most of the faculty respondents use evaluation cards for the field work, some of which serve as grade sheets, some as field work diaries, and some as field work reports.