rightscom

Funding and governance of library and information services for visually impaired people: international case studies

Part2:Country studies

South Korea

Preferred situation

It is hoped that Braille libraries and public libraries will develop a good cooperative relationship to provide the highest quality library services to blind and print-disabled people.

The money would come from government.

Services would be delivered by post.

Specialist libraries would manage the publication of Braille and talking book services, and public and education libraries would distribute these publications.

Governmental support and policy for the specialist libraries for visually impaired people would constitute the ideal level of service.

Cooperative relationship between public and Braille libraries

Another good model of cooperation between public and Braille libraries is when a Braille library is assigned and operates a space within a public library. Currently in Korea, all Braille libraries are operated by private persons or non-profit organizations, and are not large. One of their biggest problems is shortage of space due to increasing materials, and it is not easy to secure the budget for constructing a new Braille library separately in each region. Moreover, the construction of a Braille library often meets with opposition caused by prejudice against the disabled.

One of the best ways to overcome these problems is to construct a public library where a Braille library is assigned space so the Braille library and the print library can work together. This reduces the cost of construction in comparison with the construction of a new dedicated Braille library, and avoids the problem of prejudice against the disabled. It also improves accessibility based on the location of a public library. [Keun Hae Youk: Public library as an agent ... 2005]

A good cooperative relationship between Braille and public libraries would work as follows:

• It would be easy for the library to visit users to provide services as well as for users to access the library itself.
• Potential users in local areas would be sought out. The use orecorded books would expanded to print-disabled people, older people, dyslexia and other print-disabled people who use public libraries, as well as Visually impaired people.
• Braille libraries can serve more visually impaired people more quickly by working through public libraries.
• Public libraries can solve the problem of the cost of buying materials and the problem of increasing materials through borrowing and circulating a range of books from Braille libraries. This would enable them to play their essential role of serving an alienated Visually Impaired and print-disabled population
• Braille libraries would become widely known through public libraries.
• Braille libraries would contribute to services for the blind by giving volunteer education, securing many volunteers through public libraries.
• Keeping books for visually impaired people in public libraries provides a good opportunity to reduce prejudice against the disabled.
• Public libraries provide public places for disabled and other people to build up mutual understanding and reduce alienation and isolation.
• Library services would be designed to meet users’ needs.
• Equal services can be served to visually impaired people in all regions.

These improvements are important. However, it is even more important that cooperation has not been led by the government, but voluntarily. This is just a beginning of cooperation between Braille and public libraries.

When such programs are complemented with others and expanded to cover all the nation, and they are accompanied by suitable government policies, library services for blind and print-disabled people in Korea should be greatly improved. [Keun Hae Youk: Public library as an agent ... 2005]