University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Information behaviors of users of Korean collections: how do they find needed information?

Chun, Audrey Sue

Content Files
CHUN-THESIS-2017.pdf

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/97525

Description

Title
Information behaviors of users of Korean collections: how do they find needed information?
Author(s)
Chun, Audrey Sue
Issue Date
2017-02-13
Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)
Tierney, Robert
Committee Member(s)
  • Cooke, Nicole
  • Oyler, Elizabeth
  • Witt, Steve
Department of Study
E. Asian Languages & Cultures
Discipline
East Asian Studies
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
M.A.
Degree Level
Thesis
Date of Ingest
2017-08-10T19:51:31Z
Keyword(s)
  • Information behavior
  • Information needs
  • Library users
  • Korean collections
  • Library collections
  • Users of Korean collections
Abstract
The Institute of International Education’s 2012 survey shows that Korean international students in the USA add up to 72, 295 students, including 21,260 graduate students (Institute of International Education, 2013). A survey from Modern Languages Association found that despite the decline of students taking language classes, the students taking Korean language courses has increased about 45% between 2009 and 2013 (Goldberg, Looney & Lusin, 2015). For university in the Midwest United States, hereafter UMUS, South Korea is the second largest sender of its students to this university, following China (International Student and Scholar Services, 2015). Many of these students’ research topics and extra-curricular activities revolve around diverse facets of Korea. The Korean language courses at UMUS follow the national trend, experiencing about 35% increase in its enrolled students past five years (Song, 2015). With the increase of interest in Korean culture and a large population of Korean students, the library’s Korean collection is bound to have an increased rate of circulations and programs geared towards this rising population. However, the use of library collections does not reflect the campus or higher education climate of increased interest in Korean studies and Korean language courses as stated above. This study will investigate the information behavior of students searching for Korean materials at UMUS. In examining students’ behavior during searching processes for materials in Korean Studies, I will discuss how users utilize the university library for print and e-resources. This study will identify gaps in information retrieval process and discuss recommendations for Korean collections.
Graduation Semester
2017-05
Type of Resource
text
Permalink
http://hdl.handle.net/2142/97525
Copyright and License Information
Copyright 2017 Audrey Chun

Owning Collections

Graduate Dissertations and Theses at Illinois PRIMARY
Graduate Theses and Dissertations at Illinois
Dissertations and Theses - East Asian Languages and Cultures