KOREA FOUNDATION

I am currently an intern at the Korea Heritage Library at the University of Southern California (USC). Most American libraries specializing in East Asia are rich in materials related to China and Japan, but are relatively lacking in Korea-related resources. In the case of the USC East Asian Library, however, about half of its collection is housed in the Korea Heritage Library, making it the best place in the United States to conduct research in the field of Korean Studies. Here, I am learning book classification and coding systems as well as the Romanization of Korean words. I also assist the library staff in finding papers and periodicals that students request.
  As an intern, I have had many opportunities to attend classes on library work, and I have learned the widely used Alma and Primo resource management systems. These systems utilize online library services to provide users easy access to needed materials. The USC libraries will launch the systems in July this year, and the library staff and I have attended lectures and training sessions for the new platform.
  In addition, I have begun to learn from the East Asian Library archivists how to build and manage library databases by properly arranging and coding materials. As part of my hands-on training, I took part in a project that researched and filed resources related to Heung Sa Dahn, the Young Korean Academy founded by the independence fighter Dosan Ahn Chang-ho in San Francisco in 1913. Most of the materials were letters, which were difficult to classify, but they vividly showed the history of the Korean independence movement in the United States. I also put together a listing of materials donated by Kim Young-cheol, a Korean-American pastor living in San Diego. Most of the items were books and documents on democracy, human rights, and Christianity, which our library lacked, and I arranged them according to the listing rules.
  Apart from regular office work, I have attended various lectures and events. I was invited to the Seoul-LA Forum, co-sponsored by the KF and the U.S. Pacific Council on International Policy; I participated in a workshop at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles; and I attended presentations and debates on services of academic and general libraries. The most memorable event was the 21st Festival of Books, the largest book exposition in the United States, which was jointly held by USC and the Los Angeles Times. As a volunteer, I helped festival staff facilitate smooth dialogue between the authors and their readers. The KF had its own booth at the festival, and I was able to meet Mr. Kim Byung-kon, Director of the KF Los Angeles Office, who has provided me with invaluable advice during my internship. The festival was a precious opportunity to see the latest book trends, publishers, and related institutions in the United States, while enjoying a variety of performances and exhibitions.

•   Korea Heritage Library, University of Southern California, USA
•   Hong Jung-yeon