Korean Old and Rare Collection Information System

About Korean Old and Rare Collection Information System

• National Library of Korea established the system over 2 years from 2004 to 2005.
  Currently, a total of 126 organizations including 78 Korean organizations such as the Kyujanggak Institute for Korean Studies, and 48 overseas organizations such as the Harvard–Yenching Library and Bibliothèque nationale de France are participating in the Korean Old and Rare Collection Information System (KORCIS). KORCIS is servicing 470,000 bibliographies and 53,000 original text images established from the data provided by the participating organizations.
• It is estimated that there are as many as 4.5 million books and 1 million types of old and rare Korean literary works scattered around the country. In addition to the 470,000 old and rare Korean literary works currently stored in the database, KORCIS intends to continue the research on the rest of them, and expand the overall database.
  In 2021, KORCIS began going through a reconstruction project, which will enable it to offer text data in addition to the existing catalog, release, and original text images. The project will also involve the construction of a standardized bibliography database, which is expected to contribute to the development of the related academic disciplines.

About Korean Association for Preservation of Old Books (KAPOB)

• The Korean Association for Preservation of Old Books (KAPOB) was established in March 2004, for permanent preservation of old and rare literature, promotion of academic development, and strengthening the cooperation between the member organizations by sharing research results and data on collection, utilization, and preservation of old and rare Korean literature.
• KAPOB annually holds an academic seminar on the subject of utilization and preservation of old and rare literature. The participating organizations share information on old and rare literature through KORCIS. In addition, KAPOB publishes an academic journal ‘Gojeonjeok’ to promote research activities related to old and rare literature, and cooperation between the member organizations.
• Old and rare literature is a cultural heritage that contains the history and spirit of the Korean people, which needs to be preserved and passed on to our future generations. With a sense of responsibility for the management and preservation of our written cultural heritage, KAPOB endeavors to facilitate cooperation between the member organizations. We are looking forward to active participation from organizations that own old and rare Korean literary works both home and abroad.