GIS for LIS: Uncovering Library Deserts and Spatial Inequality in South Korea’s Public Library System

Abstract

This study is a national geospatial analysis uncovering library deserts and spatial inequality in South Korea's public library system, conducted at the Department of Library and Information Science, Keimyung University, using data from the Statistical Geographic Information Service (SGIS), the National Library Statistics System (LIBSTA), the Ministry of the Interior and Safety (MOIS), and the Naver Maps Directions API. The analysis integrates population grid, library location, and road network travel data into a single 1 km² resolution framework, covering 73,002 inhabited grid cells and 1,296 public libraries across 229 districts, serving a population of over 51.7 million. The framework combines supply-based indicators (Libraries per Capita, Library Density, Population-Weighted Library Density), proximity-based indicators (Average Distance to Nearest Library, Proximity Index, Travel-Time Proximity Index), and a gravity-based measure (E2SFCA) to identify library deserts and capture how infrastructure, distance, and population capacity shape spatial inequality in access. This research shows that geographic location is a real, measurable barrier to library access, with average travel times rising sharply from urban to rural areas, confirming distance as a persistent structural burden for rural residents. For a library system built to serve every community, coverage on a map is not the same as access in practice. crucial.