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Yonsei University Library

Yonsei University Central Library

General Information

Korean Name: 연세대학교 중앙도서관
Address:
Korean Address: 서울 서대문구 신촌동 134 연세대학교 중앙도서관 (우)120-749
Phone Number: (02)2123-3308
Fax Number:
Email Address:
Online: http://library.yonsei.ac.kr/
(Note: Does not work with any browsers except Internet Explorer using the Windows operating system.)
Database Search: http://library.yonsei.ac.kr/
Entry Fee: (Access Card Required)
Opening Times: See Below
Closed:
Information Last Confirmed: August, 2007

Directions

Take Subway Line #2 (the Green line) to Shinchon (신촌) station, taking exit 2 or 3 upon arrival. Walk north (the road between the two exits) for about ten minutes. You will pass under a railroad line and reach a large intersection. The main entrance to Yonsei University (which is the south gate) is directly across the intersection to the north. Continue north into the campus. The main university library is a large grey building located on the left side and 250 meters from the entrance.

Usage

You need an access card to get through the security gate. Yonsei students, visiting researchers, Fulbright fellows, and others with special permission may use the library. Those studying Korean at Yonsei's language program are given access but no borrowing privileges.

Graduate students, and those with "Researcher" (연구원) status can currently check out up to 15 books at a time for a period of 30 days (with an additional two renewals possible through the library's website).

Circulation desks are found on the second and third floors. When the circulation desk is closed you may return materials via the return boxes (도서반납합) located to the left of the main doors, outside the security gates. These can be used 22-9:00 (20-9 during vacations) on weekdays and 17-9:00 on weekends.

The hours for the library are currently (2007.08) as follows:

V. = Vacation periods
Confirm these times via the library website.

The following is a short guide through the library:

Outside the Security Gate: As you enter the library there are three tables to your right where students site and chat without entering the library. Near these are two internet connected computers where you can also charge your cellphone. To the left of the main doors are the after-hour return boxes (도서반납합) and a payphone.

First Floor: As you pass through one of the five security gates going in you are directly facing the computer room (전자정보실). Against the outside of the wall to the computer room are a number of machines for the seat reservation system (열람좌석표 발급기) where you can reserve seats in the various reading rooms in the library. Inside of the computer room, near the entrance are some blue couches (대기석) where you can wait your turn to use one of the several dozen computers. There is a computer terminal nearby (좌석현황 모니터) which shows you the availability of computers. Seats that are taken show you how much time is remaining, and if they have exceeded their time, it will say 시간 초과. This computer room also has three large printers and a copy card machine. Many of the computers here are reserved for video-on-demand. Some of the computers seem to have shorter usage times (15 minutes) and are thus more easily available. All of them require you to login with your Yonsei ID (library card number for some) and password.

The first floor also has a 24 hour reading room, which you can reserve a seat for electronically near the security gate. Bathrooms are also available near the southern stairwell.

Second Floor: Coming up the stairs in the southern stairwell the Humanities Reading Room (인문과학열람실) is to the right (to your left if you come out of the elevators) along with restrooms. If you go in the opposite direction towards the center of the library you will come out onto a balcony which looks over the main lobby on the first floor. There are perhaps half a dozen tables here with reasonably comfortable chairs where you can study. Also in this central area is another computer room with some 38 computers which, like the first floor, has a special monitor to indicate available computers and time remaining. Next to this, towards the north, is a copy room with three main copy machines, one machine dedicated to color copies, and one machine dedicated to computer printouts. You may also buy a copy card here.

The Humanities Reading Room makes up most of the rest of the second floor. There is a turnstile enter but you may bring your bags with you and you don't need to show your ID again. Immediately to the left as you enter are two computers which can search the library catalog. Immediately ahead of the gate is the 2nd floor circulation desk. The stacks wrap around to the left and right from the entrance. In the center area of this second floor there are some small tables scattered about with single chairs under them and perhaps another dozen or so computers which can search the library catalog. Also in the room adjacent to the circulation desk there are two photocopy machines.

There is a stairwell accessible inside the Humanities Reading Room which can take you to the 3rd floor stacks. This is especially useful when the security gate is closed on the third floor.

Third Floor: Bathrooms are found on the southern end of the third floor. Coming up the stairs there is a turnstile to the immediate left which gives entry to the Social Sciences and Sciences stacks. The turnstile on the 3rd floor closes at 17:00 but you can still access this floor from the stairwell inside the 2nd floor reading room. As you enter the 3rd floor turnstile you are facing a second circulation desk (another one is found on the second floor). This floor also has books in the Social Sciences, Applied Sciences, Pure Sciences, Arts, and donated books. There are also almost 20 rows of wide tables spread throughout the floor, especially to the right as you enter where you can study. There are perhaps half a dozen computers for searching the library catalog scattered through the stacks on this floor, some of which appear to be out of order (2007.08.14). There is also a single photocopy machine on this floor.

Fourth Floor: This floor contains the reference room. Again bathrooms are located on the southern side of the floor, outside the security turnstile. This room contains a wide variety of materials and resources. There are about a dozen computers here for accessing the library catalog and various databases with one large printer and half a dozen computers with white colored monitors which connect only to the National Assembly Library and the National Central Library catalogs and databases.

In the main room as you enter there are some (mostly English language) magazines and couches to your immediate left. In front of you are the computers, the "Window on America" US propaganda materials section provided by the US embassy, and the Document delivery service (비소장문헌제공) desk. To the right there is an enlargement machine (장애인용 독서확대기) for those with vision disabilities and the UN materials. Diagonally to the right and on several rows of shelves can be found Yonsei University dissertations.

Wrapping around to the left are many rows of journal back issues that stretch across the Western side of the floor, including some from the colonial period. Going all the way to the back you can find stacks of recent Korean and some English language newspapers and some bound volumes of newspaper back issues. In the southeastern corner of the fourth floor can be found a "Notebook area" where you can use your laptop (there are plug outlets available). On the northern side of the fourth floor there are two photocopy machines and a "Digital Publishing and Print" office.

Fifth Floor: As you come out of the elevator or up the stairs there are bathrooms and a water fountain available. On the southern side of the floor can be found the Rare Book Room and inside of this the special Synghman Rhee collection (우남사료실). The Rare Book Room has several rows of open stacks as well as a digital enlargement machine and two microfilm machines. Various library staff work in cubicles here.

On the opposite side is the Graduate Students Reading Room.

Sixth Floor: Bathrooms and water fountain are available in the stairwell. On the southern side of the floor is the sixth floor reading room. The opposite side opens up to a wide brightly lit room. Here there are several rows of glass panels which have the days newspapers (Korean dailies and the Herald Tribune) There are also 2 computers here with internet access and a seat reservation machine like that found on the first floor. Also in this room are five vending machines.

Connected to this room on the sixth floor are the Multimedia materials room (멀티미디어 자료실), a "Notebook" reading room for laptops and another large reading room area.

Facilities

Card Catalogs: You may search across Yonsei's collection via its website
Computers: There are two main computer rooms located on the first (several dozen computers) and second floor (38 computers). Use of the computers are time limited and some computers are reserved for video-on-demand (VOD) or for printing. There are also computers available around the stacks on most floors which allow access to the library's website and search database.
Reading Room: A 24-hour reading room is available on the southern side of the first floor. Additional reading rooms can be found in the basement floor and on the fifth and sixth floor. Use the seat reservation machines (열람좌석표 발급기) just inside the security gate on the first floor to reserve your place in the reading rooms. Reading rooms sometimes have "Notebook" (laptop) zones for those who wish to use laptops.
Photocopy Machines: There is a copy room (복사실) on the second floor with three main copy machines, one machine dedicated to color copies, and one machine dedicated to computer printouts. Copy cards can be purchased from the machines in this room and also in the computer room on the first floor. There are 2 photocopy machines in the 2nd floor Humanities Reading Room and another one in the 3rd floor reading room. 2 more machines can be found on the northern side of the 4th floor Reference Room.
Photocopy Prices:
Bathrooms: Bathrooms found on most floors. On the first and second floors they are located near the southern stairwell.
Vending Machines: 5 drink vending machines can be found on the sixth floor, to the left as you come up the elevators or southern stairwell.
Nearby Food: There is a snack shop (솟을샘) and coffee shop (Caffe Lien's) open on the basement floor. Open 9-18:30 (9-14:00 on Saturdays). There are also various student cafeterias and coffee shopts in the student union building across from the library and in the engineering building directly south of the library.
Phones: A payphone is located to the left of the main doors near the return boxes (cards only). There are also two pay-phones on the basement floor, one of which takes coins.

Collections of Note

• UN Materials on the 4th floor Reference area
• 우남사료실 in the 5th floor Rare Book Room

Other Related Links

Other Notes, Comments and Experiences

• I was able to make my library card on the second floor by speaking to someone at the circulatioin desk thanks to a provision in my scholarship that gives us access during our stay. The card didn't work at once but they were able to get it fixed via the reception on the first floor. The open stacks in the library are very convenient. I can use the ID from the library card and a password they gave me to access all the various online services and databases in the library and renew books online. It is really a shame that the library website is completely useless without Internet Explorer on a Windows machine. (Last Visited: 2007.08.14 )