Challenges building a genealogy library in Korea

Korea has a reputation in the genealogy community for being the most developed country in terms of genealogy research, and it is even counted as one of the countries of origin of genealogical record keeping. From the first written record in 12C of the bloodline of the Goryeo Royal Family to the modern genealogy book, Jokbo, Korean people have traditionally valued genealogical records. Even though many records are currently held in public and private libraries, accessing these records has not been easy. Since 2007 Paik Inje Memorial Library of Inje University in Korea has been digitizing thousands of genealogy records in cooperation with FamilySearch, a Utah-based organization. The Inje Digital Genealogy Library has been created and allows users to search for their genealogical records online. This paper briefly introduces several types of records, their publication processes, and the historical changes. It also examines how Inje Digital Genealogy Library in Korea has been built and is offering services.