A study on the early management and publication of books in comparison with the seowons and the European universities
Authors:   Institute of Korean Cultural Studies Yeungnam University, Pae Hyon-suk 
Published: October 2024

In both Joseon Korea and the West, the development of scholarship and academic institutions followed quite different trajectories. The emergence of Joseon's academies(seowon) and Western universities occurred with an approximate time gap of about 300 years. Given the differences of the societal, cultural, political, and economic contexts of that time, it would be unreasonable to generalize the publication of books and management of libraries in these two regions' educational institutions.
In Joseon Korea, the purpose of establishing seowons was to educate young scholars in reverence for sages, Confucian ethics such as filial piety and the loyalty to the rulers and propriety, and to uphold the tradition of scholarly pursuits. Although founded privately by civilians, seowons were to some extent under state control.
In the process of their establishment, universities in different regions of Western Europe exhibited notable distinctions. Universities in southern Europe, particularly in Italy and southern France, tended to enroll older students compared to their northern counterparts. Bologna University served as a prominent example, focusing primarily on secular studies. As a result, Italian universities placed greater emphasis on fields like law and medicine rather than theology. Conversely, universities in northern Europe often looked to Paris University as a model. These institutions were predominantly controlled by the Church. Consequently, theological studies took precedence, and church-related institutions played a significant role in the administration and operation of these universities. Hence, in their early stages, universities were more under the control of ecclesiastical authorities than of secular governments.
Looking through both the East and the West and examine the situation of early educational institutions' libraries, we must first consider the contemporaneous context, although there are several difficulties. As the era changes, not only do cultural and social environments differ, but also book publication and library management practices vary. Universities emerged in the West around 1250, while the first Confucian academies(seowon) in Korea were established around 1543 during the reign of King Jungjong. Therefore, it is impractical to compare them directly within the same timeframe. There are also significant differences in how books were acquired in these two regions. Considering these various factors, it is not ideal to uniformly compare library management practices.
Therefore, without being bound by specific years, I have set the research focus of the Western universities from the establishment period up to around the time of the religious Reformation period in the mid-1550s, approximately 300 years after their initial establishment. In contrast, seowons in Joseon Korea I have set the research scope up to the mid-18th century, about 200 years after their founding. The differences stemming from the societal, political, economic, and cultural contexts of these two regions inevitably influenced their educational purposes. Therefore, the examination of the publication and management of books in these two representative educational institutions will be looked at in a superficial manner.
In Joseon Korea, while there were variations in quality depending on purpose or use, the medium for recording was primarily paper. Therefore, at seowons, books were predominantly woodblock editions from the outset. There were roughly six methods used at seowons to increase their book collections: transferring books from kings or prominent scholars or founders, donations, exchanges, purchases, self-publishing. Regulations were established to manage the increased number of books effectively. Books at seowons were stored in bookshelves within library rooms. These books could not be taken outside of the seowon premises, and access to the library required three key holders to be present simultaneously to unlock it.