Can I borrow a course-reserve textbook from a Korean university library to read at home?
If an international student in Gwangju finds a required textbook listed as a course-reserve item, how can they check whether it must stay in the library? Who should they ask about short loan periods and whether advance booking is needed? If it cannot be taken home, where can they check the reading room hours before planning an evening study session?
1 Answer
A course-reserve listing does not by itself mean you can take the textbook home. Check the individual copy's location and loan status in your university library catalogue, then ask the desk responsible for that reserve collection. The exact arrangement depends on the university and the copy.
For a verified example in Gwangju, Chonnam National University Library says its reserve books are marked 지정도서(대출불가), meaning reserve item, not available for ordinary borrowing. Its reserve service allows on-site use for up to three hours, but also offers weekday overnight borrowing: checkout is between 17:30 and 18:00, with return by 09:00 the following day. The library directs students to apply at the Second Materials Room information desk on the third floor. This is Chonnam's arrangement, not a rule for every university in Gwangju.
Show staff the catalogue record and ask whether that particular copy can leave the library, what the exact return deadline would be, and whether advance booking is required. The published reserve page does not settle the advance-booking question, so do not assume a reservation is either required or unnecessary. At Chonnam, the reserve-service enquiry number is 062-530-3545. At another university, contact its own circulation or reserve desk.
Before planning an evening session, check your library website's 이용시간 (opening hours) and current closure notices for the specific building and room holding the textbook. At Chonnam, use the official hours page below. A separate reading room being open late does not establish that the reserve collection is accessible then; confirm access with the desk before travelling.
Sources: Chonnam National University Library, reserve books: https://lib.jnu.ac.kr/webcontent/info/32 ; opening hours: https://lib.jnu.ac.kr/webcontent/info/122
Last verified: 2026-10-31