A Pusan National University (PNU) student A logged onto the seat assignment application "Clicker”to study in SeaByeokBeol Library. Student A checked the app on and on because seats in the laptop-available room are always lacking, but there are also no seats today. Student A said, "Even though I failed to reserve the seat, there was no student, the seat was empty when I got to it. I understand when they go to eat or restroom for a short time while studying. But leaving the seat for a long time can be a problem.”Like this,“The privatization of seats in SeaByeokBeol Library,” where all seats were supposed to be communal, is still an unsolved issue.

According to PNU Library, about 1,200 students use the library per day on average, and the number of entrances surpasses 20,000 times. There  currently are 563 seats (laptop-available room), 648 seats (allowed to browse the laptop but no typing), and 1000 seats (no laptop allowed) available in SeaByeokBeol Library. The SeaByeokBeol Library opens at 6 am and closes at 11 pm, including Sundays and National Holidays. Due to the increase of recent face-to-face classes, the studying room is used actively by students. 

The problematic study room is operated with a seat assignment system. Students can use assigned seats through the seat alignment application. If the seat is not assigned, students cannot use the library. Reservation can be made through the application “Clicker” and you should prove that you are actually in the library through WIFI or Beacon. The reservation can be extended up to four times a day. After the self-authentication, four hours are available, and you can check out in the middle of the use. 

However, it is often the case that students do not use the seat after the reservation or leave seats for more than a certain period. Some do not check out and do not return the seat after the use of the studying room. This leads to problems that students in need cannot use the seat even though it has been left it vacant. We do not know whether the student in the seat left for a moment or left after they finished their studies. Student B, who frequently uses SeaByeokBeol Library, said, "The problem of seat privatization will be more serious as the time get closer to exams.”

The users of SeaByeokBeol Library are going through similar experiences.“Channel PNU”asked PNU members about their opinions on "SeaByeokBeol Library seat privatization.”On the question of "Do you have experience of witnessing some students leaving their seats for more than 30 minutes in SeaByeokBeol Library?", 118 (72.4%) of the total 163 respondents said "Yes,”while 45 (27.6%) said "No.”

The respondent of the survey, C, said,“We all know that we have fewer seats available than before COVID-19 because of keeping distance following Quarantine Guidelines. It makes me feel privatized seats more clearly than before.”Lee Yoon-Jung, (22, master of Dep. of Social Welfare) said, "It is necessary to increase the frequency of spot checks on students, whether they are sitting on the reserved seats or not.”

The Library Autonomy Committee replied,“We can have authority on Clicker only during the exam period to cancel the seat assignment and organize the place. However, the ultimate authority on Clicker is not on our committee.”

There are a few universities that came up with solutions to seat privatization. Kyunghee University operates a“Library Entrance System" that considers students will not use the seats anymore if they don’t come back at a certain time. Students must certify their student ID not only when they enter the library, but also when they leave the library.”

PNU Library is also supplementing the solutions to the issue as more students are complaining. The officials of SeaByeokBeol Library said,“We are planning to implement a new method to make up for Clicker and will increase the number of the laptop-available study room. We promise you to provide a better environment.”

Reporter Kim Hyun-Hee

Translated by Lee Su-Hyun