In the past, collection building emphasis for Korean materials was single-sidedly on literature and regional studies. Since the 1960s, however, there was a noted turn to social sciences and fine arts. By specific reordering, it was possible to close gaps in the area of jurisprudence. With regard to the reading room, purchase of bibliographical, biographical and lexical reference materials was intensified.

It is important to view the East Asian area by looking beyond the borders of individual states, and perceive it as a whole which, in spite of country-specific peculiarities and differences, also shows cultural-historical, political and economic common ground and mutual influence. In this context, special attention is paid to the present changes of the political and economic situation in North Korea, which will have a deep impact on the whole of East Asia. Therefore, regarding the collection building scheme, special emphasis is being put on topics relating to these aspects.

Regarding the acquisition of newly published books on the market, the present situation in Korea may be described as very good. Due to the enormous amount of publications in Korea, it is unfortunately not possible, with the funds at hand, to achieve completeness of purchase. In the past, North Korean publications were available only via Hong Kong and Japan, but recently, it has become feasible to obtain materials from a North Korean book seller. Thus, scientific and academic publications from North Korea can at present be purchased more or less comprehensively.

Literature on Korea in Western languages is collected as completely as possible.