Gyujanggak was founded in 1776 during the reign of King Jeongjo, the 22nd ruler of the Joseon Dynasty, at which time it was located on the palace grounds of Changdeokgung. It functioned as the royal library, which housed writings by the previous kings, their relics and books from home and abroad.Today Seoul National University maintains the items of Gyujanggak in a Korean traditional house, Hanok, which is equipped with state-of-the-art facilities necessary for preservation of cultural heritages. Moreover, Gyujanggak Library of Seoul National University collects or publishes books from a variety of sectors such as politics, economy and society.Gyujanggak now houses more than 280,000 items including 7 national treasures, 8 treasures, 180,000-plus old books, about 50,000 documents and 18,000 Chaekpan (printing blocks). Among them, Joseon Wangjo Sillok (the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty, National Treasure No. 151), Seungjeongwon Ilgi (the Diaries of the Royal Secretariat, National Treasure No. 303) and Uigwe (the Royal Protocols of the Joseon Dynasty) have been designated as UNESCO World Cultural Heritages. The exhibition hall in Gyujanggak is open to the public.