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9th CDNLAO Meeting: Japan Country Report

Update on the National Library of Japan

Mr Masao Tobari, Director

Library Administration

(1) Library Organisational Structure (as of 1999)

  Associations 14
  Councils 24
  Learned societies 12
  Study groups 17
  Liaison Committees, etc. 35
  Local Associations and Institutions 394
  Public Libraries 2,585
  Academic Libraries 1,638
  Special/Private Libraries 1,105
  Government Libraries 183

(2) New libraries tjat are being built (av. Anually, how many last FY)

  Public Libraries 91
  Academic Libraries 34

Collection Profile

  Public Libraries 276,573,000
  Academic Libraries 262,323,000
  Special/Private Libraries Approx. 27,901,000
  Government Libraries Approx. 10,551,000
  National Diet Library 7,312,178 (as of FY 1999, books only)

Infrastructure

Services

Update on the state of:

Volumes lent out: (as of 1999)

  Public Libraries 505,326,000
  Academic Libraries 28,082,000
  Government Libraries 251,172
  National Diet Library (as of FY1999) 34,007

Training

Number of Professional Librarians (as of 1999)

  Public Libraries full-time librarian 7,848
  full-time staff 7,606
  concurrent librarian 130
  concurrent staff 1,074
  part-time librarian 2,010
  part-time staff 2,666
  temporary librarian 1,187
  temporary staff 3,090
  Academic Libraries full-time staff (including librarians) 8,675
  concurrent staff (including librarians) 1,481
  part time staff (including librarians) 2,124
  temporary staff (including librarians) 2,791
  Government Libraries full-time staff (including librarians) 258
  concurrent staff (including librarians) 127
  National Diet Library (as of 2000) full-time staff (including librarians) 867

References: Library Year Book 2000 Annual Report of the National Diet Library (FY1999)

  For librarians 12
  For teacher librarians 77

Copyright

The revised Copyright Law was enacted on April 27, 2000. By this revision, recording and transmission of data in Braille for the visually impaired through a network has been enabled. The revision came into force on January 1, 2001.

(Annex)

Other major news in the Year 2000 library community in Japan

1. Amendments to the Library Law of Japan
The Amendment to the Library Law of Japan came into force on April 1, 2000. In the revised law, the following two articles were deleted: Article 19 which provides that the chief librarian of a library receiving state subsidies should have the qualification of librarian, and Article 13 paragraph 3 which prescribes the minimum standards necessary for a library to receive state subsidies.

2. "Desirable standards for the establishment and operation of public libraries: report"
On December 8, 2000, the Special Committee on Libraries of the Council on Lifelong Learning submitted a report to the Minister of Education on standards for public libraries, for example, about the acquisition of materials, quality of the staff and its improvement. If the Minister of Education issues the standards as a notification as provided in the Library Law, it will be for the first time in 50 years since the promulgation of the Law.

3. Delegations of North and South Korea attended the 86th All-Japan Library Conference
From October 25-27, the 86th All-Japan Library Conference was held in Naha, Okinawa prefecture. The conference welcomed the delegations of both Library Associations of North and South Korea for the first time in its history. Before the opening of the conference, the Korean delegates had a tripartite meeting with Mr. Nagao, President of the Japan Library Association, and other Japanese representatives. The Japan Library Association hopes to deepen its relations with both countries, and will continue to cooperate in interchange between North and South Korea.

4. Opening of the International Library of Children's Literature
The International Library of Children's Literature (ILCL) (Japanese language site only), the first national library of its kind in Japan, partially opened on May 5, 2000, in Ueno Park, Tokyo, as a branch library of the NDL. The library as a whole is to open in 2002. Besides collecting a wide range of domestic and overseas materials, it aims to make use of its digital library functions to provide information.

5. National Institute of Informatics established
The National Institute of Informatics (NIl) was established on April 1, 2001, as a national center for integrated research of information science, development of scientific information infrastructure, and personnel training. It was set up as a result of the reorganization and expansion of the former National Center for Science Information Systems (NACSIS). The various kinds of service provided by the NACSIS, such as NACSIS-CAT/ILL, NACSIS-IR, and NACSIS-ELS, are continued by the NII.

6. Dr. Makoto Nagao, President of Kyoto University, appointed as new President of the JLA
On May 26,'2000, Dr. Makoto Nagao, President o Kyolo University, was appointed as new President of the JLA. His main interest is information processing and electronic telecommunications. A pioneer in the electronic library system, he developed the prototype system Ariadne and made it public in 1990. He has written many books, and is famous both in and out of Japan as one of the leaders of the library world in the new age.

7. Reorganization of the NDL's branch libraries in the executive agencies
On January 6, 2001, as part of the government reorganization, the branch libraries of the NDL established in the executive agencies were reorganized and renamed. As a result of this reorganization, the branch libraries in the executive and judicial agencies have decreased in number from 36 to 27.


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