Search

Purpose: In the preservation of library materials, paper has always been a focal topic, and various efforts for preservation have been based on paper. Recently, however, a new approach to condition survey has been adopted, which takes the binding into account; nevertheless, there has not been sufficient consideration of the condition of adhesive bound books and the adhesive itself. Condition survey is indispensable for drawing up a strategic preservation plan. The present survey aims to reveal (1) the proportion of adhesive bound books in a university library collection, which mainly consists of academic works; (2) various aspects of their condition; and (3) reasons for deterioration. Methods: A checklist was drawn up based on a previous survey by the National Diet Library with modifications. The survey was conducted at the Mita Media Center (Keio University Library), a large, open-stack library. Samples were selected from Japanese books including Chinese and Korean books and Western books acquired after 1962. From every ten years from the 1960s to the 2000s, 400 books were selected by Drott's random sampling method: 4,000 samples in total. Six investigators examined them according to the checklist. Results: The results reveal that the proportion of adhesive bound books has consistently increased in both Japanese and Western books, regardless of whether they are hardback or paperback. In the case of Western books adhesive binding started to be used earlier, but the ratio of use has risen more gently. The current ratio is higher in Japanese books: 75.3% of all books and 94.8% of paperbacks. Deterioration of the spine, which is typical of adhesive binding, is more commonly found in Japanese books, but both Japanese and Western books published in the 2000s show such deterioration. Analysis shows that the frequency of circulation is the main factor in the deterioration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: In Japan, 1,968 municipalities have merged between 1999 and 2005. It seems that this large-scale merging of cities, towns and villages had a great influence on the public libraries. The purpose of this paper is to examine the issues discussed at the time of the merger and to define the future issues of libraries in such merged municipalities. Methods: Questionnaires were sent out to main libraries of 483 municipalities that had merged into a single one respectively. Among them, 321 (66.5%) libraries responded the questionnaires, which are analysed in this paper. Results: The problem discussed most frequently at the time of merging is how the level of services can be adjusted between individual libraries after merging, e.g., adjustment of opening hours or library regulations for lending books. On the other hand, the issue of unifying library policies was not considered so much. These results show that the libraries have to give priority to issues on services that directly affect the users, because library staff didn't have enough time for discussion on them before the merger. The most common issue after the merger is to obtain enough budgets for purchasing library materials. Reorganization of the library is a future issue, too. Moreover, the libraries must consider how the service should be provided in geographic areas increased newly by the merger in a situation of severe fiscal limitations. To study more detailed library policies and organization in post merger of municipalities are also further research projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper describes the current state of electronic journal usage among Japanese medical researchers, and discusses the subsequent effect on users' decision whether to read articles on paper or on screen; from what types of full text source they obtain the articles. Methods: The names of 2,033 medical researchers affiliated with 80 medical schools in Japan were extracted and the researchers were surveyed. The questionnaire included questions on: 1) demographic features; 2) whether or not the researcher read the paper from print journals or electronic journals, and the search method used to obtain the most recently read articles; 3) the types of methods used to search for articles; 4) awareness and use of "open access" sites. Results: We received 651 responses (32.3%) between February and March 2007 and analyzed them. The major findings were: 1) 70% of the most recently read articles were electronic journal articles; 2) 80% of the electronic journal articles were provided by academic libraries, while 60% of print journal articles were from private subscription journals; 3) search engines were not used, but PubMed was used primarily to search either print or electronic journal articles; 4) in general, open access methods were not recognized by researchers as one possible route for obtaining the articles although PubMed Central constituted about 10% of the most recently read electronic journal articles; 5) no significant differences relating to article usage patterns were observed among age groups, however, large differences were found among fields of research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to examine the prospects for library services actively adopting the trend of administrative reform. Initially the paper takes a general view of the argument concerning "Decentralization" at the national level and "New Public Management" at the regional level in order to clarify the existence of a citizens' sector as one of the principal points at issue in both reforms. The second section gives an account of the fact that in administrative reforms after 1990s citizens are regarded not only as beneficiaries of public services, but also as suppliers. This section also explains the concept of "Governance" which explains the aforementioned fact. Where the concept of "Governance" was applied to provision of public service, various social actors including citizens' sector would be placed on an equal footing with administrations when providing public services. In conclusion, the author advocates that to apply the concept of "Governance" as one of the best options for thinking about the provision of library services, under a framework which regards the directionality of administrative reform as "from Government to Governance." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper seeks to clarify the research trend of library and information science (US) in Japan from 1970 to 2009. Methods: Of all the articles published from 1970 to 2009 in Library and Information Science and Journal of Japan Society of Library and Information Science, 826 research articles were examined. For each article, (1) authors, (2) topics, (3) research methods, and (4) the use of theories were analyzed. For (1), the number of authors of each article and the first author's affiliation and occupation were examined. Topics were classified into 14 US topics and these topics were further classified into "library science" and "information science". Empirical research methods were further divided into "data collection method" and "data analysis method". The number of research articles and the transition of the number of pages were also investigated. Results: Our findings indicate that in the US field over the last 40 years in Japan, (1) the number of authors whose affiliation is "university" has increased, (2) the number of "information science" articles has gradually decreased, and the majority of articles are now about "library science", and (3) the proportion of empirical research methods has increased. There were no major changes or distinctive trends in the topics discussed by articles. Due to the adoption of a strict peer-review system in both journals, the number of research articles decreased from the 1990s to 2000s; however, the number of articles has increased in recent years due to the increase in the number of graduate students and the enhancement of research grants in the US field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to analyze structures and contents of authority data on Japanese personal and corporate names, which were made in Japan, and to clarify the degree to which such data are consistent with Functional Requirements for Authority Data (FRAD). Methods: Consistency was measured based on three conditions: (1) the data should have mandatory and highly recommended elements prescribed in Mandatory Data Elements for Internationally Shared Resource Authority Records (MLAR), which provides the basic data elements to be included for international sharing of authority data; (2) the data should contain elements adopted by UNIMARC Manual Authorities Format (UNIMARC/A) or MARC21 Format for Authority Data (MARC21/A), which have already been modified in accordance with FRAD; (3) the data should have fields or subfields allowing the incorporation of elements by UNIMARC/A and MARC21/A. If these conditions are satisfied, then the Japanese data may be sufficiently consistent with FRAD. This paper clarifies empirically whether the Japanese authority data fulfill the three conditions or not, by examining carefully authority formats and manuals obtained from six institutions producing such data in Japan. Results: The results show that Japanese name authority data satisfy condition (1) but not conditions (2) and (3). In order to match the Japanese name authority data with FRAD, the data should be augmented by adding some attributes of entries "Person" and "Corporate body", relationships between different entities and types of relationships. Also, fields for keeping these elements should be made available in the data. Furthermore, the examination revealed unique elements in Japan which are not included in UNIMARC/A and MARC21/A. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Despite the rise of the Internet, both television and newspapers still play major roles as news, media. This paper clarifies the differences between television and newspapers as news media during the period of a general election campaign in Japan. Methods: News stories reporting on the election of The House of Representatives of Japan were analyzed using episodic or thematic news frames (Iyengar 1991). News was categorized according to the type of news and the type of frame. Results: News programs on television (NHK and five commercial broadcast stations) broadcast 172 news sto- ries during the 2009 election campaign (from 18 August 2009 to 1 September 2009). There were 386 news items in the Asahi Shimbun newspaper related to the election during the same period. The amount of coverage was large at both the beginning and the end of the election campaign. Television and newspapers showed similar tendencies. Moreover, no changes were observed between 2005 and 2009. Television news was composed of equal amounts of general news and featured news, while featured news accounted for about 80% of the news in the newspaper. On television, there were many episodic frames mainly portraying individuals involved in the election campaign. A large majority of newspaper coverage, however, dealt with theme frames. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Recently, requests for inter-library loans (ILL) are often rejected by libraries participating in the NACSIS-ILL network (Japan), and a project to investigate issues concerning bibliographic utilities was conducted in 2004. This paper examines the status of refusals after the project and clarifies the reasons for the refusals. Methods: First, reasons for refusals were analyzed by using ILL records from 2004 to 2008 archived by Hitotsubashi University Library. Second, the refusal rate of each participating library from 2004 to 2007 was measured and relationships between the degree of refusal and characteristics of the libraries were empirically explored by using statistical data extracted from Statistics on Libraries in Japan. Third, a questionnaire was conducted to examine the degree to which procedures described in Manual about ILL in Academic Libraries (Daigaku Toshokankan Sougo Riyou Manual) are actually followed by participating libraries. Results: (1) While the main reason for refusals to lend was because the requested items were stored in professors' offices, various reasons for refusal for copying were found. (2) While 90% of refusals for lending were due to reasons in the requested libraries, 50-60% of refusals for copying were due to the requesting libraries, suggesting that there is a greater moral hazard in copying. (3) As an environmental factor, the numbers of holdings and staff in a library have an effect on its refusal rate. (4) Libraries with a higher refusal rate tend not to follow some of the procedures of Manual about ILL in Academic Libraries in comparison with those with lower refusal rate, indicating that strictly following the procedures is a key factor for decreasing the refusal rate. (5) Because of the diversification of library materials, requesting libraries must check many more matters before sending a request than before, which puts pressure on staff. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper examines the job structure of staff (teacher librarians/senior teachers with library man- agement duties and school librarians) who work in junior high school libraries that function as media, information, and learning centers. Methods: In 2008, two questionnaires were sent to the staff (teacher librarians/senior teachers and school librarians) of 234 junior school libraries in eleven cities. Replies were received from 227 respondents (response rate 49%). The data was analyzed using deviation value, cluster analysis, and factor analysis, and then the results were compared with those of a study of elementary school libraries in 2007. Results: This research showed the following. (1) There were four main job areas of school library staff: central services, fundamental services, selective services, and peripheral services, in terms of performance and needs of jobs. (2) The staff who worked in school libraries that functioned as media, information, and learning centers did not perform most of the advanced jobs that required high technical skills. (3) The staff of the junior high school libraries and the elementary school libraries had four similar job areas, but tasks within each area differed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper illustrates quantitatively the different methods of selecting books and the results between librarians and faculty of universities. The three main research issues are: 1) the impact of book selection on the level of book circulation and the quality of the library collection, 2) the characteristics of book selections, and 3) the possibility of applying collection evaluation methods to research issues in studies on book selection. Methods: The quality and characteristics of economic books held in Keio University Library were quantitatively measured by two collection evaluation methods based on book circulation statistics and list-checking, and the differences between books selected by librarians and faculty were analyzed. Book circulation statistics were examined from seven perspectives: 1) total number of Japanese and foreign language books, 2) collection turnover rate, 3) percentage of non-loaned books, 4) percentage of books loaned more than five times per year, 5) percentage of loaned books by user type, 6) collection turnover rate by user type, and 7) obsolescence. For list-checking, this study used four check-lists: 1) other library catalogs, 2) economics book reviews, 3) selective bibliography (Senteitosho-Soumokuroku) and 4) books cited in masters' and doctoral theses. Results: According to book circulation statistics, librarians tend to select more Japanese books than those writ- ten in foreign languages, and conversely, faculty prefer to select foreign language books. Most of the Japanese books selected by librarians were loaned, but most of the books selected by faculty were not loaned. Books selected by librarians were frequently loaned by every user, and became obsolete more slowly that those selected by faculty. List-checking showed that books selected by librarians largely overlapped the check-lists. As these results show, the collection evaluation method is a useful tool for book selection studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study examines the changes in the practice of reading guidance. Specifically, it analyzes and discusses the changes in attitude of elementary and junior high school staff toward reading guidance and the characteristics of the method. Methods: The Japan School Library Association Conference has been held for more than 50 years. In this paper, the author examines the articles by JSLA conference participants and summarizes the practical reports and discussions. Results: Reading guidance initially began with "reading together" and "thinking more deeply about reading." The quality of reading was also emphasized. However, there were differences of opinion about the method. Then, through repeated practice around Japan, "group reading that can be held in a short period of time" and "working to make reading more fun" activities were proposed and practiced. The practice of reading guidance has changed as a whole. (1) It used to be difficult to perform reading guidance, but with the implementation of unprescribed time (yutori no jikan) in the 1980s and the trend toward morning reading activities after the late 1990s, the recognition spread that reading guidance or activities to encourage reading could be performed in even a short time such as 10 to 20 minutes; (2) From the 1980s, "considering reading enjoyment" and "facing reading itself" came under review; (3) with differences of opinion regarding the value of having everyone read the same book and of effectively forcing them to read certain books, the focus shifted to free reading. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine how library services to children in Japan were perceived by people and functioned in the local community from the mid-1960s to 1970s, arid to illustrate how this was related to the enhancement of public library services during the same period in Japan. Methods: The study examined in detail three fundamental reports that greatly contributed to the enhancement of Japanese public library services in the 1960s and 1970s: (1) Chushotoshi ni okeru kokyo toshokan no un-ei (1963), (2) Shimin no toshokan (1970), and (3) Toshokan seisaku no kadai to taisaku (1970), and analyzed several descriptions of library services to children in the reports. Similarly, various documents on the initial activities conducted by Hino City Library (1965-) were collected and investigated. In addition, interviews were conducted with people who had played an important role in library services to children at that time. Results: Many library activities during the 1960s and 1970s focused on increasing the circulation of library materials. As the number of loans of children's books increased, services to children gradually became recognized as an important library function and were considered to be a key means of extending library services. This paper shows that prompt activities by libraries to positively provide children's services successfully matched the needs of local communities and general social trends of that period, and led to the growth and deployment of public library services in Japan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Over 80% percent of university libraries in Japan had installed a library automation system by 1994, and 99% percent had become computerized by 2002. Today, many university libraries use the internet and digital resources to provide user-oriented library services, having become electronic libraries to a greater or lesser extent. Library automation systems are the basis for developing user-oriented library services. From the viewpoint of library staff, this paper examines current approaches to library automation issues of book acquisition, book cataloging and circulation. Methods: Two focus group interviews were conducted with two groups of six university librarians. The librarians discussed issues such as their impressions, effects, and the future of library automation. By focusing on the cause-and-effect relationship arid adversary relationship embedded into each utterance expressed during the interviews, the study attempted to identify themes that emerged during the discussions.Results: Problems of library automation were categorized into ten groups. A conceptual diagram of the framework of the problems was created from the data of the focus group interviews. Regarding the effects and problems of library automation, the study found the following three points: (1) promoting labor-saving and functional advancements, (2) libraries losing their power, and (3) imperfect packages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: In recent years, "a work" is attracting attention as an entity for information retrieval. This paper investigates associations of works which are called "bibliographic family" represented in the Japanese library catalog. Methods: To investigate bibliographic families in the Japanese library catalog, a survey was conducted using a random sample from J-BISC. Research questions were: 1) what proportion of works in the Japanese library catalog have derivative works, 2) how populous each bibliographic family is, 3) how frequently each type of derivative relationship appears, and 4) whether there are unique characteristics of bibliographic relationships in Japan compared with studies from other countries. From J-BISC, 669 works that had been recorded up to January 2005 were extracted as the sample. To search for members of bibliographic families, NDL-OPAC and Webcat Plus was used. To investigate the characteristics of bibliographic families of works in the Japanese library catalog, the results of previous studies were compared and examined. Results: The survey results show that 1) 2 5.9% of works in the sample have derivative works, 2) the average size of bibliographic families in the sample is 1.80, and 3) successive relationships account for 63.6% of all types of derivative relationships. Based on these results, networks of bibliographic families really exist, and so it is valid to use the links to improve the library catalog. From a comparison with five previous studies in the U.S. and Slovenia, the phenomenon of works which are called bibliographic families is free from locality and language, and shows "universality." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Efforts have been made to improve the OPACs by collocating bibliographic records sharing the same "work" and navigating users among records under a certain "work," according to the Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records (FRBR). This paper investigates methods of automatically identifying "works," i.e., grouping bibliographic records sharing the same work, for the JAPAN/MARC records, which are typical Japanese bibliographic records created and maintained by libraries in Japan. It reports the extent to which records can be automatically identified as member of a particular work and also which of the possible methods are effective. Methods: The method used in this study is to generate work identification keys for each work represented in a bibliographic record and then to bring the keys representing the same works together. The keys are in principle constructed as a combination of an author name and a title from the record. Several methods of generating such keys were examined and the clustering of keys was executed for each method. The clusters built automatically were evaluated by comparing them with the sample correct sets built manually. Results: The results of the experiment show that the proposed method is effective in average cases; however, the performance depends on the characteristics of works, for example, the volume of records sharing the same work, whether anonymous or not, and whether uniform titles exist. It also shows that it is effective to generate keys for every bibliographic hierarchical level with data elements such as author headings, statements of responsibility, descriptive titles, and title headings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: "Health literacy" is the ability to obtain and use information in order to maintain one's health and to recover from disease. Health information providers should consider health literacy an integral part of health communication. Since "Health Literacy" was one of the objectives of Healthy People 2010 in the year 2000, research in the field of health literacy has flourished in the U.S. This paper attempts to emphasize both the necessity of health literacy research and the outline contribution of library and information science to health literacy in Japan through a literature review of the expansion of health literacy research in the U.S. and its introduction to Japan. Results: There were three turning points in health literacy research in the U.S.: a readability study for documents started in the 1970s; a measurement study of individual health literacy created and implemented in the 1990s; and a health outcome study after the year 2000. These previous studies indicate that the methods and accomplishments of health literacy research are recognized primarily based on the following health literacy research models: basic literacy and knowledge; narrowly-defined health literacy; and health outcomes. The backgrounds of the health literacy researchers vary, but do include library and information science. The results of the research have been reflected in the expansion of consumer health information services. In Japan, very little health literacy research has been conducted, although a portion of the definition of health literacy has been introduced to scholars in some health-related fields. Researchers' interest in the relationship between health information and the general public including patients has grown recently. Health literacy should be recognized as one of the important research agendas in human information interaction. In addition to health sciences and education, library and information science should contribute to health literacy research in Japan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to study the job structure of the staff (teacher librarians/ senior teachers with library management duties and school librarians) who work in elementary school libraries that function as media, information, and learning centers. Methods: In 2007, a questionnaire was sent to the staff of elementary school libraries in eleven cities. The number of responses received was 356 out of 876 (41%) from 223 elementary schools. The results were analyzed using deviation value, cluster analysis, and factor analysis. Results: (1)The job structure of school library staff had four dimensions: central services, fundamental services, selective services, and peripheral services from points of view of performance and needs of jobs. (2)Staff whose school libraries functioned as media, information, and learning centers did not perform most of advanced jobs needed high technical skills. (3) School library staff had three recognitions (as domains) of planned administration, support of pupil's learning, and organization of materials in school library management. And those recognitions influenced distribution of duties between teacher librarians/ senior teachers with library management duties and school librarians. In conclusion, the author proposes a model for the job structure of school library staff with four dimensions and three domains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The Japanese public library community is struggling with the issue of protecting the confidentiality of user information, because this is a key point in obtaining users' trust. The purpose of this paper is to analyze whether the community's efforts are consistent with its aims. Results: Japanese libraries are often requested to delete user information as soon as possible in order to protect user privacy. This policy is not only based on strengthening sensitivity to privacy, but also on the fact that police have ordered the disclosure of user information repeatedly in the past, and, by complying with their legal duties, librarians get labeled as disloyal. However, it is difficult to implement customized services like Amazon's recommendations without collecting user information, and the lack of such innovative client-centered services causes public libraries to stagnate. Therefore, it is obvious that the library community itself poses the largest hindrance to progress by refusing to improve its own services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]