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Purpose: One typical document retrieval method is to use to co-citation. The method is based on the premise that the degree of similarity among co-cited papers is equal in a particular paper. The degree is calculated with binary values: "co-cited" or "not-cited". To improve upon this method, the author proposes a multivalued co-citation measure based on semantic distance between co-cited papers. Methods: To determine the distance between citations, the author measured two machine parseable relationships (location and citing words) between places where papers are cited. In order to evaluate the proposed method, we identified two categories of co-citation: a group with strong relationships indicating "enumerated co-citation" (papers cited within one statement) and a group with weak relationships showing "non enumerated co-citation". Similarities within each group were calculated and compared using the CiteSeer dataset and 6 major similarity indicators. Results: All of the similarity indicators showed that degree of "enumerated co-citation" is higher than "non enumerated co-citation". Consequently, it became clear that the proposed co-citation measure can be used to distinguish the strength of co-citation more precisely and the it can be applied to large-scale document collections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Korean Neonatal Network (KNN), which is celebrating its 10th anniversary, currently has more than 100 staff and researchers from >70 neonatal intensive care units nationwide in Korea. More than 85% to 90% of the population of very low birth weight infants in Korea are registered yearly, and more than half are followed up for up to 3 years at the KNN. A total of >19,000 cases have been accumulated through a strict data quality management process of the KNN. Based on this, >100 research projects have been proposed, >70 peer-reviewed papers have been published in leading international journals, and the cornerstone of the quality improvement project has been launched. In addition, we recently expanded the number of subjects for registration to very premature infants <32 weeks of age and continue to provide essential evidence data for establishing national health policies, such as linking with government policy projects of the Ministry of Health and Welfare for preterm infants. In such manner, the KNN is confident to be successfully and actively moving toward reaching the ultimate goal of standardizing neonatal intensive care and management of preterm infants in Korea by providing essential data for national health policy establishment along with quality improvement through evidence-based interactive data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the results of replications of Aschʼs (1946) experiments 1 and 3. According to Asch, peopleʼs formation of their impressions of others is greatly influenced by their central trait with warmth considered to be the important factor. The results of this experiment have been quoted in many social psychology textbooks: that the overall impression of a person is determined by the description of the person as “warm” (or “cold”) regardless of other peripheral traits. In fact, however, it seems that “warm” and “cold” are not the only traits that influence peopleʼs impression formation. In the present study, we replicated Aschʼs experiments 1 and 3 (experiment 1, N＝71) and extracted the trait that seemed to influence interpersonal impressions through a preliminary survey (N＝69) in experiment 2. We examined whether these traits had a strong influence on forming interpersonal impressions as well as “warm” and “cold” (experiment 3, N＝73). The results showed that “warm” and “cold”; “polite” and “blunt,” which were considered peripheral characteristics in Asch; and “expressive” and “ expressionless,” which were newly examined, all had a significant effect on impressions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The revised higher classification of Acari. Satoshi SHIMANO (Science Research Center, Hosei University 2-17-1, Fujimi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, 102-8160 Japan) Several of the recent higher classification systems of “Acari” were reviewed. The taxon group as “Acari” finally disappeared in recent systems. A correspondence table between the recent higher systems reached a consensus based on phylogenetic papers and the old system with 7 suborders (general in Japanese text books) were provided with some Japanese name of taxon groups appropriately modified in the present paper. Japanese name of Poecilophysidea (Acariformes + Solifugae) was also proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper analyzes the whole process in which college students completed assignment reporting from within an integrated framework. The framework consists of three layers: acts, contexts and knowledge. The students decided the topics, searched information, and wrote reports in the process of assignment reporting. This study hypothesized that the students' acts were successfully completed by finding contexts and that finding context was facilitated by having knowledge. This paper aimed to clarify how college students act, how contexts are found, and what kind of knowledge is required in carrying out assignment reporting. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with Hitotsubashi University students on assignment reporting in their first or second year of university, and 27 responses were collected. Assignments were classified into three types: text summarization, argumentation, and hypothesis verification. Criteria of success and failure were established for each type. The typical patterns of success and failure were extracted from the interview results. To clarify the difference between success and failure, the relationship among acts, contexts and knowledge was analyzed. Results: The big picture context, which enables to grasp a complete understanding of assignments, had the most influence toward success or failure. Knowing what a good report is and what is expected from the assignment contributed highly to establishing the big picture context. Skills to think logically and structure information had a big influence on success. To practice such knowledge and skills successfully, students' understanding and experience of doing assignments were required. In the instruction on assignment reporting, paying attention to the whole process and students' difficulties was important. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of the paper is to determine the role of libraries in junior colleges and clarify their strengths and weaknesses with a view to further developing these in a manner that is closely related to the mission oi junior colleges, without limiting the existing scope of junior college library functions and rules. A further purpose of the paper is to attempt to identify strengths and weaknesses of libraries according to the missions espoused by the junior colleges. Methods: From 331 junior college accreditation evaluations conducted by the Japan Association for College Accreditation in the seven-year period from 2005 to 2011, the author investigated 2,204 "matters where particularly excellent efforts can be recognized" (of which, 92 were matters relating to libraries) and, after dividing these into 15 classifications based on their content, the author established 2,964 items in total (of which, 131 related to libraries and 2,833 to other matters). Based on these items, the author conducted a survey of the strengths and weaknesses of libraries by comparing library attributes and other matters. The author also attempted to analyze these strengths and weaknesses in light of the types of missions the respective junior colleges espoused. Results: The survey found that the strengths of libraries were: well-equipped facilities and equipment; support for learning and study; activities in cooperation with society, activities that contribute to the community, and support for student extracurricular activities; and support for graduates and cooperation with alumni associations. On the other hand, the survey found the weaknesses of libraries were: support for teachers' educational activities; and enhancement of educational content and improvement in educational methodology. The survey did not find any characteristic relationship between the types of missions of the junior colleges and the strengths of libraries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the species of the subfamily Coelotinae (Araneae: Agelenidae) known to be from Kyushu, Japan are reviewed, and their biogeographical data, including those of three new genera established by Okumura (2020), are added to the article published in the last volume of this journal (Okumura, 2020, pp. 77-94). The remarkable variation of genital organs and the unique distribution of several species are specifically explained. The speciation, or morphological variation, of coelotine spiders in Kyushu is probably due to the frequent volcanic activity and rising and falling of the sea level that has occurred in the past, which may have caused the division of their habitats. Although classification problems still remain in the species group of Coelotes yaginumai, subdivided into 10 species, Coelotes ikiensis and Coelotes hataensis, which are both distributed in Kyushu, are considered to be different species by showing parapatric distributions and clear differences in the morphological characteristics of genital organs. The relationship between the shape variations of the epigyne and the homology of the form of male palp in Aeolocoelotes unicatus, Aeolocoelotes unzenensis and Tegecoelotes ignotus, is also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to clarify the shift from bibliographic instruction to information literacy in the United States and to examine its significance. Methods: Based on the literature and practical reports by librarians, the paper considers the discussion about information literacy. Results: The Information Literacy Movement in the United States is an educational reform movement that started during the educational reforms in the 1980s. Its philosophy is not to expand education by librarians but to implement educational reform. Initially, the philosophy of the information literacy movement was misunderstood by librarians and caused conflicts within the library world. However, as librarians’ understanding of the philosophy of the movement gradually spread, their recognition shifted from the emphasis on “education by librarians" to their “contribution to the realization of educational reform. As a result, librarians' practice expanded from simply educating students to changing the awareness of faculty members, supporting them to revise curriculums. and improving classes through information literacy. The significance of the shift from bibliographic instruction to information literacy is that librarians are turning from providers of education on information use to promoters of educational reform through information literacy. This has allowed librarians to become directly involved in educational reform. Following this shift, the Information Literacy Movement as a form of educational reform has started to have a substantial impact, thus shifting from the theoretical to the practical. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to identify what research papers on building collaboration between teaching faculty and librarians in higher education have been published in Library and Information Science; which methodologies and theoretical frameworks have been applied; and what themes have been discussed. Methods: In this systematic review, research papers were carefully selected based on replicable search strategies and inclusion and exclusion criteria defined for this study. The data were analyzed through a content analysis, and an overall picture of building collaboration between teaching faculty and librarians in higher education was constructed. Results: The study clarified the following points: 1)there were considerably fewer research papers on this topic than the number of practical reports; 2)regarding authors of these research papers, there were many more college and university librarians than researchers in Library and Information Science or other disciplines; 3)there were a limited number of researchers who continued studying this topic: 4)most of the research papers were qualitative studies; 5)only a few papers applied theoretical frameworks; 6)core papers regarding this topic were not identified. 7)As for factors of librarians’ strategic approaches to teaching faculty, “educational development,” “shared goals and means, building interpersonal relationships and “working with other campus units” were identified, and as factors of the intervening conditions in the library, institutional and social contexts, librarians sense of rivalry with teaching faculty,” “library’s competence in collaboration,” accrediting agencies, teaching faculty s attitudes towards libraries/librarians” and “campus hierarchy” were identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: With a focus on U.S. accreditation standards to promote information literacy in American higher education, this paper aims to clarify how accreditation bodies have sought to position information literacy within higher education. Methods: The transition of the description until the information literacy was formally described as a part of the curriculum was examined. Results: In 1994, for the first time, the Middle States Commission on Higher Education made information literacy a necessary skill for all students. However, in the 1994 version, information literacy was entered only m the library section, leaving the possibility that information literacy can be recognized as belonging to the library" not only by university administrators and faculty members, but also by librarians. In the 2002 version, with the emphasis on assessment of learning outcomes, information literacy was described as an essential learning outcome in all academic disciplines in the section on the curriculum. The integration of information literacy into the curriculum of the Middle State Commission on Higher Education was realized not in the context of utilizing libraries and information resources but in the improvement of teaching and learning through outcome assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

If the interpretation of an element of Knowledge Organization Systems (KOS) is different, the Simple Knowledge Organization System (SKOS) representation of the element is also different. This paper reveals the SKOS representation of elements related to synthesis in a hierarchy classification scheme based on the interpretation by Structure-expression Style Theory. This theory is different from the conventional ones. Methods: “Entry in main schedules,” “entry in auxiliary tables,” “auxiliary table,” and “entry created by synthesis (synthesis entry)” are included in the agenda as elements related to synthesis. The Nippon Decimal Classification (NDC) is used as an example of a hierarchy classification scheme. Results: This paper reveals the method that uses skos:Concept as a SKOS representation of “entry in main schedules” as well as the method that uses skos:Concept as a SKOS representation of “synthesis entry.” The paper also describes the method that uses SKOS semantic relations (e.g., skos:broader) as a SKOS representation of relationships between “synthesis entry" and another entry. “Entry in auxiliary tables” and “auxiliary table” could not be represented in SKOS. All elements that cannot be represented in SKOS relate to the expression style of the classification scheme and they are beyond the scope of SKOS. Previous studies are based on conventional theories, whereas this paper is based on Structure-expression Style Theory; thus, this paper differs in its interpretation and the SKOS representation of the following: “entry in auxiliary tables,” “auxiliary table,” and a part of “synthesis entry.” [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper examines the achievements and problems of the bibliographic instruction movement in terms of the information literacy movement. Methods: With reference to the state of higher education at the time, this paper examines the bibliographic instruction movement in the 1960s and the move toward information literacy in the 1980s. Results: The bibliographic instruction movement has come to incorporate a new specialty in librarianship, which involves librarians in education to some extent. The aim was to integrate bibliographic instruction or library instruction into the college curriculum. However, those involved in the reform of both undergraduate programs including general education expected that librarians would not only provide library instruction as part of the curriculum, but also help to transform the existing curriculum and demonstrate students' learning by using the library. Hence, in order for bibliographic instruction to be fully integrated into higher education, it was necessary for those involved in the bibliographic instruction movement to share the goals of the university as well as to redefine its own practices. That is to say, the bibliographic instruction movement needed a philosophical shift. However, while the shift was inevitable, this did not happen from within the bibliographic instruction movement itself. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The air-based solar heating system was mounted on external walls of the sustainable energy hut at Syowa Station, Antarctica for the first time. To confirm the usefulness of the heating system, the plans of measurement of thermal condition in the building were prepared by National Institute of Polar Research. A part of the measurement was executed in the wintering of 2017 by the 57th Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition. Using the results of the field measurement, basic performance of air-based solar heating system adopted in the building at Antarctic region was assembled. 　For being put to practical use of the air-based solar heating system in cold regions like Antarctic, Some preliminary tests were executed in March 2009 at Tomakomai City, Hokkaido, one of the cold region in Japan. The heating system used in the demonstrating test at Tomakomai had same specifications of solar panels constructed later at Syowa Station. The result which was compared and inspected about heat collection efficiency of solar panel at Syowa Station and the cold region of Japan (Tomakomai, Hokkaido) was indicated in this paper. 　The air heating system will be practicable to use on cold regions as Syowa Station, Antarctica in the sunny season. Long time of daylight will be expected on the facilities of the building-wall as the sun moves on low orbit at Syowa Station. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to clarify how public libraries use the Weekly New Books Guidance provided by TRC Library Service Inc. (TRC), TRC MARC and to identify how sources and services provided by TRC are located in their task of selecting resources in public libraries. Methods: From November 19-30, 2010. we conducted semi-structured interview surveys a t four city libraries and two town libraries in X Prefecture. The librarians were asked six questions pertaining to their library’s budget and number of staff, the librarians’ years of experience and likelihood of continuing employment, the type of neighborhood surrounding the library, user age and constitution of the neighboring inhabitants, method of selecting resources, use of the Weekly New Books Guidance, and obstacles to selecting resources and their measures. Results: As a result of our investigation, it became clear that public libraries, regardless of their size, depend to a considerable extent on TRC’s tools, such as Weekly New Books Guidance and TOOLi, when conducting resources selection. However, it was also revealed th a t public libraries collect information from multiple viewpoints using tools other than the Weekly New Books Guidance. This was true for all the libraries investigated. Due to falling budgets and the resultant staff shortages making the selection of resources more difficult, we conclude th a t the Weekly New Books Guidance and other TRC's services make it possible to perform b etter resource selection and with less effort. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper examines the actual conditions and characteristics of academic library services for undergraduate research in the United States and Canada. Methods: A questionnaire survey was conducted on 133 research university libraries that were selected as research objects. Invitations to participate in a web-based questionnaire survey were sent to the librarians of these institutions by e-mail. The duration of the survey period was October-December 2014, and the month of March in 2015. The interviews were conducted with six libraries. The e-mail interviews were conducted with four libraries in March and April 2015. The face-to-face interviews were conducted with two libraries in May 2015. Results: The total number of libraries that responded to the questionnaire was 30. The numbers of libraries offering each type of service are as follows: 30 libraries support courses that promote undergraduate research, 28 libraries support honors programs or honors students, 19 libraries support the undergraduate research opportunities program, 16 libraries are involved in the undergraduate research symposium, 9 libraries publish or support the publication of undergraduate research journals, and 14 libraries offer library research awards to undergraduate students. Many libraries collaborate with faculty, and several libraries collaborate with other units, such as the undergraduate research office and the honors program office. The results of the interviews clarified that promoting undergraduate research is considered one of the principal goals in universities, and that libraries recognized support for undergraduate research as an important service that is based on the university’s policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Previous studies have either proposed or used the Simple Knowledge Organization System (SKOS) as a method for representing the elements of Knowledge Organization Systems (KOS). However, SKOS representations of the same element in different studies sometimes differed from one another. This study examines the causes of this. Methods: This paper focuses on the classification schemes among KOSs. SKOS representations of each element of a KOS, i.e„ “centered entry,” “notation and heading,” and “auxiliary tables,” are different in previous studies. The study compares the processes of representing these elements in SKOS and considers the causes of the difference in representations. Results: The cause of the difference in representation for “centered entry” and “auxiliary tables” could be the difference in interpretation in different studies, while that for “notation and heading” could be the difference in priorities between previous studies. “Interpretation is the way the element to be represented is understood. “Priorities” are things that someone prefers at the time of SKOS representation, such as uniqueness of skos:prefLabel or perspicuity of SKOS data. Which merits and demerits of each SKOS representation are emphasized depends on the “Priorities.” [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For this paper, I investigated whole past records of skin mites and fur mites (Acariformes: Sarcoptoidea) in Japan. As a result, I discovered a total 17 records related to 11 species belonging to Myocoptidae, Listrophoridae, Chirodiscidae, and Atopomelidae. Until today, Myocoptes japonensis japonensis, Trichoecius tenax, Afrolistrophorus apodemi, Metalistrophorus pagenstecheri, Metalistrophorus sciuricola, Pteromychirus lukoschusi, and Alabidocarpus fujii have been noted in wild mammals. In addition, Leporacarus gibbus and Lynxacarus radovskyi have been found in companion mammals. Furthermore, Myocoptes musculinus, L. gibbus, and Chirodiscoides caviae have been gathered from laboratory mammals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: By focusing on the effect of the Internet, this study aims to identify Japanese corporate employees’ current information-gathering activities and the role that they expect Japanese corporate libraries to perform. Methods: From July to September 2015, a survey was conducted with 194 employees from eight companies and five different industries. Ultimately, data from 137 respondents-130 people engaged in research and development and seven people from other areas-were used for analysis. The results of the survey were compared with those of previous studies and discussed. Results: Employees gathered information primarily from free websites at their desks. If we define it as the service area of corporate libraries that provide information to the employees in the form of papers and documents, it accounted for less than 30% of all information-gathering activities. This figure represents a 20% decrease in the use of corporate libraries since the introduction of the Internet. Respondents stated that they would like corporate libraries to enhance their databases to include more electronic journals and magazines. This preference reflects the effect of the Internet. According to respondents, a library’s primary roles as a “place of information gathering” were lending, browsing, and copying print collections, which were functions unaffected by the Internet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study discusses three research questions from the viewpoint of structure-expression style: (1) what is the concept of "facet" proposed by Ranganathan, (2) how did Ranganathan and Vickery consider the relationship between analytic-synthetic classification and faceted classification, and (3) how did Ranganathan and Vickery consider the relationship between facet and fundamental category (or common facet). Method: In a previous paper, the present author investigated each work of Ranganathan in chronological order. This paper reanalyzes the results obtained in the previous paper based on the theory of structure-expression style. This theory distinguishes two kinds of categorization methods of classification systems: one is by structure, either hierarchical or multi-dimensional, and the other is by expression style, either enumerative or synthetic. The writings of Vickery are also investigated and compared with those of Ranganathan based on the same theory. Results: The concept of Ranganathan's facet is "totality of the classes." Although this concept itself is simple, a current misunderstanding is that facet may be used in combination with "notation consisting of plural independent elements," because both of these are adopted in the Colon Classification. Notation consisting of plural independent elements has also been confused with "composition of class numbers." These three concepts should be distinguished definitively based on the theory of structure-expression style. These confusions influenced the later works of Ranganathan as well as the entire body of work of Vickery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to propose a new cooperative program for School and Public Libraries in Korea. First, cooperation sought by both public and school libraries are reviewed. Second, a cooperative program was designed by taking specific circumstances of public libraries as well as school libraries. After its implementation, achievements, issues, and possible improvements of the program are discussed. Methods: Surveys and some additional interviews were conducted as the preliminary field study in 24 public libraries, 644 elementary, middle, and high school libraries in Busan between April and June in 2012. Based on the results of the research, the Reading Mentoring Program was designed, and was implemented with mentors during the period of between 2012 and 2014. Analysis was conducted using results of reports and interviews of elementary school students who participated in the program, brief surveys and interviews of school teachers, as well as records of activities and plans created by mentors who implemented the program, and surveys and interviews conducted to the mentors. Result: The Reading Mentoring Program was implemented and managed for three years with undergraduate students in Library and Information Science acting as mentors. The results of the study on public and school libraries showed high demands for mentors with specialized knowledge in reading education. The analysis shows that the Program has had good effects on public and school libraries as well as mentors. Remaining issues are the need for analyzing mentees' needs, improvements on educational content for mentors, development of manuals for implementing the Mentoring Program, and the establishment of a cooperation system for managing the program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: NDLSH are lists of subject headings, some of which have their corresponding classification numbers in NDC 9th ed. and are called "representative classification numbers." This paper investigates the extent to which the representative numbers in NDLSH match the classification numbers assigned to bibliographic records. It reports the detailed results on their matching, while referring to a preceding research on the same topic. Methods: Pairs of NDC numbers and NDLSH subject headings were extracted from bibliographic records created between 1997 and 2014. General topical subject headings and geographic ones were examined separately. The representative classification numbers for individual subject headings were obtained from Web NDL Authorities. Results: l) For general topical headings, less than 20% of them have representative NDC numbers, most of which do not have sub-headings. More than 80% of subject headings with representative NDC numbers have records with NDC numbers matching the representative ones, while more than 10% of the NDLSH-NDC combinations that occurred in records were in agreement with those shown in NDLSH. Left-hand match on classification numbers increased the number of matching cases. Limiting the NDLSH-NDC pairs to those that occurred first in each record brought a substantial increase in the number of matching cases. 2)Only 6% of geographic subject headings have representative NDC numbers. More than 50% of such headings have records with NDC numbers that match the representative ones, while 15% of the NDLSH-NDC combinations occurred in records that agreed with those shown in NDLSH. INSET: 4. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: In order to identify the position of academic libraries within the university organization, and to consider the problems within certified evaluation and accreditation, this paper examines how academic libraries are evaluated in the certified evaluation and accreditation of universities. Methods: Firstly, in terms of the evaluation items of the certified evaluation and accreditation institutions and the aspects of libraries that are evaluated, we compared institutions over the first and second cycle. Secondly, institutions were compared across the academic year and first and second cycle so as to determine the number of findings in the evaluation and accreditation results and which items among the evaluation standards are used in the evaluations. Thirdly, by analyzing the evaluation and accreditation results, self-evaluation results and "cases of advanced approaches," the details addressed in the "cases of advanced approaches' and the "strengths' (library section) were compared among the evaluation and accreditation results. Results: 1) The position of academic libraries has fallen within the evaluation by JUAA, increased in the evaluation by NIAD-UE, and has not significantly changed in the evaluation by JIHEE. 2) Regarding the "strengths" raised in the reports, libraries have been evaluated in terms of "social contribution," "social networks," "educational content/methods," "educational content and methods," and "student support." Similarly, contents of "suggestions' and "recommendations' in the reports were not limited to library collections, resources, equipment and facilities. 3) The analysis of the "cases of advanced approaches" also showed that academic libraries have been evaluated from various perspectives. INSET: 7. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper attempts to reveal the mechanism through which ordinary people initiate information seeking behavior. Although a large number of studies have focused on information seeking behavior, few studies have discussed how this process starts. The present study identified the mechanism by which this process starts based on an in-depth analysis of how ordinary people initiate information seeking behavior. Methods: Seven persons who sought medical information for their family or for themselves participated in the study; each person was interviewed between July and September 2005. The participants outlined their information seeking behavior, explaining why and how they started to seek information. This paper examined the results for three participants who agreed to the publication of the contents of their interviews. Results: The initiation of information seeking behavior was composed of the following three steps: facing the occasion, setting the task, and selecting the information sources. These three steps were linked and organized by the activation of searchers' contexts. First, the activation of searchers' contexts, which is triggered by facing the occasion, prompts the setting of the task. Second, the searchers' contexts are activated again, prompting the selection of information sources. Finally, the selection of actual information sources enables the initiation of information seeking behavior. When people initiate information seeking behavior they must complete all three of these steps. In particular, the activation of searchers' contexts is mandatory for progressing to the three steps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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 study aims to develop a framework for evaluating reference services in public libraries, and to propose a practical technique for measuring the quality of reference services based on the framework. Methods: Some previous studies on evaluating reference services are reviewed to construct a new framework for the evaluation. The resulting framework consists of four dimensions: constructional components of evaluation, context of evaluation, criteria of evaluation, and methods and measures of evaluation. Based on a review of the literature, this paper suggests that the quality of reference services should be evaluated through questionnaire surveys of library users because this method has proven to be effective. The author attempts to develop a questionnaire that can effectively assess the quality of reference services from the viewpoint of library users, by carefully examining the results of focus group interviews of actual users of public libraries. Results: A new framework for evaluating reference services, which has hitherto never been considered, is constructed through a literature review and critical analysis in this paper. Also, a template of questionnaires for evaluating the quality of reference services is developed as an effective evaluation tool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Framework for the Future is a paper on the long-term strategic vision of public libraries in the decade ahead, which was published in 2003 in the UK by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. Based on this document, Action Plans have been formulated and published every three years by the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council. This paper discusses the significance of Action Plan 2004-06, and identifies the problems of the plan through analysis of its contents, outputs, and opinions on the plan as stated by librarians and others. Methods: Through an analysis of Action Plan 2004-06 and related literature, the author examined the contents of the plan (the structure, correspondence with Framework for the Future, the organizations that actually carried out the projects, and their budgets), the outputs of the projects, and opinions of librarians and others (comments presented in related literature; number of times the bulletins of a professional organization have reported on the projects). Results: It is significant that the plan applied a new style of policymaking in a comprehensive public library policy. That is, the Action Plan was based on a strategic vision. The analysis showed that various actors, including the central and local governments, private firms and non-profit organizations, participated in its implementation. The paper also points out some problems, such as: insufficient financial resources, the unclear connection between each policy and public library services, and little participation by librarians. [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]

Purpose: This paper identifies the roles and place of a preprint server, arXiv, in scholarly communication by analyzing all papers submitted to arXiv up to 2007. Methods: In order to clarify 1) the growth in the annual and total number of submitted papers, 2) the percentage of papers in arXiv subsequently published in scholarly journals and their publication information, and 3) differences of years between submission to arXiv and publication in journals (i.e., immediacy), all 449,071 papers submitted to arXiv between 1991 and 2007 were analyzed by examining the~following data for each paper: 1) ID, 2) "journal-ref" which is bibliographic references of publications in which the submitted paper appeared, and 3) subject categories. Results: The main findings are as follows. 1) For 17 years, the overall annual and total number of submitted papers continued to increase, especially in astrophysics, condensed matter, and mathematics. However, the rate of increase differs between disciplines. 2) The percentage of papers in arXiv subsequently published in scholarly journals was 47.1% on average, indicating that about half of them were published. The journal-ref addition rate was much higher in physics and theoretical subject categories than in mathematics and computer science. Papers published in core journals in physics and astronomy, such as the Physical Review series and Astronomical Journal, accounted for almost half of all papers submitted to arXiv. 3) Whereas most papers submitted in high energy physics (HEP) categories can be accessed before publication, some subject categories, in contrast to HEP, generally provide access to older scholarly articles. In conclusion, arXiv is now simultaneously serving two roles: as a preprint server of journal articles and as a digital archive of scholarly articles in general. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The evidence-based librarianship (EBL) approach promotes the application of re- search results to library services and at the same time, is a promising methodological frame- work for further improving the quality of research in library science. In this paper, the issues surrounding EBL and its application are discussed. Method: One hundred Japanese journal articles on library and information science were coded according to the level of their EBL evidence (one of seven levels), the three types of EBL questions, and the domain of the article as defined in the EBL approach. Results: Thirty three articles were identified as case studies (Level 6) and fifty three articles were identified as expert opinion (Level 7). Only two articles were coded as summing up (Level 2) which are said to have high EBL evidence. Thirty percent of the papers did not contain questions; therefore, they were not able to be assigned to one of the three types of questions. Fifteen of the articles were in the "collections" domain and twenty three were in the "management" domain; however, no articles were in the "marketing/promotion" domain. Since the concept of EBL is derived from evidence-based medicine (EBM), it can be difficult to apply it to articles in library and information science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: There are currently no effective methods for evaluating the quality of reference services despite the knowledge that reference services need to be evaluated for both quantity and quality. This paper proposes a method for evaluating the quality of reference services provided by public libraries. Methods: Since there are no effective evaluation methods in the field of library and information science, studies of service quality in other areas, including social welfare, medicine, and education, were reviewed to identify potential methods. As a result of the reviews, two common factors were found. One is that most of the evaluation methods have a hierarchical structure. These methods consist of classifying several questionnaire items into categories, or "dimensions". The other common point is that most of the methods involve questionnaires being answered by customers, service providers, and third parties. Based on these two findings, it is proposed that a questionnaire can be used as an evaluation method for measuring quality of reference services. Results: An evaluation tool for measuring quality of reference services was developed by referring to evaluation methods in other service areas. First, a focus group interview was conducted to select questionnaire items. The questionnaire, including the selected items, was then given to librarians. The "dimensions" and their related items were identified by factor analysis using the responses from the questionnaire. The measurement tool for evaluating the quality of reference services was developed using the dimensions combined with the questionnaire items. This paper can be the first step towards further studies on the evaluation of the quality of reference services which has not been discussed to date. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explain the content and context of learning and teaching support provided by Earlham College Library as part of a series of research projects on the educational function of college and university libraries. The Earlham College Library was selected because in has provided diverse programs to support learning and teaching since the 1960s and its practices have influenced many college and university libraries in the U.S. Methods: This research conducts a descriptive case study presenting a detailed account of the learning and teaching support provided by Earlham College Library. The data are interview data, archival records, administrative documents, reports, dissertations, data on physical artifacts, and observational data. Results: Programs to support learning and teaching are initiated to respond to the actual and potential needs of clients and to integrate library programs into existing services provided by the college body. The programs use techniques such as repeatedly publicizing the existence and the educational role of the College Library and its reference librarians and providing support to courses in which research papers have been assigned. In terms of programs that support learning, it was found that undergraduates appreciated course-related instruction on specific topics, but were not as likely to accept similar instruction for multiple courses or course-related instruction on general topics. Faculty members were found to recognize on improvement in the quality of their student's performance as a result of their enhanced information retrieval skills. The evaluation of programs that support teaching revealed that faculty members were able to develop a clearer sense of the role of the College Library and its reference librarians in the educational system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As open-access policies gain acceptance, an increasing number of researchers are contributing their papers to publicly accessible web sites (i.e. self-archiving). Theoretically, these papers are accessible from standard search engines, but they tend to be obscured by other contents on the web. The purpose of this research is to develop a system that can automatically detect academic articles and/or quasi-academic articles on the web. This paper describes experiments that were conducted on the performance of various classifiers and the results are compared in terms of precision, recall, and F-measure. The classifiers use attributes such as terms in PDF files and empirical rules. The results suggest the efficiency of a ranked output system which has several phases to identify academic articles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the significance of and limits to Christine S. Bruce's relational approach in information literacy education. In information literacy education, the approaches that exist in the base of education have not been discussed adequately. In this paper, we review and analyse the characteristics of three approaches to information literacy education based on Bruce's classification: the behavioral approach, the constructivist approach, and the relational approach. The analysis is based on the perspective of the human user and information use. Because understanding human beings as members of society is important to examine education, which makes human beings acquire shared knowledge in a society, and the perspective of information use is important to examine information literacy, which is ability related to information use. As a result of our comparison, we suggest that Bruce's relational approach, which combines both human sense-making and the objects, overcomes the limits of the behavioral approach and the constructivists approach. Further more, we suggest that introducing a situational approach to Bruce's relational approach overcomes the limits of the relational approach and offers a new perspective on information literacy education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The World Wide Web has had an unprecedented impact on the creation and utilization of information. As the amount of information available on the Web has continued to increase, it has become more difficult to decide whether certain information is reliable or not. This paper analyzes the information seeking behavior of Web users and examines their information evaluation processes. It is based on experimental research on students from a two-year college program. The results of the study are intended to be used by libraries to enhance user education. The paper reviews previous studies, examining studies on Web searching tendencies and the evaluation of Web resources in accordance with their methodologies. We discuss the simplicity of Web searching patterns and examine the factors that influence information evaluation. We point out the limitations of the research methods that have been used in the past, and describe the reasons for adopting the protocol analysis method in this investigation. We used an observational method and protocol analysis to investigate the students' behavior as they used search engines and the OP AC (Online Public Access Catalogue) to find information. We divided the students into two groups: students who have used the Web for more than five years and students who have used the Web for less than two years. In order to provide a basis for comparison, we repeated this research on university students. We came to the following conclusions. Web searching is a repeated behavior involving the repetition of a simple, regular pattern. The students were able to filter out unnecessary information quickly as they evaluated search results. Experience affected information seeking performance and evaluation, and a more pronounced effect was noted with students who had a longer history of experience with the Web. Students had a tendency to evaluate Web resources based on visual factors and personal experiences, but they lacked skills in determining the quality of [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]

The document clustering technique is widely recognized as a useful tool for information retrieval, organizing web documents, text mining and so on. The purpose of this paper is to review various document clustering techniques, and to discuss research issues for enhancing effectiveness or efficiency of the clustering methods. We explore extensive literature on non-hierarchical methods (single-pass methods), hierarchical methods (single-link, complete-link, etc.), dimensional reduction methods (LSI, principal component analysis, etc.), probabilistic methods, data mining techniques, and so on. In particular, this paper focuses on typical techniques, such as the k-means algorithm, the leader-follower algorithm, self-organizing map (SOM). single- or complete-link methods, bisecting k-means methods, latent semantic indexing (LSI), Gaussian-Mixture model and so on. After reviewing the techniques and algorithms, we discuss research issues on document clustering: computational complexity, feature extraction (selection of words), methods for defining term weights and similarity, and evaluation of results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper examines how and why rules for creating rare book union catalogues, such as A Short- Title Catalogue of Books Printed in England, Scotland, & Ireland and of English Books Printed Abroad, 1475-1640 (STC), Short-Tile Catalogue of Books Printed in England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, and British America, and of English Books Printed in Other Countries，1641-1700 (Wing STC) and English Short Title Catalogue (ESTC), have been transformed. Methods: Some parts of the rules for creating union catalogues, STC and Wing STC in particular, might not be fully written. Thus, in order to reconstruct rules for creating union catalogues, not only rules and prefaces written in the catalogues as well as related literature, but also the union catalogues themselves were examined. The identified changes of the cataloguing rules are classified, and their reasons are considered. Results: Some unwritten rules for creating STC and Wing STC have been identified. Some written rules for creating ESTC, which are different from those used at present have also been identified. The rules for creating the earlier edition of ESTC are far more detailed than the STC 2nd edition. Matters related to each union catalogue, changes of cataloguers and expected users of the union catalogues have been identified as reasons for the above changes, in addition to changes in the tradition of descriptive bibliography, the evolution of library cataloguing rules, and technological changes, which have been identified in earlier studies about cataloguing rules for rare books. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: In 1915, an organizational reform was implemented in Tokyo City Libraries to unify library operations. This study examines the policies of the Tokyo city government regarding the unification, what kinds of services were available, and how the library business changed. The paper identifies and reevaluates the background of the reform, and how it contributed to improving the services and library business. Methods: Magazines, newspapers, government documents, and library bulletins from 1915 to 1919 were examined. Results: The organizational reform of the libraries coincided with a critical time for the political and administrative transformation of Tokyo City. Initiated by an internal political change in the Tokyo City Council in 1914, the Council conducted an audit called "Inspection on the educational administration". After the audit, the libraries were required to reduce costs and improve the efficiency of their operations. Accordingly, the libraries undertook organizational reforms to unify operations to comply with the tight fiscal policy of the city, while also improving library services. The reforms not only reduced the cost of library operations in Tokyo City, but also led to new services under a new library system, and provided a convenient, accessible library service for residents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the seventh five-year plan of the Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition, Japanese scientists (led by the National Institute of Polar Research) together with a group of Swedish scientists conducted an intensive field campaign across Dronning Maud Land, East Antarctica, during the 2007/2008 austral summer season. This paper details the entire scope of the field activities of the project, and includes an outline of the field expedition, manning and roles, logistics, communications, navigation, and observations. This report should provide valuable information for future programs in Antarctica. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the seventh five-year plan of the Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition, a group of Japanese scientists (led by the National Institute of Polar Research) together with a group of Swedish scientists, conducted field surveys to better understand the glaciology of the ice sheet in Dronning Maud Land, East Antarctica, during the 2007/2008 austral summer season. This paper reports on the planning and field preparations, and outlines the scientific achievements of the field expedition. We have gained numerous new scientific insights on the spatio-temporal distribution of the ice sheet environment in the inland plateau. Here, we provide an overview of the new knowledge gained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper investigates the study conditions of university students, focusing on places, hours and study habits, in order to consider how university libraries should provide services to match students' learning style. Method: All students of Tokyo University of Foreign Studies were surveyed to clarify the following three points: 1) spatial and equipment aspects that students put priority on when studying, 2) their actual learning styles, and 3) number of hours of studying. Also, the lifestyles of 29 students were directly observed for three days, and then a focus group discussion with the students was conducted for deeper analysis. Results: Of all the undergraduate respondents who participated in the survey, 62.3% spent most of their study time "at home", while 28.2% "could not concentrate" when studying "at home". Furthermore, at least 42.3% of the respondents regarded that being able to concentrate on studying was a crucial element of the learning space. In contrast, 94.6% of the respondents "can concentrate" on studying at "the university library". This study revealed hindrances to studying such as shortness of opening hours of school cafeterias and insufficient spaces for rest and refreshment. It was also found that decentralizing study space out of the university library would not only provide enough learning space for students, especially those who use only their own materials, but also create additional space for students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been believed that the substorm is a manifestation of extraordinary plasma processes in the magnetosphere, such as instability, anomalous resistivity, and reconnection. In this paper, we show that this belief is a misleading concept and that the substorm must be understood as the development and transition of the convection system. Major observed signatures of the substorm have all become reproducible by the recent magnetosphere-ionosphere (M-I) coupling simulation. In order to understand the substorm as a change in convection system, we first study from these numerical solutions the energy conversion driving the convection and field-aligned current (FAC), namely the formation process of the dynamo. The dynamos for the region 1 and region 2 FACs are formed in the cusp-mantle region and inside the plasma sheet, respectively, and are driven by the expanding slow mode. These structures are unchanged even in the substorm case. The substorm onset is attributed to the phase space transition in the convection system, caused by a change in force balance in the plasma sheet. This process results in the formation of high-pressure region in the inner magnetosphere and an accompanying rapid increase in the region 2 FAC to cause the onset. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper describes the history, current situation and roles of subject librarians in college and university libraries in the United States of America. Methods: First, through a review of the literature, the history of subject librarians and related experts in university libraries of the United States was clarified. Second, in order to examine the current situation and working circumstances of subject librarians, the websites of some university libraries were checked. More specifically, lists of subject librarians were found on websites and analyzed to compare their roles between types or categories of university. Results: In the early days, subject librarians appeared in the United States to deploy the subject divisional plan and to promote area studies in universities. It became clear that the status of subject librarians had become well established by the 1960s as the task of selecting books shifted from faculty members to librarians, due to the postwar increase in the number of students and publications. The subject librarians usually were responsible for collection development, reference services, research consulting, library instruction, and liaison service. Since the 1980s, the selection of electronic resources, chat reference and so on were added as new tasks due to the appearance of the online environment and electronic resources. This survey found that the system of subject librarians has been adopted by most libraries at research universities, but small- or medium-size libraries tend to have liaison librarians serving only individual departments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports simultaneous observations of visible noctilucent clouds (NLC) and polar mesosphere summer echoes (PMSE) at Syowa Station (69°01'S, 38°61'E) in Antarctica. During a 1.5 h interval from 2000 to 2130 UT (2300 to 0030 LT) on Feb. 11, 2009, visible NLC were observed south of Syowa Station. The oblique sounding HF radar of SuperDARN at Syowa Station simultaneously observed peculiar echoes in the closest two range gates. The echoes had a small Doppler velocity and a narrow spectral width, which are consistent with the characteristics of PMSE in the SuperDARN data. The simultaneous appearance of the visible NLC and peculiar near-range echoes observed by the HF radar suggests that the echoes were actually a signature of PMSE in the HF band. In addition, the data from the simultaneous measurements show that the spatial distributions of NLC and PMSE in the HF band were collocated with each other, which implies that oblique sounding HF radar is a useful tool for estimating the two-dimensional horizontal distribution of PMSE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To comprehend ionospheric-thermospheric coupling, one must understand the thermospheric wind system. However, measuring the thermospheric wind using a Fabry-Perot interferometer (FPI) is not an easy task. Because of this difficulty, some researchers have estimated meridional wind velocities using data obtained from a pair of ionosonde stations near the geomagnetic conjugate points, under the assumption that the meridional wind is the same at the two ionosonde stations (transequatorial mode wind). In this paper, we construct the first comparison of the estimated meridional wind velocities with meridional wind observed with FPIs. We analyzed data from the ionosondes and FPIs installed at Chiang Mai, Thailand, and Kototabang, Indonesia, from 2010. We found that the estimated and observed wind velocities were generally in good agreement on most nights, although on some nights, the wind velocities were different. The assumption that the meridional wind is equal anywhere between the two ionosonde stations would not be suitable for the days when the winds were not in good agreement. We also investigated the seasonal dependence of the correlation between the estimated and observed meridional winds. They were in good agreement from February to April and were not in good agreement from May to July. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explain the content and context of learning and instructional support provided by field librarians at the University of Michigan. The research question is: How do faculty members and librarians build collaboration in the learning support and instructional support provided by libraries? Methods: This is a descriptive case study presenting a detailed account of the learning and instructional support provided by the field librarians. The data are interview data, archival records, administrative documents, reports, dissertations, data on physical artifacts and observational data. Results: Field librarians are librarians who are out of the library buildings and are embedded in faculties. Their main mission is to provide learning and instructional support to students and faculty members in the faculty. Field librarians were introduced into the Women's Studies Program, the School of Art and Design and the Department of Classical Studies, and were expected to build collaboration between these faculties and libraries. Field librarians have their offices in the faculty and provide learning and instructional support services both for individuals and groups in the faculty. Field librarians identify the needs of students and faculty members through informal communication with them. In the future, the results of this case study will be analyzed based on the grounded theory approach in order to develop a conceptual framework for building collaboration between faculty members and librarians in education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Subscription based electronic journals which are contained in the "Big Deal" have become predominant in the publication of scholarly journals, but some people predict that open access journals will take its place. This paper quantitatively examines how the status of open access journals has changed in the publication of scholarly journals, and discusses how the status of open access journals will be going in the near future. Methods: Three kinds of surveys were conducted: 1) The primary source was information on 38.803 journals published by 2011 in STM extracted from Ulrichsweb. The source was used to calculate the ratio of open access journals to the total number of journals in 2011. 2) The second data source was journal price lists and the web sites of five major commercial publishers. Both primary and second sources were used to calculate the ratio of new open access journals and new subscription based journals year by year. 3) The web sites of open access mega journals were used as the third source to check their current status. Results: The major findings were: 1) The ratio of open access journals to the total number of journals in STM was 14% in 2011. 2) The ratio of new open access journals to the total number of journals in STM has risen continuously since 2000. The majority of new open access journals have been launched by open access publishers. Among the major commercial publishers, Nature Publishing Group and Springer have begun to increase the number of new open access journals since 2010-2011. 3) Open access mega journals have been launched one after another since 2011. In conclusion. Open access journals are still not the predominant form of publication of scholarly journals, but the business model has become accepted by publishers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Metadata schemas for organizing music materials usually include many elements in order to allow information professionals to identify each item accurately for their work. However, end users may not require all elements when a system of searching the metadata becomes available to them. This paper aims to determine empirically a smaller set of elements by which information requests (potential search requests) from end users can be satisfied. The set may be considered as a base of user-oriented metadata schema for music materials. Methods: Actual information requests on music were extracted from transaction records of reference services at several libraries, and the degree to which each element included in FRBR, FRAD and "Variations" was related to the request was measured through content analysis of transaction records. In addition to the findings of the preceding study, 474 requests from 5 records in total were examined. Results: The element "Title of the Work, Title of the Expression" (compound element) was related to 66.5% of all search requests, which indicated that this element was the most dominant in terms of actual usage, and four other elements also appeared in over 25% of records. These five elements are considered to be "core" elements. In addition to these, another five elements appeared in 10-25% of records and 31 elements in 1-10%. It is concluded that these elements form a user-oriented metadata schema for music materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate the utilization, preservation and management of library materials that require original state conservation, focusing on the Chinese books of the Qing Dynasty era Methods: First, from the results of the interview and questionnaire surveys conducted on the staff in charge of rare books at 15 institutions, the following factors are considered to be some of the causes of the degradation of Chinese books: 1) Insufficient maintenance of the stack environment 2) Utilization of the materials, and 3) Environmental changes on entering the stacks. Secondly, on the basis of these findings and other previous studies, a comparison study was designed to examine the state of degradation of the Chinese books in the Keio University Mita Media Center (with 1470 Chinese books) and in the Keio Institute of Oriental Classics (with 323 Chinese books) , each of which has its own usage rules and its unique environment. Additionally, the conditions of 119 Japanese books and 237 books in Western languages published in the time of the Qing Dynasty were examined to compare with those of the Chinese books. Results: The Chinese books of the Qing Dynasty era are in very good condition, and can be used as they are. The degradation was caused by careless handling as well as frequent use, and not by inappropriate management of the environment. In conclusion, meticulous care is required for deteriorated books made of paper from wood pulp, and those that are difficult to open, in order to use the actual material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]