This section summarizes news on international cooperation such as international conferences attended by NDL staff, and NDL's international exchange activities.

The 5th International Conference on Grey Literature was held in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The theme this year was "Grey Matters in the World of Networked Information." From the NDL, Mr. Hideki Takeuchi, Chief of Research and Information Section, Library Support Division, attended the meeting.

Mr. Christopher Clarkson, ex-Conservation Officer at the Bodleian Library, University of Oxford, and Mr. Robert Graham Minte, Superintendent of Book Conservation Workshop, Preservation and Collection Care of the same library, were invited to the NDL. A hands-on workshop on preservation techniques was held at the Tokyo Main Library of the NDL, and lectures were given at both the Tokyo Main Library and the Kansai-kan.

A mutual visit program between the National Assembly Library of Korea and the NDL was held. Ms. Yoo-Hyang Kim, Legislative Research Officer, National Assembly Library Legislative Research Division I, and Mr. Hwan-Kyu Chung, Legislative Research Officer, National Assembly Library Legislative Research Division II, visited Japan. Participants gave presentations on "What the services for parliaments should be, " focusing on research services and digital information provision services and exchanged questions and answers.

The Training program for information specialists for Japanese studies in FY 2003 was held under the joint sponsorship of the NDL and the Japan Foundation (JF). 14 trainees from 10 countries (Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Korea, Russia, Turkey, Vietnam, and the United States) participated in the program.

The 23rd Mutual Visit Program between the NDL and the National Library of China (NLC) was held in China. Headed by Ms. Kimiko Harada, Director General of the Bibliography Department, five delegates visited the NLC and other libraries. Participants gave presentations on "Enhancement of the functions of the national libraries, " "Online information resources: acquisition, organization and use, " and "New development of library cooperation, " and exchanged questions and answers. (For more information on the Mutual Visit Program, see Exchange Activities with Foreign Libraries.)

The 175th anniversary celebrations were held at the Russian State Library in Moscow. From the NDL, Ms. Mikiko Tomita, Director General of the International Library of Children's Literature, attended the events representing Mr. Takao Kurosawa, Librarian.

Eight staff members of the National Library of Korea visited the NDL to participate in a training session consisting of core programs and optional programs (preservation and conservation, media conversion, user services) according to their interest.

The 11th Meeting of the Conference of Directors of National Libraries in Asia and Oceania (CDNLAO) was held at the International Convention Centre (ICC) in Brunei Darussalam (October 19). From the NDL, Ms. Chiyo Kitayama, Counsellor for Library Cooperation, Administrative Department, participated in the meeting on behalf of Mr. Takao Kurosawa, Librarian, making a presentation titled "National Diet Library's New Era: Opening of the Kansai-kan and New Services." Ms. Kitayama also attended the 12th meeting of the Congress of Southeast Asian Librarians (CONSAL) held from October 20 to 23 at the same venue.

The Harvard-Yenching Library celebrated its 75th Anniversary. On behalf of Mr. Takao Kurosawa, Librarian of the NDL, who was invited to the anniversary celebrations, Mr. Tatsuru Watanabe, Director General of the Reference and Special Collection Department, attended the celebration event held at Harvard University (October 16), and the commemorative conference held at the National Academy of Sciences (October 17-18) in Cambridge, USA.

The 28th Directors' Meeting of ISSN (International Standard Serial Number) Centers was held in Madrid, Spain. From the NDL, Ms. Yukiko Suzuki, Director of the Serials Cataloging Division, Bibliography Department, participated. In the meeting, activities of international and national centers were reported, and the scope and difficulties of ISSN assignment to online publications such as electronic journals were discussed.

Ms. Priscilla Jean Baines, the Librarian of the House of Commons, was invited and gave a lecture titled "House of Commons Library: past, present and future" at the NDL. This lecture was given to our staff members as part of a training program on legislative research.

The 14th annual conference of the European Association of Japanese Resource Specialists (EAJRS) was held in Valenciennes, France. From the NDL, Mr. Akihiro Suzuki, Assistant Director of the Humanities Division, Reference and Special Collections Department, participated in the meeting, reporting on services for remote users via the NDL website, focusing on the Japanese Periodicals Index and the Digital Library from the Meiji Era.

The 69th annual conference of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) was held in Berlin, Germany. The theme this year was "Access Point Library: Media - Information- Culture". Five NDL staff members participated in the conference, led by Mr. Noritada Otaki, Deputy Librarian. Mr. Otaki also attended the Conference of Directors of National Libraries (CDNL) on behalf of Mr. Takao Kurosawa, Librarian.

The 13th Biennial Conference of the Japanese Studies Association of Australia (JSAA) was held in Brisbane, Australia, centering on the theme "Innovation and Resistance in Japan". From the NDL, Ms. Junko Kito, Reference librarian of the Humanities Division, Reference and Special Collections Department, participated in the meeting, reporting on "Kansai-kan and NDL-OPAC: New Services of the National Diet Library."

The 7th Mutual Visit Program between the NDL and the National Library of Korea (NLK) was held in Japan. From Republic of Korea, three representatives, Mr. Shin Hyun-tai, Director of the Public Service Division, Ms. Lee Sun, Deputy Chief of the Library Automation Office, and Ms. Cha Gyeong-lye of the Support and Cooperation Division, visited Japan. Participants gave presentations on "Overview of the present status of the National Diet Library and the National Library of Korea" and "Digital Library Construction" and exchanged questions and answers. (For more information on the Mutual Visit Program, see Exchange Activities with Foreign Libraries.)

In New York, the annual meetings of the Association for Asian Studies (AAS) and the Council on East Asian Libraries (CEAL), and the conference of the North American Coordinating Council on Japanese Library Resources (NCC) were held. From the NDL, Ms. Mika Shinohara, Reference Librarian of the Modern Japanese Political Document Division, attended the meetings, reporting on "New Services of the NDL" at the NCC meeting.