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

The 5th Mutual Visit Program between the National Assembly Library of Korea (NAL) and the NDL was held. Ms. Hae-Sook Rha (Japanese Language Specialist, Foreign Resources Division, Legislative Information Office) and Ms. Jin-Kyoung Lee (Assistant Director, Legislative DB Division, Legislative Information Office) visited the NDL. Participants gave presentations on "Collection and provision of digital information to the parliament" and "Provision of overseas legislative information to the parliament" and exchanged questions and answers. The report of this year's program is available in NDL Newsletter No. 159. (For more information on the Mutual Visit Program, see Exchange Activities with Foreign Libraries.)

The 10th International Conference on Asian Digital Libraries (ICADL2007) was held in Hanoi, Vietnam. From the NDL, Mr. Tsukasa Kimezawa (Digital Library Division, Kansai-kan) participated in the conference.

Prof. Patricia Steinhoff (Professor of Sociology, University of Hawaii) was invited to the NDL and gave a lecture about Japanese studies in the United States. A brief report of the lecture is available in NDL Newsletter No.159. ( Presentation outline (in Japanese) : PDF[452KB])

The Training Program for Information Specialists for Japanese Studies in FY 2007 was held under the joint sponsorship of the NDL and the Japan Foundation (JF). Ten trainees from four countries (Argentina, Brazil, Canada and the United States) participated. The report of this program is available in NDL Newsletter No. 159.

The Warburg Institute, University of London, organized an international symposium on Rashid al-Din. Mr.Kazuhiko Shiraiwa (Reference Service Planning Division, Reference and Special Collections Department) participated in the symposium and made a presentation titled "Rashid al-Din’s primary sources in compiling the Jami’ al-tavarikh; a tentative survey."

The 26th Mutual Visit Program between the National Library of China (NLC) and the NDL was held in China. Headed by Mr. Mikio Wanaka, Director General of the Kansai-kan, five delegates visited the NLC and other libraries. Participants gave presentations on "digital library" and exchanged questions and answers. The report of this year's program is available in NDL Newsletter No. 159. (For more information on the Mutual Visit Program, see Exchange Activities with Foreign Libraries.)

During the Mutual Visit Program held in China, Dr. Makoto Nagao, Librarian, delivered a lecture titled "Through knowledge we prosper -the development of the digital library" as part of the lecture series of the NLC Forum of World Library Directors. (Presentation file (in Japanese): PDF[453KB])

The East Asian Library of the University of California at Berkeley held a conference and other events celebrating the opening of the C.V. Starr East Asian Library and the Chang-Lin Tien Center for East Asian Studies. Mr. Yoshitaka Ikuhara, Deputy Librarian, and Ms. Tomoko Kitagawa, Director of the Asian Resources Division, Kansai-kan, participated in the conference. Mr. Ikuhara gave a lecture titled "Activities of the National Diet Library in the Global Communication Age." (Presentation file: PDF[351KB])

An International Policy Seminar titled "Attempts at a solution for juvenile problems" was held at the Tokyo Main Library. Ms. Claire Bullement (Supporting Children and Young People Group, Department for Children, Schools and Families, UK) was invited as the lecturer.

The 32nd annual Directors' Meeting of ISSN (International Standard Serial Number) Centers was held in Stockholm, Sweden. Mr. Junichiro Koyama (Director of the Serials Cataloging Division, Bibliography Department) participated in the meeting.

The 18th annual conference of the European Association of Japanese Resource Specialists (EAJRS) was held in Rome, Italy. From the NDL, Mr. Yoshiyuki Kanematsu (Reference Service Planning Division, Reference and Special Collections Department) participated in the conference, making a presentation titled "Digital Archives and Upcoming Services- Improved Access to Japanese Resources -." (Presentation file: PDF[223KB])

The International Conference on Dublin Core and Metadata Applications 2007 was held in Singapore. From the NDL, Ms. Machiko Nakai (Deputy Director General of the Bibliography Department) attended the conference.

The 73rd annual World Library and Information Congress of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) was held in Durban, South Africa. The theme this year was "Libraries for the future: Progress, Development and Partnerships." Five NDL staff members participated in the conference, led by Dr. Makoto Nagao, Librarian. Dr. Nagao also attended the Conference of Directors of National Libraries (CDNL).

The annual meeting of the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) was held in Boston, USA. The theme was "Strong States Strong Nation." From the NDL, Ms. Michiyo Takeda (Director of the Parliamentary Documents and Official Publications Division, Research and Legislative Reference Bureau) attended the meeting.

Dr. Charles B. Lowry (Dean of Libraries, University of Maryland) and Ms. Eiko Sakaguchi (Curator, East Asia Collection & Gordon W. Prange Collection, McKeldin Library, University of Maryland) visited the NDL. Dr. Lowry gave a lecture titled "The Ubiquity of Libraries: Some Comments on the Present and Future" and Ms. Sakaguchi showed an outline of the Prange Collection and joint projects to microfilm the materials in the collection. A brief report of the lecture is available in NDL Newsletter No.157.

A lecture meeting "Children’s books and services in a multicultural world" was held at the International Library of Children's Literature in cooperation with the Japanese Board on Books for Young People (JBBY). Ms. Patricia Aldana (President of the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY)) was invited and gave a lecture titled "Books that are windows, books that are mirrors: Why multi-cultural publishing matters and what does it mean?" Ms. Chieko Suemori (Vice-President of the JBBY) also gave a lecture titled"Look toward Multi-culture - People I met at IBBY." A brief report of the lecture is available in NDL Newsletter No.156.

The 15th Biennial Conference of the Japanese Studies Association of Australia (JSAA) was held in Canberra, Australia. Ms. Keiko Harada (Director of the Public Services Division, Kansai-kan) participated in the conference and made a presentation titled "Access to Japanese Resources: A case of the National Diet Library."

The 11th Mutual Visit Program between the NDL and the National Library of Korea (NLK) was held in Japan. From the NLK, three representatives, Ms. Wee Sook Yao (Director of Information Technology Division), Mr. Sung-Chul Park (Public Service Division), and Mr. Young Min Ko (Acquisition & Technical Processing Division) visited Japan. Participants gave presentations under the theme of "Acquisition, provision and preservation of digital information" and exchanged questions and answers. The report of this year's program is available in NDL Newsletter No. 156. (For more information on the Mutual Visit Program, see Exchange Activities with Foreign Libraries.)

The 15th meeting of the Conference of Directors in Asia and Oceania (CDNLAO) was held in Bali, Indonesia. Mr. Keiya Utsumi (Director General of the Acquisitions Department) and Mr. Hiroshi Sakamoto (Library Counsellor of the Acquisitions Department) participated in the meeting on behalf of Dr. Makoto Nagao (Librarian). The report of the meeting is available in CDNLAO Newsletter No. 59.

The annual meetings of the Association for Asian Studies (AAS) and the Council on East Asian Libraries (CEAL), and the meeting of the North American Coordinating Council on Japanese Library Resources (NCC) were held in Boston, USA. Ms. Miho Sekine (Assistant Director of the Branch Libraries and Cooperation Division, Administrative Department) and Mr. Nobuya Aihara (Assistant Director of the Reader Service Planning Division, Public Services Department) attended the meetings. Mr. Aihara made a presentation on the services of the NDL.

Mr. Dirk J. Tang, Expert Service & Collections Division, Koninklijke Bibliotheek (National Library of the Netherlands), was invited to the NDL and gave a lecture titled "Digital Library Initiatives at the National Library of the Netherlands." A brief report of the lecture and the handout are available in NDL Newsletter no.154.

Ms. Jan Fullerton, Director-General of the National Library of Australia, was invited to the NDL and gave a lecture titled "The Challenges of Managing a National Library in the Digital Age." A brief report of the lecture and the handout are available in NDL Newsletter no.154.

Ms. Nancy Y. McGovern, Digital Preservation Officer for the Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR), University of Michigan, was invited to the NDL and gave a lecture titled "Digital Preservation in Development." A brief report of the lecture and the handout are available in NDL Newsletter no.154.

The 4th Mutual Visit Program between the NDL and the National Assembly Library of Korea (NAL) was held in Korea. Mr. Hideaki Nakagawa (Senior Researcher in Interdisciplinary Research Service, Research and Legislative Reference Bureau) and Mr. Satoshi Tanaka (Researcher of the Social Welfare and Labor Division, Research and Legislative Reference Bureau) visited the NAL. They gave presentations on current issues and on the theme of "Policies for an Aging Society," and exchanged questions and answers. (For more information on the Mutual Visit Program, see Exchange Activities with Foreign Libraries.)

A meeting of Directors of the IFLA/PAC Regional Centres in Asia and others and a Preservation Conference with invited specialists from Korea and Japan were held in Beijing, China. From the NDL, Ms. Yukiko Saito (Library Counsellor of the Acquisitions Department) and Ms. Naoko Kobayashi (Assistant Director of the Preservation Division, Acquisitions Department) participated in the meeting and the conference.