• Index of this issue

No. 69, November/December 2010

Photo1: Speakers and members from NDL, IFLA, IFRRO, WIPO, IPA and related organizations

The National Diet Library (NDL), Japan, organized a symposium "Enhancing the Culture of Reading and Books in the Digital Age - Copyright as a means to foster creativity and access-" at the Tokyo Main Library from December 1 to 2, 2010, in association with the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), the International Federation of Reproduction Rights Organisations (IFRRO), the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the International Publishers Association (IPA), Japan Reprographic Rights Center (JRRC), Japan Academic Association for Copyright Clearance (JAACC) and Japan Book Publishers Association (JBPA).

The prominent novelist Prof. Levy Hideo and Dr. Makoto Nagao, Librarian of the National Diet Library, gave keynote speeches.

Photo2: Keynote speech by Dr. Makoto Nagao, Librarian of the NDL

There were active discussions from the standpoints of libraries, copyright holders and publishers on subjects such as; international framework for copyright protection, the importance of copyright to the economy, society, and culture; exceptions and limitations to copyright, copyright licensing, trends and business models of e-books, reading promotion and the role of libraries and publishers, digitization and co-operation, the problem of orphan works, and access to copyrighted works for persons with print disabilities.

In the final summing-up of the two-day conference, it was confirmed that this symposium had provided a good opportunity to exchange information and enhance mutual understanding, and that it is important to maintain constant dialogue between the four international stakeholder organizations.

It was also emphasized that the importance of reading remains undiminished and efforts such as the National Year of Reading in Japan are very meaningful even though the manner of reading and the role of libraries are changing with the coming of the e-book age.

Photo3: Panel Discussion (Seventh session of the symposium)

The whole program of the symposium can be seen at http://www.ndl.go.jp/en/event/events/TokyoProgramme.pdf [PDF Format, 107KB]. Presentation files and papers are available at http://www.ndl.go.jp/en/publication/proceedings/sympo1201.html. Issue No.176 of the NDL Newsletter will carry the report in detail.