CDNLAO Newsletter
No. 70, March 2011
1 Introduction
The year 2010 was referred to as the "first year of e-books" in Japan, reflecting the diffusion of portable e-book readers. As the same year was also designated as the National Year of Reading by a resolution adopted by the Diet in 2008, the year 2010 attracted a great deal of attention to reading throughout the nation.
The National Year of Reading aimed to promote reading, including among adults, through various activities. Organizations such as the Characters Culture Promotion Organization and many libraries around Japan carried out various events and activities related to reading such as symposiums, lecture meetings, reading camps for children, etc.
2 The National Year of Reading and the National Diet Library
In 2010, the National Diet Library (NDL) also held various events and exhibitions for all generations in the Tokyo Main Library, the Kansai-kan and the International Library of Children's Literature (ILCL) to popularize the National Year of Reading and to let people deepen their understanding of reading and libraries.
The NDL held not only lectures or symposiums but also events such as Rakugo (traditional comic story-telling), readers theater and reading events for children to offer the public opportunities to feel the joy of reading. In these events professionals performed and participants enjoyed the charm of reading through listening to their voices, enjoyment which might not be felt when they read silently to themselves.
The following are some of the events held.
1)"Macbeth" -- Lecture and Reading
"Macbeth" -- Lecture and Reading was held at the Tokyo Main Library and the Kansai-kan in June. The theatrical group EN read Shakespeare's Macbeth translated into Japanese and Prof. Akio Kobayashi (Faculty of Humanities, Sophia University) gave a lecture on the work. The event enabled attendees to deepen their understanding of Shakespeare's works: This time "Macbeth" was not acted but read so in a sense the audience could become more conscious of the dynamism of the words of Shakespeare. Materials related to Shakespeare's work from the NDL collection were also on display outside the auditorium: works such as Japanese translations of Shakespeare's works from the Meiji period, a Chinese translation of "Macbeth" and so on.
Theatrical group EN read Shakespeare's Macbeth in Japanese translation
2) Exhibition "Children's Books Going Overseas from Japan"
The ILCL collects and preserves children's literature from all over the world and actively holds exhibitions displaying the collections.
In 2010, the ILCL held the exhibition "Children's Books Going Overseas from Japan," which showed the international spread of Japanese children's books by displaying about 300 materials including translations into more than 30 languages. Pictures play an important role in children's literature. In the displayed materials, some illustrations in the original had been replaced to suit the way of life in the country where the book was translated. The visitors were able to enjoy visually the cultural differences between countries.
Exhibition "Children's Books Going Overseas from Japan"
3) Symposium "Enhancing the Culture of Reading and Books in the Digital Age - Copyright as a means to foster creativity and access - "
To close the National Year of Reading, a Symposium "Enhancing the Culture of Reading and Books in the Digital Age - Copyright as a means to foster creativity and access - " was held in December in association with the National Diet Library, the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), the International Federation of Reproduction Rights Organisations (IFRRO), the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Japan Reprographic Rights Center (JRRC), Japan Academic Association for Copyright Clearance (JAACC), and Japan Book Publishers Association (JBPA).
Symposium "Enhancing the Culture of Reading and Books in the Digital Age"
Summary of the symposium is available in NDL Newsletter No.176 and CDNLAO Newsletter No. 69.
4) List of events held by the NDL
The events held by NDL for the National Year of Reading are listed below.
| Month | Title of event | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| Feb.-Sep. | Exhibition "Children's Books Going Overseas from Japan" | ILCL |
| Mar. | Lecture "When 'Hiroshima no Pika' [The Flash of Hiroshima] went overseas from Japan: experiences in the translation and publishing of Japanese picture books" | ILCL |
| Apr. | National Year of Reading Forum "Handing on Japanese language and culture to the future: Why is the library necessary?" | Tokyo |
| Lecture"Translation is a triangle of collaboration ? the author and the translator of 'Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit' talk at length" | ILCL | |
| May | "Enjoy Japanese language through a traditional performing art: Rakugo for Children" | ILCL |
| June | "Macbeth" - Lecture and Reading: Event Celebrating the National Year of Reading | Tokyo and Kansai-kan |
| June-July | Small exhibition "Old bestsellers—what have the Japanese read and how?" | Kansai-kan |
| July | Lecture "Libraries and Reading in Germany and Europe" | Tokyo |
| Lecture "Future of the Digital Library" | Kansai-kan | |
| Aug.–Sep. | Exhibition "Barrier-free picture books from around the world – IBBY Outstanding Books for Young People with Disabilities 2009" | ILCL |
| Sep. | Lecture "History and future of books and reading" | Tokyo |
| The National Diet Library Database Forum 2010 | Kansai-kan | |
| Sep.–Feb, 2011 | Exhibition "The Golden Age of the Picture Book: 1920s & 1930s—History's Message to Children" | ILCL |
| Oct. | The National Diet Library Database Forum 2010 | Tokyo |
| Lecture "Picture Books of the 1920s: Their Message to Children" | ILCL | |
| Symposium "What is reading?" | Tokyo | |
| "Enjoy Japanese Folktales: reading event for children and parents" | ILCL | |
| Nov. | Symposium "The Golden Age of the Picture Book: America and the Soviet Union in the 1920s and 1930s" | ILCL |
| Dec. | Symposium "Enhancing the culture of reading and books in the digital age—copyright as a means to foster creativity and access" | Tokyo |
Copyright (C) 2011 National Diet Library
