Sending of professional conservators
In order to assist the preservation activities of Asian countries, the NDL, in cooperation with organizations such as the Japan Foundation, sends personnel who have specialized expertise to conduct on-site surveys of local conditions and provide technical guidance.
- Under the Japan Foundation's Cultural Properties Specialist Fellowship Program, the National Diet Library sent the following two staff members to the National Library of Indonesia from early December 1991 to March 1992 to provide technical assistance in preservation and conservation.
Akio Yasue, Chief of the Preservation Division
Masakazu Kuba, a conservator of leather-bound books in the Preservation Division
- Under the Cultural Properties Specialist Abroad Program of Japan Foundation, Seiji Oyama, a conservator of the Preservation Division, was sent to the Bodleian Library, Oxford University, from September 24 to December 23, 1992.
The aims of the project were for Seiji Oyama to give advice to the Bodleian curatorial and conservation staff on the care and maintenance of the library's Japanese collections, assessing the conditions, and conservation / techniques; and to oversee the treatment of selected material.
- Under a Japan Foundation technical assistance program, Katsutoshi Marusawa, a conservator of the Preservation Division, was sent to the Surakarta Royal Library, Indonesia, to give instruction on the preservation and restoration of the Library's precious old archives from January 10 to March 10, 1994.
- The NDL sent the following specialists on preservation to the National Library of Mongolia to investigate the current status of preservation at the State Central Library of Mongolia from February 27 to March 14, 1996. The objective was to prepare a preservation plan based on the international cooperation project of the Japan Foundation Asia Center.
Tomiyasu Kaneko, Senior Librarian for Preservation, Acquisitions Department.
Masahiro Yamada, Head, Photoduplication Research Section, Photoduplication Division, Serials Department.
- Teruo Kobayashi and Kazuo Nishizono of the Toyo (Oriental) Library, were at the National Library and Archives of Egypt from 29 November to 21 December 1996, as part of a Japan Foundation programme to send specialists in preserving cultural heritage. They gave lectures on preservation and provided technical guidance on conservation.
- In answer to the request from the Japan Foundation Asia Center, the NDL sent a specialist on preservation, Mr. Hideo Sugawara, Assistant Chief, Preservation Division, to Myanmar from July 6 to 17 investigate the current status of preservation and restoration of old paper materials in the country.