No. 109, June 1999

International Library of Children's Literature
to open in the year 2000

The International Library of Children's Literature will be opened in the spring of the year 2000 as a branch library of the NDL. It will become the first national library of its kind in Japan. Many people including Diet members, children, and guests from abroad will be invited to attend the opening ceremony of the Library on May 5 (Kodomo no hi - Children's Day, a national holiday in Japan), 2000. 

The Library will support the activities of children's and school libraries throughout Japan, and serve as a national center for specialists in the field of children's literature including scholars, publishers and authors, through its collection of children's books and reference materials, and by the development and use of  new technology. 

The facility is designed to be enjoyable for children as well, and will include a museum of children's books and reading rooms for children. We are planning many delightful interactive events and exhibitions in this museum. The library aims to foster in children a love of reading and of books. 

The library will be actively involved in cooperative activities with other countries. This will include, for example, the exchange of materials and information, the exchange of personnel, and participation in the activities of IFLA and UNESCO related to children's literature. 

In addition to Japanese children's books acquired by the NDL through the legal deposit system, the International Library will collect a wide range of children's books and reference materials published abroad. The collection in the year 2000 is expected to total about 200,000 children's and reference books, and around 1,500 magazines and other publications. 

One of its features is the digital library function, which enables everyone to access the library's collection at any time and from anywhere. The NDL started to develop the new system in FY1995 as a part of its Electronic Library Project. 
For further information on this system: 
Electronic Library of Children's Books

The Library will be opened in stages. The building in Ueno Park, Tokyo was constructed in the early 20th century for the Imperial Library, and is going now under major renovations for its new purpose. The whole renovation will be completed in 2002, and the library as a whole will be opened in that year.

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