For reports of past programs, please see here. For an outline of the programs and reports presented at the programs, please see here.

Delegation of the NLK at the Opening session: from left, Ms. Sun-Hwa Lee, Mr. In-Yong Shin, interpreter and Ms. Sook-Hee Han

Headed by Mr. In-Yong Shin, Director of the Thesis Library, this year's delegation had the following other members: Ms. Sun-Hwa Lee of the Thesis Library, and Ms. Sook-Hee Han of the Library Policy and International Relations Division.

In the opening session, recent developments in the two libraries were introduced. The session was held in the Tokyo Main Library of the NDL with participation from the Kansai-kan using the TV conference system. The following sessions were held under the theme of "Children's services" in the International Library of Children's Literature (ILCL).
 

Opening session (June 1)

Mr. Shin from the NLK reported in his keynote speech on renovations and organizational restructure being undertaken by the NLK and its efforts to achieve policy objectives such as acquisition of the online digital resources. The report of Ms. Ikuko Tozawa, Library Counsellor of the Administrative Department, was about the NDL's recent undertakings such as the new public services which started in October 2004, activity evaluation, acquisition and provision of information resources on the Internet, and cooperation with other libraries.
 

Session I and II : Children's services (June 2)

Session at the International Library of Children's Literature

The NLK is preparing for the establishment of the National Children's Library (tentative name) planned for next year. Ms. Lee presented an outline of this project at the session on the following day. Ms. Naoko Sato, Director of the Children's Services Division, ILCL and Mr. Hidetoshi Kanebako, Director of the Planning and Cooperation Division, ILCL reported respectively about services for children in the ILCL and its future plans. In the question period, participants exchanged information and views about a wide range of topics such as acquisition of foreign materials, classification for children's books, personnel training, cooperation with other institutions, and support program for researches. A guided tour of the ILCL was also provided on the same day.
 

Visits to the Kansai-kan and other institutions
 

The delegation also visited other institutions related to children and children's literature including the Chihiro Art Museum Tokyo, the International Institute for Children's Literature, Osaka, and the National Museum of Ethnology, Osaka.

In the closing session held at the Kansai-kan on June 6, the reports and the discussions of the previous sessions were wrapped up. Both parties shared the significance of this mutual visit program and hoped for the further development of cooperative relationship of the two libraries.