Introduction

The International Library of Children's Literature (ILCL) went into its sixth year in May 2005 since its opening in 2000. We launched "services for children" of which the National Diet Library (NDL) had had no previous experience, with an establishment of the Children's Services Division when the library fully opened in 2002. Here I would like to review how we decided to offer services to children and how we have been developing the services for these several years, and based on that, I will take this opportunity to reconsider the purpose of providing services for children in our library and to present a future perspective.

1. Movement toward the opening of the ILCL

It was at the end of 1994 that the NDL decided to renovate the building of the former Ueno Library, a branch library of the NDL, which has had a nearly hundred years of history since being built as the Imperial Library in 1906, in order to house a library of children's literature. At that time there was a widespread movement of Diet members and citizens who were concerned about the "tendency among children to read less" and the NDL had received a series of requests for the establishment of a "national library for children."

The commission inside the NDL established in January 1995 drew up Draft Proposal of the Concept of a Library of Children's Literature in March, followed by the submission of the report to the Librarian of the NDL in November 1995 by the Board of Inquiry on an NDL Facility to Provide Children's Books and Others, a board consisting of external experts established in July of the same year. Based on this report, the NDL formulated the Basic Plan for a Children's Literature Center (tentative name) in May 1996. 
 

2. Concepts of services for children

The Draft Proposal of the Concept of a Library of Children's Literature classifies the direct services for children (defined as users under the age of 18 years) as "the secondary service" of which the "objective is to create, based on a collection of extra copies, a place that allows children to enjoy reading just as they like. It will also serve as a base of support service for public librarians and other related people."

The Report places importance on exhibitions and events, stating: "The concept is a library available for children, but as a national library, it will be different from front-line libraries. It will offer a place for children to meet books and get close to them through exhibitions, tours, classroom groups visiting the library, and other events, making good use of computer terminals and audio-visual equipment. It will also aim for well-developed services for children utilizing networks with libraries and other institutions around the country and the digital library function" (excerpt from the Report of the Board of Inquiry on an NDL Facility to Provide Children's Books and Others (summary)).

Based on this concept, the Basic Plan for Children's Literature Center (tentative name) says: "The principles of services for children are the support of front-line libraries to encourage their services and the assurance of services of the same quality to be enjoyed by all children all over the country. Remote services will be offered through networks and using the digital library function, to enable children to access materials and information held by this center from libraries and schools around the country. Services for children visiting the facility consist of activities such as exhibitions, various events and tours, with the aim of being 'a place for children to get close to books' that can lead them to discover the pleasure of reading and to get familiar with libraries in their neighborhood."
 

3. Discussions over the concepts of services for children

These concepts were put under consideration through a wide range of discussions extensively held at many opportunities, including in the newspapers, seeking for optimal services for children as a national library. Some argued that it is nonsense if a library for children does not lend out to children 120,000 books originally written for them, and others insisted that materials of the NDL should not be allowed to be touched by children because they are acquired via legal deposit and thus should be preserved carefully.

In response to these discussions the NDL stated its position as follows: "For a good relationship of children to books, the most important is the development of local libraries in their neighborhood and thus the NDL is expected to be the 'last resort' to support those libraries. Based on this understanding, if the Children's Literature Center  gives  priority to its role as a resource and information center and a support to front-line libraries, this means that its ultimate goal is nothing else than to make a good environment for children's reading and to enrich the relationships of children to books."

There were also the following discussions inside the library: 1) It is necessary to have a field where services for children are actually offered in order to support front-line librarians and for training and upgrading the staff, so we should create a model for public libraries; 2) What the national government should do is to make it possible for all children to enjoy library services in their neighborhood; 3) It is true that a direct service is important, but there is a risk that such a front-line service may absorb resources that are supposed to be used for the essential function as a resource and information center. Whatever position the NDL would take, it was anticipated that the issue of the staff would be one of the most important keys in thinking about this matter, that is, who should be in charge of the services for children, and how to secure experts in the field. 
 

4. Change of the name to the "International Library of Children's Literature"

In January 1997, the Planning Office of the International Library of Children's Literature was established, and the name of the facility on the Basic Plan, "Children's Literature Center," was changed to the "International Library of Children's Literature." This shows a major turning point of the NDL's previous concept which had positioned the function of a resource and information center as the axis of the facility. Also, the newly added adjective "international" expressed that the library would have a function to stimulate children's international understanding and appreciation of other cultures, in addition to those of the acquisition of foreign materials including of Asian countries and of international library cooperation.

The NDL decided on the policy on direct services for children in July of that year. That is, by establishing a Children's Library in addition to the Museum and Hall, the facility would provide services for children such as reading service and reader's advisory service which would also offer opportunities of practicing and training for the staff members, as well as the services mentioned on the Basic Plan. To be specific, it was decided that services as follows would be provided from 2000 to the full opening in 2002: 1) digital library service (OPAC, provision of electronic books, etc.), 2) provision of an introduction video of the library and exhibitions of picture books and others, 3) placement of a Corner to Enjoy Reading (where mainly extra copies of children's books published in Japan and picture books of foreign countries are available). After the full opening, 1) regular/special exhibitions, 2) digital library service, 3) library tours, 4) other events in the Museum and the Hall, and services for children in the Children's Library such as reading service and reader's advisory service, services developed from those offered in the Corner to Enjoy Reading during the previous period.
 

5. Opening of the International Library of Children's Literature

The International Library of Children's Literature opened on May 5, Children's Day, 2000, and that year was designated as "National Year of Reading for Children" in commemoration of the opening of the ILCL. This was the first time for the NDL in its history to accept children as users except for a certain short period after the War. At this moment, we accepted to play "the double role of offering services directly for children as well as for people who serve children, which is mandated especially to this library," as Her Majesty The Empress expressed in her address at the opening ceremony.

At this opening of a part of the building, it was decided that the library would be managed by two divisions, that is, the Planning and Cooperation Division and the Resources and Information Division. The latter consisted of a Resources and Information Section and a Children's Services Section. The duties of the Children's Services Section were defined as 1) exhibitions, 2) events using children's books and related materials, 3) management of the Museum and the Children's Library, 4) library visits and tours for children.

We started to offer services for children in the Children's Library (actually Work Room) established on the 4th floor of the Showa era building (a wing added in 1929) which had been renovated by that time, with about 3,000 picture books and other materials on the open shelves. At the same time, we provided contents of the digital library such as "Picture Book Gallery," and held eight exhibitions in two years.

After the opening ceremonies and events, without a pause, we started preparations for the full opening scheduled for two years later, such as, a plan for the construction and furnishing, acquisition and processing of materials, creation of contents of the digital library, and discussions about services for school libraries. Many people from outside followed these preparations with a high degree of attention and expectation.

Here I would like to make a special mention of an invited specialist in services for children, whom we had had as a staff member since the opening of the library, on secondment from the Tokyo Metropolitan Library. Without the assistance of an experienced specialist it would have been impossible for us to make a good start, because although the NDL had always held children's books published in Japan, we had had no experience of providing them to children, while it is said that the principles of services for children are "to know books," "to know children," and "to know how to connect children with books."

6. Services for children after the full opening

The ILCL fully opened in May 2002. In April, in addition to the Planning and Cooperation Division and the Resources and Information Division, a Children's Services Division had been established consisting of two sections: the Project Promotion Section and the Children's Services Section. The former section is mainly in charge of: 1) Book Sets Lending Service to School Libraries, 2) cooperation to other libraries' activities related to children's reading, 3) management of the Media Corner. And the latter: 1) book selection and reading service for the Children's Library and Meet the World, and management of these rooms, 2) events for children, 3) library visits and tours for children. Exhibitions, of which the Children's Services Section had been in charge, were put under the responsibility of the Planning and Cooperation Division at the time of the full opening so that all the three divisions could share this work.

At the full opening, the Children's Library which had been on the 4th floor was moved to the first floor and enlarged, with Meet the World and the Story Hour Room newly situated close to it. In these rooms, services are provided to children based on the Execution Plan for Services of the ILCL after the Full Opening formulated in autumn 2001. Here are the services actually offered.

Children's Library

6-1. Reading service
In the Children's Library, about 8,000 books are on the open shelves, selected from basic books to be provided to children, that is, picture books and story books people have enjoyed reading for generations, and knowledge books to stimulate children's curiosity and interest in science. These books are acquired mainly by purchase and accessioned exclusively as materials for the open shelves, apart from materials managed by the Resources and Information Division which are acquired mainly via legal deposit.
 

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The objective of Meet the World is to encourage children to get interested in the world and to deepen their international understanding. For that purpose it makes available for children on the open shelves materials about the geography, history and folk customs of about 120 countries and regions from around the world as well as about 1,000 books of popular children's literature and folk tales of those countries and regions.

Meet the World

We also hold small exhibitions in these two rooms on various themes, seasonal or related to the current exhibition held in the Museum, displaying children's books with the covers in front in order to make it easy for children to find books that appeal to them and pick them up. 

The Children's Library is situated next to Meet the World. Linked by a door in the party wall, the two rooms are managed as one reading room. Staff members of the Resources and Information Division and the Children's Services Division take turns to give general information, offer reference services and assist in searching materials at the counter. We had 3.3 adult visitors to one child, calculated from an average of the number of visitors per day from January to December 2004 (58 children and 191 adults). It is rare that a child visits the library accompanied by no adult. On weekdays there are many mothers with babies, university students, and people who are active for children's reading in their local community, and on Saturdays, Sundays and school holidays, lots of families.

We don't lend out books, which is the most important difference between services for children in our library and those of public libraries in the children's neighborhood. Public librarians can learn a child's interests and introduce books which seem to be good for him/her through the books that are lent out and returned at the counter. Another disadvantage for us is that it is difficult to follow one child for a certain consecutive period of time and that in general we have only one chance to get to know a certain child, though it is important to hand over to a child books appropriate for his/her character and in accordance with his/her stage of development. That is why we are actively involved in floor-work, approaching children in the rooms to look for books with them and read for them. We always keep records of what we did in order to share the information and experiences among the staff members.