Dr. Park (left) and Dr. Lee (second from the left) of the NAL,  meeting with Mr. Kurosawa (right), the Librarian of the NDL

A mutual visit program with the National Assembly Library (NAL) of Korea was held from November 28 to December 4, 2005 at the Tokyo Main Library of the National Diet Library. Two staff members of the NAL, Dr. Hyun-chool Lee, Legislative Research Officer, Legislative Research Division 1, and Dr. Jong Hyun Park, Legislative Research Officer, Legislative Research Division 2, visited Tokyo for the program. 

The mutual visit program between the two libraries started in 2000 with the aim of enhancing understanding of each other's parliamentary services.The framework of the program was reviewed in 2003 and changed to the present form in which two staff members are sent to the partner library every two years to report and discuss both libraries' major issues. In the 2005 program two of the NAL staff visited the NDL and the following main sessions were successfully completed. 
 

In Session I, Dr. Lee reported the current changes in users' needs and the NAL's
experimental services aiming to respond to the trends. Mr. Ashida gave a brief summary of the NDL's survey results on the needs of Diet members to which the NDL has been trying to adapt its services. In Session II, Dr. Park talked about the "NAL Integrated System" and the "Digital Chamber." Mr. Ito explained the NDL's new services based on the "Index of Japanese Laws and Regulations Database." Both sessions were followed by a lively exchange of opinions, which made them even more fruitful for the participants. 

After the sessions, the NDL staff in charge of this program had a meeting with the NAL delegates to discuss and exchange opinions about the next visit by the NDL staff to the NAL, which will be expected in 2006 as the last one within the present program framework. Both libraries agreed that a review for future programs should be held during the 2006 program in Korea.