In the late 19th century, the Japanese national library had already sent its message to the rest of world.

This English booklet was published by the Tokyo Library (the predecessor of the Imperial Library) but its existence was long- ignored after that.

We can see the influence of TANAKA, Inagi (1856-1925) on this publication. He worked for the Tokyo Library and was ordered to do the first research on overseas libraries. In order to research libraries’ conditions and work, he visited the Harvard University Library, the Library of Congress, and other libraries in Europe and the United States over three years from 1888. The reports of his research were carried in the official gazette, the "Shuppan Geppyo" (Monthly publication review) and other publications.

After returning to Japan, Tanaka became Librarian of the Tokyo Library (Librarian of the Imperial Library afterward). His assertion that the Tokyo Library should be expanded and his efforts to organize an association of librarians, Nippon Bunko Kyokai (the predecessor of the Japan Library Association) were backed by new knowledge which he acquired during his experiences abroad. From that time on, the Tokyo Library received many publications from libraries in Europe and the United States on a complimentary basis such as annual reports, catalogs and publications on libraries. Those publications became the core of the foreign materials collection of the Tokyo Library.

Other achievements of his overseas research include the publication of booklets including "Tokyo Toshokan Ichiran" (published in 1890, synopsis of the Tokyo Library), "Tokyo Toshokan Nempo Tekiyo" (published from 1891 to 1897, summary of the annual report of the Tokyo Library), "Tokyo Library Extract of annual report, 1890"  (published in 1891, not in the possession of the National Diet Library) and this "Extract of Annual report of the Tokyo Library, Japan, 1891" (published in 1892). They seem to have been published referring to the guidebooks, annual reports and pamphlets acquired by Tanaka.

Now that we are in the 21st century, a library can launch a web and send out information to the world. But it was unimaginable until recently, so people of the time had to search for annual reports and actually read them to know what was happening in other libraries. About a century ago, Japan was just a small country in the East, but its national library published a booklet in English - that foresight should be appreciated.  

The booklet consists of "collection statistics," "monthly statistics of circulated materials by subject field," and "Acknowledgement of gifts, received from foreign countries" as of 1891. Its supplement carries the outline and the use of the Tokyo Library. Especially in the outline of the Tokyo Library which begins with the sentence, "The Tokyo Library is national in its character as the British Museum of Great Britain, the Congressional Library of the United States, etc.," we can see the willingness of the Tokyo Library to publicize itself as the national library of Japan to the rest of the world. 

The slimness of the eight-page booklet implies that it was meant to be sent abroad. Unfortunately, there is no sign of publication of the booklet in and after 1892 and we find only collection statistics, statistics of circulated materials and the list of donors in English attached to "Tokyo Toshokan Nempo Tekiyo" (published in 1893).

The booklet is available in microfiche form (Call No: YDM106837). The above-cited "Tokyo Toshokan Nempo Tekiyo" and "Tokyo Toshokan Ichiran" are available in the Digital Library from the Meiji Era.