NAL delegation and NDL executive members (from left: Dr. Nagao (Librarian),
Ms. Rha, Ms. Lee, Mr. Ikuhara (Deputy Librarian),
Mr. Iwaki (Director General, Research and Legislative Reference Bureau)

The 5th mutual visit program with the National Assembly Library (NAL) of Korea was held from December 10 to 16, 2007 at the Tokyo Main Library of the National Diet Library (NDL). Two staff members of the NAL, Ms. Hae-Sook Rha, Japanese Language Specialist, Foreign Resources Division, Legislative Information Office, and Ms. Jin-Kyoung Lee, Assistant Director, Legislative DB Division, Legislative Information Office, visited Tokyo for the program.

The mutual visit program between the two libraries started in 2000 as a staff-training program with the aim of enhancing understanding of each other’s parliamentary services. The framework of the program was reviewed in 2003, in which two staff members are sent to the partner library every two years to report and discuss both libraries’ major issues. In 2007, the two libraries concluded an agreement to continue this program in the same form for the next two years.

In 2007 program, two of the NAL staff visited the NDL and the following main sessions were successfully completed.

In Session I, Ms. Lee, starting with outlining the concept of legislative information, introduced the services of the Legislative Information Office such as the e-mail services which provide useful legislative information to the legislative staff in the National Assembly. Mr. Minami explained the acquisition of digital information in the NDL and the digital information services which the NDL provides for the National Diet. These reports were followed by questions on maintaining neutrality and objectivity, the coverage of contents released to public and other matters.

In Session II, Ms. Rha outlined the history of the support system for utilizing materials in foreign languages in the legislative activities of the National Assembly, and then she reported the current services such as the research and translation of legal materials in foreign languages. Mr. Okahisa explained the overseas legislative information services provided by the Research and Legislative Reference Bureau, with an emphasis on the editorial work of Foreign Legislation (the Bureau’s publication issued quarterly). Based on these two reports, the participants vigorously asked questions about proofreading systems for faithful translation, the topics taken as information on Japan and others.

In addition to these sessions, the delegation from the NAL had meetings with the staff of the Parliamentary Documents and Official Publications Division (Ms. Lee) and the Overseas Legislative Information Division (Ms. Rha). They exchanged views on topics including research methods. At the end of the program, the NAL delegation and the NDL staff talked about future programs. Both libraries agreed that the next program will be held in the NAL with two delegates dispatched from the NDL.

►Reports of past programs in the NDL Newsletter

up