This is a translation of the article of the same title
in the NDL Monthly Bulletin No. 601 (Apr. 2011).

The national budget bill for FY2011 passed the National Diet on March 29, 2011. The total amount of the budget appropriated for the NDL is 19,970,519,000 yen for FY2011 (April 2011 - March 2012). Compared with the initial budget of the previous year, reduction of personnel expenses and facilities led the total amount to be reduced by some 1.16 billion yen.

The composition of the total budget is:

• Personnel expenses: 45.4% (43.7% in FY2010)
• Acquisition of library materials: 12.1% (11.8% in FY2010)
• Development of information systems: 20.5% (18.3% in FY2010)
• Office expenses: 19.6% (19.5% in FY2010)
• Facilities: 2.4% (6.7% in FY2010)

Major expenditures of the budget for FY2011 are as follows:

With the aim of optimizing operation and computer system, and reconstructing library services, we are planning to replace the present library backbone system in January 2012. We are also planning to renew functions related to this new system including information search functions, the NDL website, and services for visitors. For this purpose, approximately 1.32 billion yen was approved.

As digital information is now distributed together with paper materials, it is necessary for libraries to prepare infrastructure for providing users with easy access to vast amount of library materials and digital information, to facilitate utilization of knowledge and information. Around 17 million yen was approved for research study of and experimental trials of the next generation library system to provide these new digital information services to users.

A digital archiving system to collect, preserve and provide digital information has been constructed since FY2005. In the first supplementary budget of FY2009 and FY2010, budgets were approved to carry out digitization involving about 1.06 million books in the NDL collection. Collecting Internet information started after the amended National Diet Library Law became effective in April 2010. Accordingly, approximately 890 million yen was approved in FY2011 for operational expenditures on systems and digital storage, a memory system to store digitized data of the collection and Internet information. For the cost of digital storage, the sum of approximately 524 million yen was approved in FY2011 to install the additional storage, on the condition of the 5-year acts bearing national treasury liabilities* as with the previous year. Additionally, the cost of renovation for digital archive system was authorized and approximately 22 million yen was appropriated.

^*If an act incurring liabilities on the national treasury is approved, it is possible to conclude a contract for multiple years, even though Japan has a single-year budget system.

To strengthen the structure of the Main Building of the Tokyo Main Library against earthquakes, a renovating cost amounting to approximately 93 million yen was appropriated for the third year of this five year project.

To improve its function as the national center of children's literature, we are planning to construct an annex building of the International Library of Children's Literature. The necessary cost of construction, the sum of approximately 3.75 billion yen for five years, was authorized on the condition of the acts bearing national treasury liabilities and around 32 million yen was appropriated for the first year. Prior to the construction, a buried cultural property is under investigation and the necessary groundwork of the site is being carried out for two years from FY2010. For this, approximately 45 million yen was approved for the second year.

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Amounts of National Diet Library's FY2011 Expenditure Budget

(1,000yen)

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