International Cooperation
Exchange Activities with Foreign Libraries
- Mutual Visit Programs between the National Diet Library and the National Library of China
- Mutual Visit Programs between the National Diet Library and the National Library of Korea
- Mutual Visit Programs between the National Diet Library and the National Assembly Library of Korea
- Mutual Visit Programs between the National Diet Library, the National Assembly Library of Korea and the National Assembly Research Service
Mutual Visit Programs between National Diet Library and National Library of China
The National Diet Library (NDL) and the National Library of China (NLC) have been sending staff to one another since 1981, thus deepening friendly relations and improving each other's library services.
The two parties have reported on their activities: library's core functions such as acquisition and cataloging of materials, reader services, and reference services; library administration and management; services for the parliament; digitization of materials; and establishment of library networks. In May 1999, the two national libraries exchanged the Letter of Intent concerning Exchange and Cooperation between the National Diet Library and the National Library of China, mapping out policies on exchange activities. Based on the Letter, the two national libraries have implemented exchange programs. The shared concern at the moment is how they, as national libraries, should respond to the digital age.
The following are some examples of the results of these exchange activities.
- Mutual dispatch of staff (one person sent from each library for three months) (1985-1986)
- Increase in the exchange of publications (1986-1989)
- The NLC's cooperation with the NDL to acquire materials written in Chinese (from November 2000)
- Establishment of the NLC branch library system in government agencies, following the example of the NDL (July 1999)
- Introduction by the NDL of the NLC's international copying services to the NDL users (beginning in January 2003)
Mutual Visit Programs between the National Diet Library and the National Library of Korea
The National Diet Library (NDL) and the National Library of Korea (NLK) have been implementing exchange activities since 1997, sending staff to each other. The two institutions recognize the need to deepen mutual understanding and collaborate on solving common problems, considering that they are national libraries of neighboring countries in East Asia that have been influenced by Chinese culture and use Chinese characters. At the meetings (mainly in the form of seminars), participants present common issues, and actively exchange opinions, questions and answers.
Mutual Visit Programs between the National Diet Library and the National Assembly Library of Korea
Mutual Visit Programs between the National Diet Library (NDL) and the National Assembly Library of Korea (NAL) started in 2003. As institutions that provide library and research services to the parliament, the two libraries held meetings to share experiences and actively exchange opinions, questions and answers.
The NDL and the NAL held a two-year mutual staff-training program in the past. Each library sent one staff member for one month to get training at the other library. It was held in September 2000 at the NLK and in November 2001 at the NDL. Reports on the program were carried in the National Diet Library Monthly Bulletin No. 477 (December 2000) and No. 501 (December 2002). For an outline of the program in English, please see NDL Newsletter No. 123 (February 2002).
Mutual Visit Programs between the National Diet Library, the National Assembly Library of Korea and the National Assembly Research Service
The National Diet Library (NDL) and the National Assembly Library of Korea (NAL) had an exchange program since 2003. With the establishment of the National Assembly Research Service in Korea in November 2007, it was expanded to a trilateral program with the first exchange being held in Tokyo in 2009. It was agreed to continue the program for four years to share experiences and actively exchange opinions, questions and answers.