Digitized Contents Transmission Service for Libraries (For Librarians)
This page introduces the necessary application procedure for foreign institutions. For libraries in Japan, please see the “図書館向けデジタル化資料送信サービス（図書館員の方へ）” page (in Japanese).
The Digitized Contents Transmission Service for Libraries (the Service) is provided by the National Diet Library, Japan (NDL) as a means of making digitized versions of out-of-print or otherwise difficult-to-obtain materials available to the general public at public or university libraries that subscribe to the Service.
For an outline of the service, please see the following:
The Service is provided under the provisions of the Copyright Law of Japan as stipulated in Paragraph 7, Article 31 and is operated under the terms of the Agreement on Limited Transmission of Digitized Contents to Libraries by the National Diet Library as compiled by the Stakeholder Council for Digitization and Use of Library Materials, which comprises organizations of copyright holders, publishers, and other interested parties in Japan.
Libraries that wish to subscribe to the Service should submit an application to the NDL for approval. This page introduces the application procedure for librarians.
Characteristics of the Service
- Your patrons are able to search and browse more than 2 million digitized materials in the NDL Digital Collections, including those that are not otherwise available via the Internet.
- Includes many periodicals and old books that are not available via the Interlibrary Loan Service.
- You can use our materials without restriction of time for mailing or loan period.
Contents for transmission
The digitized materials that are available via the Service are listed below. About 1.84 million digitized materials are available as of February 2023. This list is updated biannually.
Library patrons can find these materials by checking the "Available with Digitized Contents Transmission Service" check box on the National Diet Library Digital Collections search page.
| Material Type | Summary | List of Materials (as of February 28, 2023) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Excel (xlsx) format | TSV format (ZIP compression) | ||
| Books | About 850,000 books and other materials related to earthquakes and natural disasters that were acquired by the NDL prior to 1987. |
Part 1 (xlsx: 14.8MB) Part 2 (xlsx: 14.9MB) Part 3（xlsx: 15.2MB) Part 4（xlsx: 13.3MB) Part 5（xlsx: 12.6MB) Part 6（xlsx: 10.3MB) |
Part 1 (zip: 12.7MB) Part 2 (zip: 12.1MB) Part 3（zip: 9.7MB) |
| Rare Books and Old Materials | About 20,000 rare books published during or after the Meiji period and Chinese books published during or after the late Qing Dynasty | (xlsx: 1.1MB) | (zip: 218KB) |
| Periodicals | About 820,000 issues of about 10,000 periodicals published during or after the Meiji period that were published at least five years ago and were not published commercially. | (xlsx: 1.1MB) | (zip: 455KB) |
| Doctoral Dissertations | About 140,000 Japanese doctoral dissertations received by the NDL between FY1988 and FY2000 that were not published commercially. | (xlsx: 12.8MB) | (zip: 7.1MB) |
Libraries subject to the Service
Institutions that can receive the Service are libraries, etc. or foreign institutions similar thereto prescribed in Article 31, paragraph (7) of the Copyright Law.
The requirements for foreign institutions are specifically stipulated under Article 1-4 of the Cabinet Order for Enforcement of the Copyright Law (Cabinet Order No. 335 of 1970).
Application procedure
Please submit the following documents by post. The documents should be sent to:
ILL-Section, Kansai-kan of the National Diet Library
8-1-3 Seikadai, Seika-cho, Soraku-gun, Kyoto Prefecture, 619-0287 Japan
| Application form | The signature of your library's representative is required. |
|---|---|
| A document showing that your library was established and is maintained by a national government, a local government or a nonprofit organization |
Please submit the checklist together with a document indicating each requirement.
* "Employees equivalent to certified librarians" means that they have a qualification equivalent to librarians.The corresponding qualifications are as follows:
|
| A document showing that your library is engaged in making available to the public books, records, and other materials | |
| A document showing that your library has one or more employees equivalent to certified librarians, etc. | |
| A document showing your library's current activities |
|
| A picture and floor plan showing the layout of the reading room, the arrangement of seats with viewing terminals, and the location of library employees. | This is to certify that your library locates the viewing terminals and operating terminals for the Service at places under the supervision of employees in your library. |
| A document showing the legality for the Service | This document must be executed by the relevant governmental authority or a qualified attorney-at-law. |
| A document showing the viewing terminals and the network connecting them in your library | |
| Agreement for the Digitized Contents Transmission Service for Libraries | The signature of your library's representative is required. |
*Before submitting documents, please contact us if you have any questions.
FAQ
Here we answer your frequently asked questions about the Service.
Flyer
Contact information
Please direct inquiries about the Service to the following address.
ILL-Section, Kansai-kan of the National Diet Library
8-1-3 Seikadai, Seika-cho, Soraku-gun, Kyoto Prefecture, 619-0287 Japan
Email: digi-soshin