special topic: public libraries || public and special libraries in japan

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PUBLIC AND SPECIAL LIBRARIES IN JAPAN Author(s): Mari Itoh, Shigeyuki Kohzuma, Yasuko Nagai and Yasuko Nagaı Source: Fontes Artis Musicae, Vol. 57, No. 3, Special Topic: Public Libraries (July-September 2010), pp. 309-315 Published by: International Association of Music Libraries, Archives, and Documentation Centres (IAML) Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/23512153 . Accessed: 15/06/2014 06:09 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp . JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. . International Association of Music Libraries, Archives, and Documentation Centres (IAML) is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Fontes Artis Musicae. http://www.jstor.org This content downloaded from 194.29.185.77 on Sun, 15 Jun 2014 06:09:21 AM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

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Page 1: Special Topic: Public Libraries || PUBLIC AND SPECIAL LIBRARIES IN JAPAN

PUBLIC AND SPECIAL LIBRARIES IN JAPANAuthor(s): Mari Itoh, Shigeyuki Kohzuma, Yasuko Nagai and Yasuko NagaıSource: Fontes Artis Musicae, Vol. 57, No. 3, Special Topic: Public Libraries (July-September2010), pp. 309-315Published by: International Association of Music Libraries, Archives, and Documentation Centres(IAML)Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/23512153 .

Accessed: 15/06/2014 06:09

Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at .http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp

.JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range ofcontent in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new formsof scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected].

.

International Association of Music Libraries, Archives, and Documentation Centres (IAML) is collaboratingwith JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Fontes Artis Musicae.

http://www.jstor.org

This content downloaded from 194.29.185.77 on Sun, 15 Jun 2014 06:09:21 AMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

Page 2: Special Topic: Public Libraries || PUBLIC AND SPECIAL LIBRARIES IN JAPAN

PUBLIC AND SPECIAL LIBRARIES IN JAPAN

Mari Itoh, Shigeyuki Kohzuma, Yasuko Nagai1

English Abstract Music collections in general public libraries in Japan consist primarily of audiovisual materials, most of which are gifts from local collectors. In most cases, music librarians are absent in both general public libraries and national libraries. The Special and Public Libraries Committee (SPLC) of the Music Library Association of Japan plays a central role for significant music information services for the public. Distinctive services provided by the member libraries of the SPLC are briefly described in this article.

Public music libraries in Japan have some difficulties in their management due to the introduc tion of a designed manager system into public institutions in 2003. The system seems to pose a se vere obstacle for public libraries in order to plan long-range programs and services. At the same

time, library staff cannot develop their skills as an expertise. These are urgent matters to be solved

as well as examining outsourced human resources, maintenance of short-lived AV equipments, and

complicated copyright issues.

French Abstract

Au Japon, les collections musicales au sein des bibliothèques publiques consistent essentiellement en matériel audiovisuel donné par des collectionneurs locaux. Dans la plupart des cas, il n'y a pas

de bibliothécaires de musique qui travaillent pour des médiathèques publiques, ni pour des

bibliothèques nationales. La Special and Public Libraries Committee (SPLC) de la Music Library Association au Japon joue un rôle central dans les services d'information musicale significatifs. Cet article décrit les services proposés par les bibliothèques membres de SPLC.

Les bibliothèques publiques proposant des documents musicaux au Japon rencontrent des

difficultés de gestion dues à l'introduction d'un système de gestion dédié aux institutions publiques

en 2003. Ce système semble représenter un obstacle important pour les bibliothèques publiques qui

souhaitent projeter des programmes et des services sur le long terme. En même temps, l'équipe se

trouve freinée dans le développement de ses compétences. Ce sont des faits à résoudre urgemment,

ainsi que d'envisager l'emploi de personnel en sous-traitance, la maintenance du matériel audio

visuel de courte durée et des débats sur le droit d'auteur.

German Abstract

Musikbestände in Japans Öffentlichen Bibliotheken bestehen meistens aus von örtlichen Sammlern

gestifteten AV-Materialien. Überwiegend gibt es auch kein musikbibliothekarisches Fachpersonal. Das Komitee für Öffentliche Bibliotheken und Sonderbestände der Japanischen Vereinigung der Musikbibliotheken nimmt eine zentrale Rolle bei der Versorgung der Öffentlichkeit mit Musik information ein. Der Artikel beschreibt die besonderen Dienstleistungen, die die Mitgliedsbibli otheken erbringen.

Die Einführung eines speziellen Managementsystems für öffentliche Institutionen im Jahr 2003 führte insbesondere in Öffentlichen Musikbibliotheken zu erheblichen Problemen. Das System

1. Mari Itoh is Associate Professor in the Department of Human Informatics, Aichi Shukutoku University,

Nagoya, Japan; Shigeyuki Kohzuma is Acting Director, Min-on Music Museum, Tokyo, Japan; Yasuko Nagai is

Chief Librarian, Tokyo Bunka Kaikan, library, Tokyo, Japan.

309

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310 FONTES ARTIS MUSICAE 57/3

verhindert dort die Planung langfristiger Programme und Dienstleistungen. Gleichzeitig können die Bibliotheksangestellten ihr Fachwissen nicht erweitern. Diese drängenden Probleme müssen ebenso gelöst werden wie die der Ausgliederung von Personal, der Erhaltung von kurzlebiger

AV-Ausstattung und des Urheberrechts.

Japanese Abstract

日本の一般的な公共図書館で所蔵されている音楽資料は,主に地元の収集家から寄

贈された録音•映像資料(AV資料)である.また,多くの一般の公共図書館や国立 図書館には,音楽主題専門の司書が配置されていない.こうした状況において,音楽 図書館協議会専門•公共図書館部会は,一般利用者に対するより専門的な音楽情報 サービスを提供するために重要な役割を果たしている。そこで,本稿では,専門•公

共図書館部会に所属している音楽(芸術)専門図書館でのサービスの概要を紹介した. 本稿では,また公共の音楽図書館での指定管理者制度による問題を指摘した.2003

年に施行された指定管理者制度は,人材育成を実施しにくいことや,サービスの長期 的な計画の立案が困難になるなど,音楽図書館経営に深刻な影響をもたらしている. 非正規職員の雇用,技術の変化が激しいAV資料の管理や,複雑な著作権の問題など とともに,早急に検討を要する課題となっている.

Music collections in general public libraries

It is true that a public library is a suitable place to find music sources for amateur mu sicians and general public who are interested in music. There are 3,126 public libraries in

Japan (fiscal year 2008). The percentage of distribution of town public libraries is 52.4%.

However, there are few public music libraries in Japan, as explained in the next section.

Therefore, in this article the authors discuss both public and special libraries of music that

provide useful music information services in Japan. Audiovisual materials are one of the valuable collections in general public libraries in

Japan that draw people's attention to the libraries. About 90% of these libraries hold AV ma terials. Most collection policies for music AV materials emphasize the selections of works written by major composers or played by popular performers, major music-award

winning works, and Japanese folk music. However, practices in the libraries do not always follow their collection policies. The libraries have to make their own efforts to raise the circulation of AV materials, as that directly influences to their budgets for the next fiscal

year. To that end, the libraries may have to select popular items for their users regardless of their policies, so that they tend to have Japanese popular music and/ or foreign popu lar music in almost half of their collections. Western art music accounts for about 26% of the total collections. Some governmental policies such as "Implementation of the New Courses of Study" by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) may also influence the selection of materials.

Most of the special music collections held in general public libraries are often gifts from local collectors. The collections are of traditional performing arts, and/ or music by a per son in connection with the place where the libraries located. In many cases these gifts are AV materials. Kanagawa Prefectural Library is one of the examples of an excellent jazz CD collection that is exclusively consisted of donations from a critic living in the area.

Some libraries put the texts of Japanese classic literature and the images of nishiki'e, a colored woodblock print, on their websites. These resources often include music. Yet it is

problematic to access to these websites unless one understands Japanese.

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PUBLIC AND SPECIAL LIBRARIES IN JAPAN 311

Contrary to AV materials, we do not have accurate Statistical data on music scores in

public libraries, because they are counted as books. Printed music materials are inter shelved with books according to a général classification scheme. This often makes it dif ficult for users to find right materials in a quick and painless way.

Librarians working in général public libraries are not subject-specific staff, even though they need to answer technical reference questions in a certain discipline including music. In fact, public librarians are frequently asked questions such as holding information of music scores and sound recordings, publication information containing a certain piece of

music, work title of music corresponding to some lyrics, and so on. In addition, they need to know updated music copyright information to provide music information appropriately.

Special and Public Iibraries Committee of Music Library Association of Japan

The Special and Public Libraries Committee (SPLC) of the Music Library Association

of Japan (MLAJ) plays a central rôle in music information services for the public and aca

démie music communities. The committee was founded in 1994 with the objective to pro vide a network of these types of Iibraries separate from académie music Iibraries. It was

expected to examine the way to expand the network to général public Iibraries that own

music materials. For these purposes, the committee toured various special Iibraries both

publicly- and privately-owned, and held three meetings a year to discuss the problems spe cific to public and special Iibraries. The committee's monumental achievement is the pub lication of Music Collections in Japan,2 a resuit of the comprehensive nationwide survey on

music collections in Japan. Nippon Kindai Ongakukan (Documentation Centre for Modem Japanese Music) was

one of leading Iibraries to launch the SPLC and has played a significant rôle in music in

formation services. The Centre library had acquired and conserved modem and contem

porary Japanese music including manuscripts of contemporary Japanese composers. Their collections consisted of 500,000 items of books on music, printed music and music

manuscripts, sériais, AV materials, microforms, and concert programs. Regrettably the Centre was closed in March 2010 and ail holdings were transferred to Meiji Gakuin Uni

versity Library. In the rest of this section, the authors introduce distinctive services of public and pri

vate music Iibraries, most of which are présent members of the SPLC. Numbers 1 to 4 be

low are run by the public sector, and 5 to 7 are under private management. Information on

collection and circulation policies of each library can be seen in the IAML Public Iibraries

Branch's "LOOK-a-LIKE-LIBRARY-LOCATOR" project3.

1) Tokyo Bunka Kaikan (Tokyo Cultural Hall)

Tokyo Bunka Kaikan opened in 1961 as the 500^ anniversary project to celebrate the

foundation of Tokyo Metropolitan Government. The Hall is renowned for its fine acoustics

suitable for classical music concerts. The collections of the Music Library include books

2.音楽図書館協議会専門•公共図書館部会編.日本幻音楽〕東京,音楽図書館協,会,.2002. The Special and Public Libraries Committee of Music Iibrary Association of Japan, ed. Tokyo, Music Library

Association of Japan, 2002, 67 p. (in Japanese). 3. URL: http://www.iaml.info/activities/public_libraries/iaml_toolbox/look_a_like

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312 FONTES ARTIS MUSICAE 57/3

and journals on Western art music, Japanese traditional music and performing arts, printed music, and AV materials. The collection of the concert programs given at the Hall is unique.

The Library has been organized by Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture with a couple of private companies since 2008. Most of staff are now part-time employees, who cannot develop their professional skills. The Library has a problem with

maintaining non-current AV equipment in order to keep a certain level of services.

2) Aichi Prefectural Arts Promotion Service, Arts Library

Aichi Prefectural Arts Promotion Service, Arts Library, founded in 1992, is located in the combined facilities with Art Museum, Theater and Cultural Information Center orga nized by Aichi prefecture, Nagoya. The Arts Library is the center of these activities and is

only public library in Japan specialized in fine arts, architecture, and music. The users of the Library come from all over the country and are engaged in a wide variety of profes sions and include artists, musicians, dancers, scenario writers, music or art students, and researchers. Performers, theater staff, and audiences at concerts or exhibitions visit the

Library, too. The Library collections are mainly printed music and CDs in classical music, which most of public libraries do not collect. The Library organizes exhibitions in con

junction with the topics planned at the Museum and the Concert Halls. As the Library is

strong in arts, they can meet the request to look for costumes used in operas by provid ing arts and ethnological documents and picture books on medieval era. Another example of their unique collections is seen in a reference service to respond the request for a list of scores whose covers were drawn by Yumeji Takehisa, who is one of famous artists in

early 1900s for beautiful women works.

3) Re-cord Museum, Library

The phonograph is considered one of the greatest inventions of the 20th century. The Re-cord Museum Library, located in Niikappu town, Hokkaido, has been distinguished in the special collection of 780,000 analog sound recordings, which were donated by the pub lic across the country. The Library gives information on the history of phonograph by dis

playing the first manual cylindrical record players and 25 other record players, which rep resent the technological advancements made during the past 100 years. They own rare videos and DVDs as well as local collection, books and serials on music.

4) Kanazawa Phonograph Museum

This Museum, located in Kanazawa city, holds 540 phonographs and over 30,000 SP4 discs. They hold daily sessions comparing the sound of phonographs invented by Edison with more technically advanced phonographs. They also organize concerts of various gen res from classical music to jazz. Lecture concerts using SP discs are regularly held at the Museum.

4. SP means Short-playing analog recording.

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PUBLIC AND SPECIAL LIBRARIES IN JAPAN 313

5) Min-on Music Museum, Library

The Min-On Concert Association was founded in 1963 at the initiative of Daisaku Ikeda, President of Soka Gakkai International, to promote musical and cultural activities world wide. The Min-On Music Library, which specializes in Western art music, opened in

Tokyo in 1974 for the public. They have valuable collections of rare books published from the early Meiji period (1868-1912), when Western art music was first introduced to Japan, to the present. They also have vintage sound recordings that are no longer available.

The Library was recognized as an authentic museum by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and officially registered with the current name of the Min-On Music Museum in 2003. The Museum exhibits classical pianos, mechanical musical instruments and various ethnic instruments. They also regularly conduct unique exhibitions and cul tural lecture series under various specific themes. As well, they have workshops for chil dren and trainings for curators.

A part of their musical instrument collections is a rare collection of classic pianos, namely fortepianos, such as the "Strohm" (manufactured in 1793) and other representa tive instruments of that period. By adding the "Pisa" Harpsichord (manufactured in the

1580s) to their classic pianos collection, the full sweep of the keyboard instrument history from the sixteenth to the twentieth century can be viewed at a glance in the Museum.

ILLUSTRATION 1 Classic piano room at the Min-on Museum

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6) Japan Choral Music Centre and Library

The Centre was founded in 1979 in Tokyo under the auspices of the Japan Choral

Association. The Japan Choral Centre and Library (JCMC) contributes to the dissemina tion of Japanese choral music and the music of foreign countries by developing their rich

collections and planning exhibitions on various themes.

Reflecting the library's international orientation, their permanent collection comprises a rich cross-section of works by predominant composers around the world especially from the middle of the 20th century. The library collects books, musical scores, sound

recordings, and concert programs specific to this genre.

7) Miyagi Michio Memorial Hall Library

Miyagi Michio is known as a composer of the masterpiece Haru no Umi (Spring Sea) for koto. He was a pioneer in this genre and introduced Western musical elements into

Japanese music. This "father of modern Japanese music" was active in a variety of under

takings even though he was blind since the age of eight. In addition to modifying and in

venting koto instruments such as the 80-string koto, he was a distinguished performer and charmed people with his richly sensitive essays.

The Miyagi Michio Memorial Hall, which honors Miyagi's achievements and his con tributions to the development of Japanese music, opened in 1978 and was the first mu seum in Japan devoted to a particular musician. The library collections include books, mu sic scores, CDs, LPs, and cassette tapes about Miyagi Michio and Japanese traditional

music, especially sankyoku (played with koto, shamisen and shakuhachi). The Library publishes the Miyagi Michio Memorial Hall Annual Report. Their other publications in clude koto music catalogs, which are The World of Miyagi Michio / Mook (1993), Jiuta Soukyoku no Menjyouten Catalogue (1994), Kikkawa Library Catalogue (1997), Miyagi Michio's Musical Works Catalogue (1998).

Challenges For Our Future Development

In this article the authors did not mention the national libraries in Japan. This does not mean that they do not own music materials. The National Diet Library has an AV mate rials room that contains 290,000 analog sound recordings, 278,000 CDs, 81,000 videotapes and DVDs domestically distributed5. The room is organized as a part of the Electronic Resources Section. Musical scores are treated as books in the Library like other general public libraries. The Traditional Performing Arts Information Centre6 is another national information center related to traditional performing arts. The Centre library holds 230,000 books on traditional performing arts, documentary photos of performances, and nishiki'e. The Centre built a digital library, which contains textbooks and images on traditional

performing arts, and performance notes from the national theatres. Like general public libraries, these national libraries do not have music librarians for their services specific to music and performing arts. This fact partly influences to the problem that the national libraries in Japan have not been able to play a key role in music information services.

5. URL: http://www.ndl.go.jp/en/service/tokyo/music/index.html (accessed 2010-02-21) 6. URL: http://www.ntj.jac.go.jp/english/index.html (accessed 2010-02-21)

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Public libraries have another difficulty in their management. A designed manager sys tem was introduced to public institutions including libraries in 2003. This implies that

many of library staff have been shifted to part-time employees of a private company, who are replaced in a short time. Tokyo Bunka Kaikan Library is an example of this. The sys tem seems to pose a severe obstacle for the library to plan a long-range programs and services. At the same time, library staff cannot develop their skills as an expertise. These are urgent matters to be solved as well as examining outsourced human resources, main tenance of short-lived AV equipment, and complicated copyright issues.

This content downloaded from 194.29.185.77 on Sun, 15 Jun 2014 06:09:21 AMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions