[Special Feature: Thinking About Public Libraries] The Present and Future of Public Libraries in Japan: Toward the Development of Tomorrow's Society

2018/07/09

Public libraries (hereinafter referred to as "libraries") are the public facilities most frequently used by local residents, and they are currently attracting attention from various perspectives, such as "libraries that support the community."

They are particularly convenient for people who want to learn or research things related to their lives or work, a fact the author has personally experienced using ward and metropolitan libraries. Although the level of provision varies by local government, one can receive a certain level of service by going to a library. Many users make good use of libraries, with practical books being heavily used and specialized books also being utilized. Because they are free, they can be used casually and also play the role of a social safety net.

On the other hand, various problems are arising in libraries. To understand these, I would like to point out a fundamental issue: the fact that libraries have two purposes of use.

A manager at a certain local government said, "Before becoming a library director, I thought a library was just a place where you could borrow novels and cookbooks, and that it was enough to just line up books and lend them out. But after becoming director, when I looked at the library shelves from end to end, I found surprisingly many specialized books. I thought they could be utilized by working adults for their lives and work, and that initiatives for that purpose were necessary."

These two purposes are reflected in this statement. If we simplify the purposes of library use and divide them into two major categories, they are "use for learning and research related to life and work" and "use for entertainment novels, etc." Both are necessary, but the balance between the two is important. Depending on this balance, libraries can be divided into two types. If emphasis is placed on use for entertainment, it becomes a "library where entertainment novels stand out," and if consideration is given to the balance between the two, it becomes a "library where entertainment novels do not stand out." However, even in a "library where entertainment novels stand out," there is not much difference in other areas, so it can still be used for "learning and research."

On the other hand, many people who have never used a library, including those involved in local government policy-making, seem to view libraries as places where "novels are borrowed exclusively." These people rarely use libraries for learning or research and likely do not place much importance on them. Such an image hinders the development of Japanese libraries.

While many libraries have the capacity to be useful for "learning and research related to life and work," this image has led to less use for these purposes, which in turn has likely led to a decline in the evaluation of libraries. In Japanese libraries, novels have traditionally attracted attention. In the 1950s, entertainment novels were collected from the perspective of promoting reading among non-readers, and in small libraries in the 1960s and 70s, novels were prominent. In the 1990s, the idea of purchasing multiple copies of entertainment novels was proposed and had a significant impact on some areas. Even today, one can see libraries where large numbers of novels are placed in prominent locations. The image that "novels are borrowed exclusively" is likely a reflection of these trends.

In "libraries where entertainment novels stand out," the number of users of entertainment novels increases. Subsequently, as comics and DVDs also began to be collected, this trend further intensified in some libraries.

This trend is closely linked to library evaluation methods. If evaluation centers on the number of items lent out, the figures for libraries with many entertainment novels will be higher, so a review of evaluation methods is necessary.

Libraries need to distinguish between the two purposes of use, consider the balance between them, and also evaluate services separately. While the idea that "it is enough to be able to enjoy reading" is possible, I believe that for the future development of Japanese society, use by working adults for "learning and research" is important. Therefore, the most necessary thing for Japanese libraries now is to "inform citizens that libraries are places useful for learning and research related to life and work and encourage their use," and library professionals should focus their efforts on this.

Regarding the environment surrounding libraries, low economic growth, a declining birthrate and aging population, and the resulting increase in social welfare budgets for local governments are expected.

As of April 2017, there were 3,273 libraries nationwide. The establishment rate for prefectural libraries is 100%, for city/ward libraries it is 99%, and for town/village libraries it is 56%. Libraries are established in almost all cities and about half of towns and villages. In fiscal 2016, the number of individual loans per citizen was approximately 5.4 items. While the number of libraries has increased almost consistently, materials expenses and the number of full-time staff have been on a significant downward trend since the late 1990s, and discussion on this point is necessary. Individual loans peaked in 2010 and have been on a downward trend since then (Libraries in Japan 2017, Japan Library Association).

Comparing the number of libraries per 100,000 people and the number of loans per person between the United States (an advanced library nation) and Japan: the number of libraries was 5.4 in the US (2014) and 2.6 in Japan (2015); the number of loans was 6.8 in the US and 5.5 in Japan. While the number of Japanese libraries per population is about half that of the US, the number of loans is about 80% (IFLA Library Map of the World; Statistics Bureau, Cabinet Office "World Statistics 2017"). The number of loans is high relative to the small number of libraries. This is said to be due to the small number of small-scale libraries and the emphasis placed on lending.

On the other hand, in terms of the quality of library services, it is often pointed out that the selection and collection of specialized books is decreasing and that the system for reference services by professional staff is inadequate.

Although the number of libraries is somewhat low, they are overall developed to a considerable degree. Therefore, if "use for learning and research" is promoted, the effect should be significant, and if those services are valued by society, the evaluation of libraries will also improve.

The foundation of library activities is the national system and policy regarding libraries. Libraries are governed by laws and regulations such as the Library Act. The Library Act is established based on the Social Education Act, which defines libraries as institutions for social education.

The Library Act stipulates the definition of libraries, services, staff (qualifications, training, and development), desirable standards, evaluation and provision of information, library councils, the free-of-charge system, national library administration, private libraries, and more. The purposes of libraries are listed as education, research/investigation, and recreation, with research/investigation being the second.

These laws stipulate support for residents' learning and research by libraries, and it is necessary to fully recognize this. In addition, the Act on the Promotion of Character and Print Culture stipulates the promotion and enhancement of libraries.

In 2006, the Consultative Committee on the Future of Libraries, established within the Lifelong Learning Policy Bureau of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), published "The Future Image of Libraries: Aiming to be Information Hubs that Support the Community (Report)." In addition to conventional services, it proposed services to support the resolution of local issues, citing support for administration, school education, child-rearing, business, and the provision of legal and medical information, which had a major impact. Since the 2000s, many libraries have undertaken services to support local problem-solving and people's activities. This is an evolution of the use for "learning and research related to life and work."

Following these developments, in 2012, the "Desirable Standards for the Establishment and Operation of Libraries" (Notice from the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology) was announced, detailing how libraries should be and newly stipulating improvements in library evaluation and services that respond to local issues. However, the development of evaluation methods has been left to the private sector, and methods for evaluating diverse services have not yet been established.

However, despite these efforts, in laws related to social education, including the Library Act, the authority of the national and prefectural governments is restricted. Neither the Library Act nor the "Desirable Standards for the Establishment and Operation of Libraries" has binding force or indicates numerical targets; they remain merely guidelines for effort for each library. To what extent these are realized and what numerical targets are set depends on the judgment of each library.

Therefore, to promote libraries, independent discussion by local residents and library users and active lobbying of local governments are indispensable.

Many of the matters covered in recent newspaper and television news are events other than these. For example, there are new management methods by designated managers, the deterioration of working conditions for library staff, and the relationship between libraries and literary publishers/authors.

The first is new management methods by designated managers. This is a method of entrusting the operation of public facilities to private companies or NPOs. It has also been applied to libraries, where flexible operation is expected. Management methods for facilities that combine libraries, bookstores, and cafes, as well as new projects such as exercise classes, are attracting attention. Some companies secure a large number of staff, conduct personnel transfers between libraries, and promote young employees. The adoption rate in libraries is still only around 10-20%, but it is gradually increasing. They are evaluated mainly for increasing the number of visitors, but this includes the effects of opening new buildings and users other than library patrons. There is criticism regarding many points such as continuity and stability in book selection and facility management, and opposition movements have also occurred.

The second is the deterioration of working conditions for library staff. This is a trend not limited to libraries but seen across private companies and local governments as a whole. In libraries, regular staff are being reduced, and non-regular staff, such as fixed-term employees at designated managers and commissioned or temporary staff in direct management, are increasing. Their employment status and low wages are being pointed out as unstable employment and working poverty in local governments. While the opinions of the staff side are introduced, there are few opinions from the employer side.

The third is the relationship with literary publishers and authors. Literary publishers and authors who publish entertainment novels have pointed out that "the lending of entertainment novels such as mystery novels hinders bookstore sales and is an obstacle to the management of literary publishers," and discussions have been held with library professionals for about 20 years. Some library professionals link this point to the publishing slump and view it as a general claim about books that "books are not selling because of library lending," failing to correctly grasp the point made by literary publishers. This point can be considered one consequence of "libraries where entertainment novels stand out."

In this way, conflicts are arising between libraries and the social and administrative environment amidst the worsening financial situation of local governments. As library users learn of these circumstances, they feel more or less anxiety or doubt. I hope that local governments and libraries will explain these issues and show improvement measures so that users can use them with peace of mind.

From the standpoint of emphasizing "use for learning and research," I would like to propose the following two points as future challenges for libraries.

One is to locate libraries near places where citizens learn and conduct research. As a method for this, there were previously examples of libraries being co-located with community centers (kominkan), and recently there are examples of libraries being co-located with civic activity support centers. Projects are also being carried out in collaboration and cooperation with various local government agencies.

As social education facilities, collaboration with community centers is important. In the early concepts of community centers, there was an idea that libraries would back up community center library rooms, providing know-how on library room management and materials necessary for community center courses and classes, but this has not been realized. Now, libraries are working to support local problem-solving, and community centers are also working on learning for local problem-solving. Libraries should back up community centers for the sake of supporting local problem-solving.

The other is to support the improvement of citizens' information literacy. The use of the internet has made library use more convenient, but at the same time, it has become possible to obtain a considerable amount of information without going to a library. Digitized literature published on the internet is increasing, such as institutional repositories of university libraries and "Aozora Bunko" for literary works. This will likely increase further in the future. On the other hand, information dissemination through blogs and other means has also become widespread.

Information literacy is required to use these, and this ability is also indispensable for daily life. Libraries, in collaboration with community centers and other institutions, can support citizens' learning of information literacy. Since the 1990s, the "Desirable Standards for the Establishment and Operation of Libraries" has listed support for "improving information literacy" as part of library services. This should be a key role for libraries in the future.

There is a tendency for the younger generation to use paper materials less and for the middle-aged and older generations to use digital information less, creating a gap in communication between generations. To get the younger generation to use paper materials, digital information that guides them to paper materials is necessary. The author also provides guidance on paper materials via a blog and Twitter ("Basic Knowledge of Libraries"), but I would like the middle-aged and older generations to acquire more skills in disseminating digital information (blogs, link collections, etc.).

In Japan, the number and scale of libraries have increased and convenience has improved, but the number of libraries is still small and the reach of users is not sufficient. Particularly regarding "use for learning and research," more use is expected. On the other hand, without being widely known, reductions in materials expenses and staff are being carried out. The designated manager system and the deterioration of working conditions for library staff are not problems unique to libraries but problems for society as a whole, and libraries are facing major social changes that were previously unthinkable.

Library professionals are expressing opinions and requests regarding these issues to society and the administration, but it does not seem that sufficient discussion or dialogue is taking place among users/citizens, administrative officials, and literary publishers/authors. Public relations for citizens are decisively lacking, and the materials and arguments supporting opinions are also insufficient. More easy-to-understand and detailed discussion is necessary.

The gap between the challenges libraries face and the response capabilities of library professionals may be widening. To address these challenges, more library professionals need to participate in discussions and examinations. Furthermore, easy-to-read and easy-to-understand public relations activities like the "Library White Paper" of the 1970s, the development of an environment where library staff and users/citizens can easily learn and speak out, and the confirmation of the significance of "use for learning and research" and calls for its use will also be necessary.