Japan's First Library School

2024/02/29

Image: Building 5 (Mita), which housed the Japan Library School (Department of Library Science, Faculty of Letters, Keio University)

On April 7, 1951 (Showa 26), the Department of Library Science (Japan Library School) was established within the Faculty of Letters at Keio University. According to the *Keio University General Overview* of the time, it was described as "the so-called 'Japan Library School,' recruiting representative students from across the country, where our professors provide advice and guidance to librarians at various libraries throughout Japan." The previous year, as part of the occupation policy of the General Headquarters of the Allied Powers (GHQ), the promotion of libraries was considered. The American Library Association, entrusted with this task, conducted a survey with the aim of establishing a library school in Japan, and Robert Gitler of the University of Washington was appointed to the role. Among several candidate universities, it was finally decided to establish the school at Keio University because of its "enterprising academic tradition suitable for accepting new disciplines," and official notification was given on February 5. An advertisement for recruitment appeared in the *Asahi Shimbun* on March 8. It stated: "Japan's first library school by a faculty of American professors; deadline for third-year transfer applications is April 7; eligibility for transfer: completion of two years at a university under the new system or equivalent." It was an extremely tight schedule. Initially, the management was primarily supported by the U.S. government. After the occupation ended and aid was cut off, it was funded by grants from the Rockefeller Foundation and the expenses of this Juku. The faculty consisted of visiting professors from the United States and Canada, with Gitler as the lead professor. Lectures were conducted in English with Japanese interpreters present, and textbooks were also translated. Photos from that time show students interacting with professors through hiking and folk dancing.

As the Japan Library School pioneered professional education in library science at the university department level, a special student system aimed at retraining working librarians was also established for the first few years, attracting students of various ages and backgrounds. Building 5, a wooden building south of the Jukukan-kyoku (Keio Corporate Administration), was used as the school building. Gitler remained for five years, laying the foundation for the department, and in 1961, he received an autumn decoration from the Japanese government.

In the United States, there is a long history of training library personnel at various levels, but the training of librarians as a professional occupation and the introduction of library science in universities began in the late 19th century. In Japan, a library training session was held in 1903, and a committee for the establishment of a librarian training center was formed in 1911. Lectures on library science were also held at Tokyo Imperial University, but it was not until the establishment of the Ministry of Education's Librarian Training Institute in 1921 (Taisho 10) that it became official. This also faded away due to the war and was reopened in May 1947 as the Training Institute for Library Staff attached to the Imperial Library. This was positioned as a vocational school accepting graduates of high schools under the new system. It later became the National College of Library Science.

The Japan Library School, which originated as part of the occupation policy, gradually underwent a smooth transition to the Japanese side. In 1967, a master's program was established, and the training of researchers began. The following year, it was reorganized into the Department of Library and Information Science.

(Atsuko Ishiguro, former Director of the Office of Communications and Public Relations)