Published papers

This article reviews methods and instruments that have been used to collate printed books in the past, such as the Hinman Collator. It goes on to describe the merits and demerits of these methods, and define the necessary and desirable requirements for collation especially for collation of early printed books in Europe. This paper proposes a new approach to precise collation that makes use of the superimposition of digital images. In addition to being less

costly, this approach is more detailed, more precise, and easier to implement than previous methods. Furthermore, it provides an objective way to identify di

This study investigated the current state of preservation of microfilm materials held in Japanese libraries by a questionnaire survey of all university libraries except junior colleges, graduate university libraries, prefectural libraries, and the National Diet Library. A total of 906 valid responses, comprising 902 complete questionnnaires (response rate 62.8%) and 4 pretest results, were analyzed. 474 libraries (52.3%) had microfilm, of which 47.5% regarded microfilm as a long-term preservation medium, 30.0% still regularly acquired microfilm more than once a year, but 11.4% of libraries did not know the exact amount of their microfilm holdings. 24-hour air-conditioning was available in only 150 libraries (31.6%) and humidity control was possible in only 108 libraries (22.7%). 44.3% of libraries had noticed the occurrence of vinegar syndrome, the most typical kind of deterioration. Since hydrolysis causes and accelerates vinegar syndrome, humidity control is crucial for microfilm preservation. However, the present results showed that the conservation environment has not been significantly improved.

Purpose: In the preservation of library materials, paper has always bee a focal topic, and various efforts for preservation have been based on paper. Recently, however, a new approach to condition survey has been adopted, which takes the binding into account: nevertheless, there has not been sufficient consideration of the condition of adhesive bound books and the adhesive itself. Condition survey is indispensable for drawing up a strategic preservation plan. The present survey aims to reveal (1) the prorp0rtion of adhesive bound books in a university library collection, which mainly consists of academic works; (2) various aspects of their condition; and (3) reasons for deterioration.

Purpose: One of the most common approaches to understanding an undeciphered text is to identify and then decipher the underlying code. If a document remains unintelligible or undeciphered for a long period of time even after many attempts at decoding it, the possibility of it being “gibberish” must be considered. This study proposes a method to detect the existence, or non-existence, of coherent structure within a previously non-translated text in order to determine the possibility of deciphering it. Method: The present method begins with the assumption that natural language-processing methods that are commonly employed in analyzing known language can be applied to an undeciphered text. To detect a coherent structure in a text, the similarity of every pair of partial document is measured, and then the similarity matrix is analyzed by clustering methods. The next step is to compare the detected structure with the sections suggested by other clues such as illustrations and the page order. Thus, it is determined whether an undeciphered text contains an identifiable structure which corresponds to latter, or whether it is “gibberish” containing no order or structure. Results: We applied the proposed method to the Voynich Manuscript, which is a renowned undeciphered text. The results clearly demonstrate that the text of the Voinich Manuscript possesses an identifiable structure, and that the structure corresponds to the existing sections

本研究では,公共図書館で開催された日本漫画の自動分類を検討した。4,681公共図書館と類似施設の保有を調べ,29,795漫画タイトルを同定した。階層的クラスタリングは,各百以上のライブラリーで開催された631タイトルに適用した。五クラスターは上部階層で同定された。主座標分析と個々のタイトルの手動検査は各クラスタ内の工事の一般的な特性を同定した。結果は,提案した方法が漫画タイトルの大規模分類に対する新しいアプローチを提供することを示唆する。

日本の図書館を対象に一般資料の保存の現状に関する悉皆質問紙調査を行った。資料保存に関して組織的,積極的な活動をしている図書館は少ないが,返却時の資料の状態確認などは一般的におこなわれていた。カビをはじめ,地震,漏水などの被害を受けたことのある図書館が多い,方針やマニュアルは少なく文章化されていない知識の共有が多い,デジタル化を含め資料保存の経常的経費がある図書館は少ない,資料保存にかかわる法制の変化はあまり知られていないことなどが明らかになった。