Matsumoto, Naoki

In Japan, there are nearly 3,300 public libraries, established and managed by local governments. Although laws regulate the basic functions of public libraries, the quality and quantity of services depends substantially on the commitment of local governments and residents. I therefore studied the administration and management of these public libraries. In particular, I adopted an interdisciplinary approach to examine the interaction between the external environment and the public libraries. I aim to explore the possibility of public libraries existing as centers for community knowledge.

Library and information science, humanistic and social informatics