Activity Performance Evaluation in FY2023

The National Diet Library (NDL) has widely promoted its vision, "National Diet Library, Vision 2021-2025: The Digital Shift at the National Diet Library" (hereinafter referred to as "Vision 2021-2025"). Based on the purpose of Vision 2021-2025, we perform Activity Performance Evaluation at the end of each fiscal year to assess achievements in our initiatives and basic roles formulated in Vision 2021-2025.

In order to carry out these evaluations in an objective manner, we have established a set of evaluation indicators and associated indicators.

Evaluation indicators are designed to provide a means of describing internal library operations, services provided to patrons, and other library services that can be quantified in terms of time required or other objective factors, and for which targets can be established at the beginning of each fiscal year in accordance with the scale and nature of the operations involved, thereby allowing emerging trends to be identified through comparison with the achievement level of previous years.

Associated indicators are largely influenced by external factors out of the control of the NDL, which makes the establishment of targets less than meaningful, even though these indicators are useful in identifying emerging trends that affect library operations.

As the framework for the Activity Performance Evaluation is formulated based on Vision 2021-2025, we evaluate activities concerning our initiatives in addition to general activities, which correspond to the "basic roles" in Vision 2021-2025. Evaluation of each general activities category uses set phrases considering the achievement levels for evaluation indicators and trends exhibited by associated indicators, as well as the state of implementation of each activity. Evaluation of each initiatives activities category involves a qualitative assessment that includes comprehensive consideration of the status of the achievement.

All evaluation results are as follows:
Evaluation details for Activity Performance Evaluation in FY2023 (only in Japanese) (PDF: 573KB)

Overview and objectives

We will continue to utilize all available library materials as well as databases and other digital information resources to provide highly reliable responses to requests from Diet members for objective research and analysis. We will undertake research on national policy issues in order to facilitate the deliberation of national affairs, and we will publish the results of this research for use in responding to requests for research. We will also hold policy seminars at which we present our research to Diet members.

We will work to enhance our research services by strengthening cooperation with universities, research facilities, and other parliamentary institutions, both in Japan and overseas, as a means of proactively acquiring a wide range of advanced academic knowledge.

We will undertake a wide range of research projects on basic national policy issues as well as policies related to science and technology—many of which are subject to legal, social, and ethical challenges—and examine these issues from a comprehensive and advanced perspective available through the expertise of outside experts. Moreover, we will make the results of these studies openly available to the public. In FY2023, we will carry out an interdisciplinary research project, "Issues Regarding Russia's Aggression against Ukraine," and three science and technology research projects ("Technology and Its Social Implementation in the Digital Era," "Materials Science: The State of the Art and Future Options," and "Considering Japan’s Space Policy: What Should Be Done in the Next Ten Years?").

We will also continue to work to provide both Diet members and the general public with easy access to information generated by the National Diet, including the Full-Text Database System for the Minutes of the Diet as well as the Index Database to Japanese Laws, Regulations and Bills. These resources will be enhanced with content and functionality developed by the NDL as part of our role in helping to connect the Diet with the people it represents. We will make the necessary arrangements to provide the text data of shorthand records of plenary sessions and committee meetings of the Imperial Diet from November 1890 to August 1945, aiming to make them available on the Database System for the Minutes of the Imperial Diet in FY2024.

Evaluation

We achieved most of our objectives.

Overview and objectives

We will continue to acquire a wide range of domestic publications through the legal deposit system. We will also continue to acquire the websites of national agencies, municipal governments, and other public institutions, as stipulated in the National Diet Library Law, as well as the content of privately operated websites involved in the recording of historical events or which are otherwise of public importance, with the permission of their webmasters. Privately published e-books and e-magazines will continue to be acquired through the E-legal Deposit System of Online Publications. In particular, with regard to the acquisition of priced or DRM-protected online publications, which began in January 2023, we will work to ensure stable collection with the cooperation of publishers and other stakeholders.

We will continue to compile databases of bibliographic information for domestically published books and magazines, such as the Japanese Periodicals Index, which are made available to the public via the Internet.

We intend to preserve and ensure future access for library materials, which are the shared cultural heritage of the nation. To this end, we will undertake measures for long-term preservation, including digitization of printed materials and the management of a proper environment for preserving and repairing damaged materials.

Evaluation

We achieved most of our objectives.

Overview and objectives

We will continue to provide remote photoduplication services available by request via the Internet, as well as interlibrary loans and reference services via public and university libraries. In addition, we will make available a wide range of value-added information, such as articles on the Research Navi and digital exhibitions.

We will continue to work to digitize materials as well as make those for which copyright protection has expired available via the Internet. Moreover, we will continue to provide digitized versions of difficult-to-obtain materials that are not ordinarily available via the Internet to registered users residing in Japan through the Digitized Contents Transmission Service for Individuals, as well as to patrons of public or university libraries through the Digitized Contents Transmission Service for Libraries.

Furthermore, we will continue to offer browsing, copying, and reference services at the Tokyo Main Library, the Kansai-kan, and the International Library of Children's Literature (ILCL), and taking advantage of online formats, we will also hold events such as　 exhibitions and lectures.

We will integrate the NDL Online and the NDL Search to launch a new search system around January 2024.

In cooperation with our affiliated institutions, we will continue to convert academic literature into text data or audio books and collect DAISY and braille data produced by other libraries, and will provide these materials to qualified users via the Internet.

The ILCL will continue to provide children with the opportunity to become familiar with books and libraries through support for the promotion of children's reading activities and services for children.

Evaluation

We achieved most of our objectives.

Overview and objectives

We will continue to provide training and information to libraries in Japan, including by online means, in support of their activities and human resource development, sharing our expertise in library sciences to help improve the operations and services of libraries throughout Japan. We will strengthen cooperative relationships with related domestic institutions through roundtable meetings and other opportunities.

We will continue to participate in the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) and other international activities and interact with other libraries such as the National Library of China and the National Library of Korea, through which we will work to solve problems that are universal to all libraries.

Moreover, we will continue to employ data linkage via the Internet to provide our patrons with a variety of data-linkage platforms that access digitized materials or search guides for Japanese libraries, with the intent to support comprehensive access to and utilization of information resources in Japan.

Evaluation

We achieved most of our objectives.

Overview and objectives

We will increase the volume of digital materials available via the Internet or at local libraries. We will consider and discuss providing the Digitized Contents Transmission Service for Individuals to those who do not reside in Japan. We will also be prepared to provide the printing function of the Digitized Contents Transmission Service for Libraries in libraries overseas.

We will continue to develop an integrated search service for materials for persons with disabilities and launch its official version around January 2024. Along with that, we will make full-text data generated from digitized materials available to persons with print disabilities. Moreover, based on the Basic Plan for Promoting Improved Reading Environments for the Visually Impaired, we will release guidelines for accessible e-book services in libraries, which we have drawn up through cooperation with concerned parties. We will also conduct promotional activities for public libraries and other institutions.

Using our accumulated expertise, vast amounts of materials and information will be curated and made available to the general public, including guides for efficient research and introductions to materials about specific fields. In addition, we will introduce effective ways of utilizing full-text data generated from digitized materials.

Evaluation

Toward implementing the Digitized Contents Transmission Service for Individuals abroad, we conducted interviews with experts. Regarding the Digitized Contents Transmission Service for Libraries, we decided to provide libraries overseas with the printing function from April 2024 and proceeded with preparations for the launch of the service.

The official version of Mina Search (NDL Materials Search for Persons with Disabilities) was launched in January 2024, enabling continued access to data, such as full-text data generated from digitized materials, for persons with print disabilities. We also released the Digital Library Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 in July 2023, which were drawn up in cooperation with concerned bodies.

In launching the new NDL Search, we integrated a material search service and the Research Navi, a search guide service, so that the search results could include information such as relevant research techniques on a single page. Moreover, we introduced effective ways of utilizing full-text data generated from digitized materials in the Research Navi’s articles or training programs for librarians.

Overview and objectives

We will digitize about 56 million frames of our collection to achieve our vision of making all domestic publications available in digital form. We will also consult with concerned parties and conduct research for the further utilization of the full-text data generated from digitized materials.

With the cooperation of publishers and other stakeholders, we will work to ensure stable collection of online materials through the E-legal Deposit System of Online Publications, based on which we started the acquisition of priced or DRM-protected online publications in January 2023. Moreover, we will strive to achieve long-term preservation of digital materials by collecting digital materials of other institutions, converting media that are no longer playable into usable formats, and other initiatives.

Japan Search will connect digital archives across a range of specializations in support of the creation of an environment that enables information and data to be made open and fully utilized.

Evaluation

We digitized about 62 million frames of our collection such as books, magazines, doctoral dissertations, and old materials. We also conducted research to improve OCR accuracy and to structure full-text data. Some of the results are available in our experimental search service the Next Digital Library.

We have steadily responded to inquiries about the acquisition of priced or DRM-protected online publications and to offers to deposit them. We acquired 1,160 priced online publications in FY2023. We published a study report entitled "Survey Report on Long-Term Preservation Measures for Floppy Disks," which presents the results of technical research we conducted in FY2022. In addition, based on the results of technical research for migration of optical discs, we developed a migration system for optical discs with an automatic disc changer.

10 aggregators and 31 databases were newly connected to Japan Search. We promoted its utilization by releasing the new content Japan Search Labo and by holding workshops for participating organizations.