CDNLAO Newsletter
No. 102, September 2023
The National Diet Library (NDL) offers training programs to all kinds of libraries. 1
In this article, we will introduce some of our training programs for specialists.
1. Training for employees of libraries operated by the secretariats of municipal assemblies
The National Diet Library provides services for the Diet (Japanese Parliament) as well as for the public, and Article 21 of the National Diet Library Law states that one of the NDL's roles is to assist prefectural and other municipal assemblies. The NDL offers a training program that is designed to support the activities of municipal assemblies by training employees to perform practical tasks at libraries or research services operated by the secretariats of prefectural assemblies and the city councils of ordinance-designated cities. This program consists of lectures on providing research services for assemblies and reference services at libraries. Each year, about 30 to 40 people participate in this program, many of whom have commented that the training has helped them handle requests from their local lawmakers and that the easy-to-understand explanations are based on practical examples that apply directly to their work.
2. Training programs for NDL branch libraries
Although a part of the legislative branch of government, the NDL also provides library services to agencies of the executive and judicial branches via a system of branch libraries.
Services such as interlibrary loans, photoduplication services, and reference services are provided through 27 branch libraries and 6 annexes attached to ministries, agencies, and the Supreme Court of Japan. The NDL also conducts a number of different training programs for branch library employees.
(1) Training programs for new employees at branch libraries
These programs are intended to educate new employees about the branch library system, its operations, and the services it provides, so that they have a thorough understanding of what services are available at the NDL.
(2) Training programs for librarians
This program is designed either for those who have already participated in program (1) above or those who already have experience as librarians. The goal of the course is to provide the necessary knowledge and skills to perform library duties, such as cataloging, providing reference services, and preserving library materials.
(3) Special training programs
Training designed to provide broad insight into the operations and services of branch libraries.
During 2020 and 2021, some of these training programs were either conducted online or cancelled outright due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022, after two years of quarantine, two in-person programs were held: Preservation and Conservation of Library Materials: Minor repairs and Guided Tour of the Division Providing Reference Services to the National Diet.
In the former, participants practiced repairing torn or cut materials with glue and washi (Japanese paper). In the latter, the participants visited the Detached Library in the Diet, to gain a better understanding about the NDL services for the Diet and to learn about how materials are acquired and made available in the annex.
Related article: Establishing a training program for NDL branch libraries (NDL Newsletter No. 250, April 2023)
1 Training Programs for Librarians: https://www.ndl.go.jp/en/library/training_programs.html
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