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How to become a registered user of the Data Transmission Service for Persons with Print Disabilities

On this page, we will guide you through the procedures of registration for use of the Data Transmission Service for Persons with Print Disabilities of the National Diet Library (NDL).

If you are already a registered user and want to change your registered information, please see "How to update your registration information for the Data Transmission Service for Persons with Print Disabilities".

For the procedures for registration as an institution, please see "How to Participate in Data Transmission Services for Persons with Print Disabilities (for institutions)".

Contents

1. Services available for registered users of the Data Transmission Service for Persons with Print Disabilities

A registered user of the Data Transmission Service for Persons with Print Disabilities can use the following services:

  1. Data Transmission Service for Persons with Print Disabilities
  2. Other NDL services for registered users (as individuals) (only if eighteen years of age or older)

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2. Qualifications for registration

Persons with a disability in reading printed materials, due to visual impairment or other reasons (i.e. print disabilities)
For example,

  • Blind
  • Visually impaired
  • Dyslexic
  • Those with disabilities in the upper limbs who cannot turn the pages of books, etc.

Only persons living in Japan, or in a Contracting Party to the Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works for Persons Who Are Blind, Visually Impaired or Otherwise Print Disabled (Marrakesh Treaty) can register for the Data Transmission Service for Persons with Print Disabilities.

You must submit an "Application Form to Update Registered Information for the Data Transmission Service for Persons with Print Disabilities" if your condition of disability greatly changes after registration.

For example,

  • Your vision improves to the extent that you can read printed materials
  • Your upper limb strength improves to the extent that you can hold a book, etc.

For details of the procedure, please see "How to update the registered user of the Data Transmission Service for Persons with Print Disabilities"

When your condition is good enough to read printed materials, the NDL may revoke your registration regardless of validity period.
For details, please contact the inquiries address listed in "6. Contact regarding user registration".

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3. Application procedure for new registration

For details, please contact the inquiries address listed in "6. Contact regarding user registration" at the end of this page.

3.1 Application by postal mail, fax, or email

3.1.1 Sending application form for user registration

Please send the following documents i) to iii) by postal mail, fax, or email to the following address:

For the requirements for each document, please see "4. Documents to be submitted".

  1. Application form for user registration and consent letter (Consent letter only for those who live outside Japan)
  2. Copy of identification document bearing your name, address, and date of birth issued
  3. Document that shows that you have a disability for reading printed materials
  • *You can also submit the online form "Data Transmission Services for Persons with Print Disabilities" instead of submitting "(i) Application form for user registration and consent letter".
  • *To submit via email, please be sure to contact us in advance.
  • *If the certificate you submit as iii) is issued by an official agency and your name, address, and date of birth are stated therein, you can omit the submission of the certificate of ii).
  • *Depending on the condition of your disability, you may be unqualified as a person with a disability for reading printed materials, and may be ineligible for registration.

For any questions, please contact the inquiries address listed in "6. Contact regarding user registration" before applying.

Address for sending the documents by postal mail

Please send the documents by postal mail to the following address:

Section of Library Support for Persons with Disabilities, Library Support Division,
Kansai-kan of the National Diet Library
8-1-3 Seikadai, Seika-cho, Soraku-gun,
Kyoto 619-0287, Japan
(On the envelope, please write "User registration application".)

Fax number for sending the documents

Please send the documents by fax to the following number:

FAX: + 81-774-94-9117

3.1.2 Issuance of certificate of user registration

When we accept the application, you will receive the following documents by postal mail.

  • "Certificate of user registration" bearing your user ID number
  • "Certificate of password" bearing initial password.
  • *You will need to wait about one week for the above documents, excluding time for postal delivery. In case of applying using a certificate issued by a foreign (outside of Japan) organization, it may take longer.

3.2 Application by visiting the NDL

3.2.1 Submission of application form for user registration

You must submit the following documents i) to iii).

In the case of an application based on a certificate issued by a foreign institution, it may take time to confirm the submitted documents, so the registration may not be completed on the day of application and we may send the registration certificate by mail at a later date.

(i) Application form

We have application forms in the library, and library staffs will help with your submission when you visit.

If you live outside Japan, you must agree to the terms of use of the Data Transmission Service for Persons with Print Disabilities.

When preparing the application form and the consent letter (if you live outside Japan) in advance, please see "4.1 Application form and consent letter for the service".

(ii) Identification document

For valid documents, please see "4.2 Identification document".

(iii) Document that shows that you have a print disability

For details, please refer to "4.3 Document that shows that you have a print disability".

If it is difficult for you to prepare these documents, staff will verify at the time of your visit whether you are eligible for registration as print disabled.

If you can submit certificate iii) issued by an official agency and which states your name, address, and date of birth, you can omit ii) identification document.

  • *Depending on the condition of your disability, you may be unqualified as a person with a disability for reading printed materials, and may be ineligible for registration.

For any questions, please contact the inquiries address listed in "6. Contact regarding user registration" before applying.

You can submit your applications for user registration at the following places:

Tokyo Main Library

User Registration Counter (Annex, Entrance)
9:20-18:30 (-16:30 on Saturday)

Kansai-kan

Entrance Counter 9:30-17:30 of open days

International Library of Children's Literature

Researchers' Reading Room (Arch Building 2F)
Entrance Counter 9:30-16:30 of open days

3.2.2 Issuance of a certificate of user registration

If we accept your application, you will receive the following documents on the spot from us.

  • "Certificate of user registration" bearing your user ID number
  • "Certificate of password" bearing initial password
  • Registered User Card (only if eighteen years of age or older) *
    * This card will not be issued at the International Library of Children's Literature. You can borrow a one-day user card instead there.

If you are eighteen years of age or older, you can use our services other than the Data Transmission Service for Persons with Print Disabilities as a registered user from that day.

  • *In the Tokyo Main Library, we may keep you waiting for some time depending on how busy it is. We recommend that you have plenty of time to spare or you apply by post if you can afford to before you plan to visit the library.
  • *On Saturday afternoon, large numbers of users can visit the NDL. Please avoid applying for registration in groups.
  • *When applying using a certificate issued by a foreign (outside of Japan) institution, registration may not be completed on the day of application.

3.3 Application via Mina Search

Please see 6-3 New user registration in the Mina Search help for details on applying via Mina Search.

  • *Patrons who are under eighteen years of age and don't have a personal email address cannot apply via Mina Search, but are welcome to apply via postal mail, fax, or email as well as by visiting the NDL.
  • *When applying via Mina Search, you will need to prepare jpeg or png files of your identification documents to be uploaded with your applilcation. You may upload up to two files.
  • *Please contact the NDL via the inquiries address at the bottom of this page if you need to use a format other than jpeg or png or to send more than three files.

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4. Documents to be submitted

In the new registration procedure, you need to submit the following documents:

  • Application form
  • Consent letter for the service
  • Identification document
  • Document that shows that you have a print disability

If you have difficulty preparing these documents, please contact the inquiries address at the end of this page.

4.1 Application form and consent letter for the service

4.1.1 Application by submitting the application form and consent letter for the service

Please fill out the necessary items on the "Application Form for Data Transmission Services for Persons with Print Disabilities".

Those living in Japan
Those who live outside Japan

In applying to become a registered user, those who live outside Japan (only if living in a Contracting Party to the Marrakesh Treaty) must agree to the terms of use as a registered user of the Data Transmission Service for Persons with Print Disabilities. If you agree to the terms of use, please fill in your name, address, and date on the consent letter and submit it with the application form.

If you cannot use the above forms, please fill in the following items and prepare an application form with the title "Application for Data Transmission Services for Persons with Print Disabilities" and the address "Director General of the National Diet Library" (The format does not matter, as long as you fill the following items in).

  • Name
  • Date of birth
  • Address
  • Condition of disabilities (What kind of obstacles make you have a print disability)
  • Telephone number
  • Email address
  • Fax number (If you wish to be contacted by fax)
  • (For those who live outside Japan) The content of the consent letter, as well as name, address, and date of writing

If you have difficulty preparing these documents, for reasons such as a disability, please contact the inquiries address at the end of this page.

4.1.2 Application by online form for user registration

Instead of submitting the application form, you can enter your information in the online form for "Application form for User Registration for the Data Transmission Service for Persons with Print Disabilities", agree to the terms of use and send it. If you use the online form, please send the following documents to us by postal mail, fax, or email. To submit via email, please indicate your intention to do so in the online form.

If you have difficulty filling out these application forms, for reasons such as a disability, please contact the inquiries address at the end of this page.

4.2 Identification document

To verify your name, address, and date of birth as you entered in the application form, please present one of the following identification documents (Please send a hard copy if you will be processed by postal mail):

  • Passport (bearing your home address)
  • Resident card (bearing your home address)
  • Special permanent resident certificate (bearing your home address)
  • Student identification card (bearing your home address and date of birth)
  • Driver's license (bearing your home address)
  • Individual Number Card (My Number Card) (Please do not send the back side showing the personal number)
  • Copy of your resident registration card (issued within the past three months)
  • Identification issued by a public authority or equivalent (bearing your home address and date of birth)
  • *Each of the documents listed above must still be valid and bear your name, address, and date of birth.
  • *All the documents listed above must be within the term of validity.
  • *When submitting a copy of these documents, please make a copy of the face bearing your name, address, and date of birth. In the case of the document bearing your Individual Number (My Number), please be careful not to show the Individual Number on the copy. We will send back the copy of the identification documents submitted when the registration is completed.
  • *Please note that we do not accept the following documents:
    Example:
    • Student's identification card with no current address
    • Notification card of Individual Number (My Number)
    • Staff identification card
    • Commuter pass
    • Business card
    • Senior pass
    • Screenshots of identity documents on a website or smartphone application, etc.

4.3 Document that shows that you have a print disability

We accept the following documents to show that you have a print disability. Please submit one of the following (Please send us a hard copy if you are applying by postal mail):

  1. Physical disability certificate issued by the prefectural governor, etc
  2. Mental disability certificate issued by the prefectural governor, etc
  3. Rehabilitation certificate or similar certificate issued by the prefectural governor, etc.
  4. A document describing your disability prepared by a medical institution or medical professional
  5. A document describing your disability prepared by a person who conducts work in local governments related to the welfare of persons with disabilities
  6. A document describing your disability prepared by a school or the school's faculty
  7. A document equivalent to the above documents 1 to 3, issued by a government or public authority in a Contracting Party to the Marrakesh Treaty
  • *For 1, 2 and 3, the side showing your name, date of birth, and type and degree of disability is necessary.
  • *For 4, 5 and 6, the format does not matter, but it is necessary to show your name, date of birth, and condition of disability and the signature of the person who created the document. If you can select the language used in the document, please prepare in English.
  • *Please note that in the case of an application based on a certificate issued by a foreign institution, it may take several days to register due to confirming the submitted documents.

If you are not sure whether the document you can prepare is valid as a document that shows you have a print disability, please contact us before applying.

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5. Extension of the expiry date

The validity of your registration will expire after three years have passed since registration or the last update.

The expiration date is automatically updated every time the user does the following. However, for those who need to re-submit the document that shows that you have a print disability your expiration date will not be extended.

  • Enters the Tokyo Main Library or Kansai-kan Library
  • Is issued a new registered-user card
  • Updates information at the Tokyo Main Library or Kansai-kan, or by sending an application form via postal mail and the procedure is completed
  • Logs in to Mina Search or NDL Search
  • Makes a request for photoduplication service (The date will be extended 3 years from the day the NDL receives your request)

To enjoy our services for registered users even after expiration, you must apply for user registration again.

For details of the procedure for extending your expiration date by fax, please see "Extension of the expiration date".

  • You can check your expiration date on Mina Search or NDL Search. Please click the My Account link in the upper right corner of the screen when you log onto Mina Search or NDL Search.
  • If you have registered your email address, you will receive emails with a reminder approximately three months, a month and a week before the expiration date.

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6. Contact regarding user registration

6.1 Contact by fax or email

We will respond to the following inquiries.

  • When you want to confirm the documents submitted
  • When you have lost your certificate of user registration or registered user card
  • When you forget your User ID or Password
  • When you want to check your expiration date
  • To ask general questions about registration

Please contact us at the following fax number or email address:
Section of Library Support for Persons with Disabilities, Library Support Division, Kansai-kan of the National Diet Library
FAX: +81-774-94-9117
Email address: syo-tkyat n d l dot g o dot j p

6.2 Contact in the Library

We can help you at the following counters:

Tokyo Main Library

User Registration Counter (Annex, Entrance)
9:20-18:30 (-16:30 on Saturday)

Kansai-kan

Entrance Counter 9:30-17:30

International Library of Children's Literature

Researchers' Reading Room (Arch Building 2F)
Entrance Counter 9:30-16:30 of open days

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7. National Diet Library policy on handling personal information

The National Diet Library has implemented the following policy concerning the utilization and management of personal information obtained from patrons, pursuant to the Rules on the Protection of Personal Information at the National Diet Library (National Diet Library Rule No. 4, 2017) (PDF: 357KB). * Japanese only

For further inquiries about National Diet Library Patrons Personal Information Policy, please contact:

Service Planning Division
Reader Services and Collections Department
TEL: +81-3-3581-2331

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