Commemorating the 10th Anniversary of the Opening of the International Library of
Children's Literacture(ILCL)Congratulatory Messages
The following are congratulatory messages the ILCL has received from related organizations in Japan and abroad
on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of its opening.
Patricia Aldana President of the International Board on Books for Young
People (IBBY)
Japanese children are so very lucky to have such a beautiful library where they can find wonderful
Japanese
books and also see what children around the world are reading. It is only by getting to know each other
through the very best books that we can know how fully human each of us is, no matter where we come from.
Children need books that are windows so they can see the world beyond themselves and children need books that
are mirrors so that they can know themselves better. Japan's society grows more and more complex every day
as more and more children from other places come to live amongst you and share their lives with you. You can
all learn about each other and learn to love and respect each other by reading and looking at the windows and
mirrors you can find in this library.
Sybille A. Jagusch Chief, Children's Literature Center, Library of
Congress
Happy Tenth Anniversary!
My admiration for Japanese picture books goes back to 1979 when I served on the Hans Christian
Andersen Award Jury. Suekichi Akaba was the jury's final nominee and I always believed that he won the
Andersen medal –
in part – due to my enthusiastic comments during the jury meetings.
Japan is known for exquisite art and design and Japanese picture books are a part of that
creative tradition.They have come to the United States – in translation – for over half a century and have
greatly
enriched
American children's literature.
Congratulations on your exhibiting these fine Japanese ambassadors.
Dr. Sybille A. Jagusch
Chief, Children's Literature Center, Library of Congress
Sook-Hyeun Lee Director of the South Korean National Library for
Children and Young Adults
Nice to meet you all.
I'm Sook-Hyeun Lee, Director of the South Korean National Library for Children and Young Adults.
I extend my sincere congratulations on the 10th anniversary of the opening of the ILCL in Japan.
Children represent the hope and future of a country. It is our responsibility as adults to create an
environment in which children can grow up healthily and then play a leading role in various fields of
society. Libraries are an important social institution in helping children to foster their dreams and
imagine a brighter future through reading books.
Since its opening in 2000, the ILCL has actively promoted diverse projects to develop and expand the
library's services for children, showing us how to create a better reading environment for children and what
roles libraries should play. I believe that the ILCL has been making excellent progress as a model library
for others to follow.
We, at the South Korean National Library for Children and Young Adults, wish to promote a sustainable and
closer relationship with the ILCL. We also hope to work together toward the further development of libraries
in both countries and the further improvement of the quality of services provided to children worldwide, by
sharing valuable experience and information with each other.
We also hope that as in the ILCL principle, “Children's books link the world and open up the future,” this
exhibition for Japanese books translated and published in foreign countries will serve as an opportunity to
promote the mutual understanding and friendship of children in Japan and abroad.
Again, congratulations and best wishes for the further sustainable development of the ILCL. Thank you.
Sook-Hyeun Lee
Director of the South Korean National Library for Children and Young Adults
Geneviève Patte President, French association for promoting reading
“Laissez-les Lire” (“Let them Read”)
At “La Petite Bibliothèque
Ronde” (Little Round Library), a children's library located in Clamart, a working-class city
near Paris, “Guri to gura” has long been a good friend of local children. Children have enjoyed many other
books from Japan. They show their surprise at Mitsumasa Anno's amazing, novel ideas; marvel at the very
unique picture books written by Katsumi Komagata, Kota Taniuchi, and Keizaburo Tejima; and feel moved by the
tales of old Japan by Suekichi Akaba. We have all been absolutely charmed by the delicate and sensitive art
and the spirit of the children described in the Japanese picture books. Today, we at La Petite Bibliotheque
Ronde would also like to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the opening of the ILCL in Japan. We wish for the
ILCL to continue to increase its luster through delivering and spreading its great treasures to children
throughout the world.
Geneviève Patte
President, French association for promoting reading “Laissez-les Lire” (“Let them Read”)
Christiane Raabe Director, Internationale Jugendbibliothek
An idea travels around the world
60 years ago, Jella Lepman, the founder of the Internationale Jugendbibliothek (International
Youth Library)
in Munich / Germany – the first library for international children's literature – was convinced that
children's books can build bridges between different people and cultures. It is obvious that, in order
to do so, these books need special places. The ILCL in Japan is one such place of communication and reading
promotion and it is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. I am delighted that this “bridge of
children's books” connects Germany and Japan and would like to wish the ILCL all the best for
their future and many successful and fruitful encounters within the boundless world of international
children's and young adult literature. I hope that a lot of readers, both young and old, will discover
and enjoy the Japanese children's books in this exhibition!
Takeo Kawamura House of Representatives member and the President of
the Parliamentary League to Consider the Future of Children
I support the International Library of Children's Literature, which is a veritable “magic
box” for children!
In 1993, the League of Diet Members for the Founding of the International Library of Children's Literature
was established by supra-party Diet members, aiming at the creation of an international library of
children's literature. As one of its members, I actively worked in the Diet. As a result, the opening
ceremony for the International Library of Children's Literature was held in the presence of Empress Michiko
in May 2000. I cannot believe how quickly time has flown past. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the
founding of the ILCL.
The League achieved the goal of setting up the ILCL and encouraged both the upper and lower houses of the
Diet to adopt resolutions to designate the year 2000 as the National Year of Reading for Children. In the
following year, the League was reorganized into the “League of Diet Members for Considering the Future of
Children,” and the Law on the Promotion of Reading Activities for Children was enacted. The Parliamentary
League to Consider the Future of Children has also played a part in the promotion of international
exchanges. Through the “Children's Dream Fund” established through the initiative of the League, a project
was launched to promote international exchange through children's books among children in Japan, China and
South Korea, all of which share a common culture based on Chinese characters. In the project, seven exchange
activities have been held so far. In each event, a total of 100 children (25 each from China and South Korea
and 50 from Japan) participated in a one-week camp held in Japan. They discussed children's stories from
their own countries, and created picture-story shows and picture books. Through such activities, the
participants unexpectedly discovered the fact that each country has many similar stories. One example is the
legend of hagoromo, which was published in three languages. This makes us realize that although differences
in historical perception among the three countries sometimes become political issues, we are all citizens of
Asia, transcending national boundaries.
Books possess a magical power that exposes us to diverse cultures and provides us with firsthand knowledge
of differences in culture between Japan and other countries. The ILCL is a small box filled with such
magical power. The library is expected to continue to provide an opportunity for children to open the door
to the infinite world of books in various ways. I will continue to support the ILCL as a self-appointed
cheerleader.
Yoshiro Kasahara President, the Liaison Committee to Consider the
International Library of Children's Literature
Hoping that the ILCL's 10th anniversary will serve as a springboard for its further
development
In May 5, 2000, Children's Day in Japan, in the last year of the 20th century, the ILCL was opened to the
public, under the catchphrase “the greatest gift to children in the 21st century.” On that day, a dream long
shared by many child book lovers was finally realized.
Ten years have since passed, and the ILCL has grown dramatically because of the tireless efforts of its
successive director generals and staff members, as well as support from various quarters wishing for its
further development. The library now boasts a collection of nearly 300,000 titles of children's books and
related materials, and supports various activities and events concerning children's books and children's
reading, ranging from the holding of exhibitions and lectures to a wide variety of media/information
services. By October 2008, more than 1 million people had visited the library. In 2009, a new project was
launched to expand and improve the facilities. I hope that the 10th anniversary of the opening of the ILCL
will provide momentum for making the next leap forward as a national center of children's literature that
Japan can be proud of. We, at the Liaison Committee to Consider the International Library of Chirldren's
Literature, will further reinforce our support for the ILCL in close coordination with the Parliamentary
League to Consider the Future of Children, for the sake of “linking the world and open up the future”
through children's books.
Yoshiro Kasahara
President, the Liaison Committee to Consider the International Library of Children's
Literature
Noboru Shiomi President, Japan Library Association
Congratulations on the ILCL's 10th anniversary, and our expectation for its role In 2000, the ILCL was
founded as a branch specializing in children's literature of the National Diet Library, whose primary duty
is to collect and preserve Japanese publications as the nation's cultural and intellectual assets and to
function as a library for libraries. Since then, 10 years have passed, and the ILCL's services and
activities have increasingly received high acclaim and appreciation from Japan and abroad.
The ILCL has been devoted to the introduction and release of children's literature and related materials to
the public, by building a valuable digital archive for children's books and holding exhibitions and various
other events under very appealing themes, taking full advantage of its large comprehensive collection of
titles. The library has also acted as a powerful stimulant to create a new culture for children. It is an
important task for a national library to support public libraries' services for children and school library
activities.
I hope that, seizing on the 10th anniversary of its opening, the ILCL will step up its efforts to enrich
its services and improve its infrastructure, as well as to continuously serve as a base for child culture to
enrich children's sensitivities and give children the hope and strength to live.
