Visiting Japanese children's libraries Professional Library Tour in Tokyo, after the 2006 IFLA Conference in Seoul

A tour of various kinds of children's libraries in Tokyo, one of the optional tours of the 2006 IFLA Conference in Seoul, co-sponsored by the National Diet Library (NDL) and the Japan Library Association (JLA), was held on August 27 and 28, 2006.

The participants were mainly members of the IFLA Libraries for Children and Young Adults Section and the Reading Section. They visited the International Library of Children's Literature (ILCL, Branch of the NDL), a national library in Ueno Park, Tokyo Children's Library, a private library in Nakano Ward in Tokyo, the Kodaira City Library, a public library in the suburbs of Tokyo, and Akasia Bunko Library, a unique Japanese private home library for children founded and managed by individuals or groups of volunteers using part of their own houses (see 2004-KN002).

At each library, they talked with staff members and exchanged views about various topics. At the ILCL, the staff gave a demonstration of storytelling in Japanese and one of the tour participants joined in and read a picture book titled The Very Hungry Caterpillar in English too.

The tour was very favorably received by four participants. They said they were satisfied to see various children's libraries and understand the history and the forms of library services for children in Japan.

After the tour, one of the participants, Patricia Muller, Children's and Youth Services Consultant working for the Library Development and Networking Division in the Library of Virginia, delivered a lecture at the Japan Library Association on "Sthe possibility of attractive young adult services."