Lecture meeting “Mission and role of the International Youth Library and its recent important projects” held on Feb. 25, 2018

【2018-E004】

The International Library of Children’s Literature (ILCL) of the National Diet Library (NDL) invited Dr. Christiane Raabe, Director of the International Youth Library (Internationale Jugendbibliothek: IJB) in Munich, Germany, for a lecture meeting titled “Mission and Role of the International Youth Library and its recent important projects” on Feb. 25, 2018.

Dr. Raabe started with an overview of the IJB and its history. Then she introduced several of its projects, such as: The White Ravens, an annual catalogue of notable children’s and young adult books from all over the world; the White Ravens Festival, a literature festival named after The White Ravens; Hello, Dear Enemy!, an exhibition about peace and humanity; and other recent projects with an aim to foster international understanding.

She ended the lecture with the statement, “Books are keys for children to open the door to the world, and librarians have those keys in their hands. Opening the right doors is our responsibility, opportunity and joy.”

The lecture was a valuable opportunity to reflect on the role of children’s libraries not only for ILCL staff members, but also for the rest of the audience. Many participants responded positively on a survey about the lecture, with over 98% indicating overall satisfaction.

For details, please refer to the following link (in Japanese).

「講演会 子どもの本よ、世界へ届け!―ミュンヘン国際児童図書館の目指すもの」『国立国会図書館月報』686号(2018年6月)

(2018.6.5 update)