The 109th All-Japan Library Conference (2023)

【2024-E002】

The 109th All-Japan Library Conference was held in Iwate Prefecture from November 16 to 17, 2023, by the Japan Library Association (JLA) and other related organizations. The conference was the first face-to-face gathering in four years, following three online ones during the COVID-19 pandemic, and there were 671 attendees. The slogan of this year’s conference was “The Utopia of Ihatov: What is True Happiness? ―A Hopeful Future Is with Libraries.” (“Ihatov” is considered to be Japan’s Iwate Prefecture, existing as a dreamland in the imagination of Kenji Miyazawa, Iwate-born poet and children’s book author.)

On the 16th, there was the opening ceremony, the 39th Library Architecture Award ceremony, the keynote report and the commemorative lecture by Dr. HONMA Mareki, an astronomer.

On the 17th, attendees immersed themselves in presentations and discussions of 14 section meetings, as well as visiting exhibitions. Each meeting covered different topics and library types.

Next year’s conference will be held in Nagasaki Prefecture in November 2024. It will be largely online, while the commemorative lecture and some section meetings will take place face-to-face.

Below are summaries of presentations related to library services for children and young adults from two section meetings.

Section Meeting 3—School Libraries

Invigorating School Libraries to Make Them More Attractive and User-Friendly

Keynote speeches and reports were given in the morning and afternoon respectively. There was also time for a discussion at the end of the session.

In the morning keynote speech, ASANO Yuichi from the Sendai City Library presented collaborative activities of the Sendai City Library and local schools, including the use of the Sendai E-books Library in schools. These initiatives are based on the view that ICT equipment helps conventional educational practices work better to develop children's competencies.

In the afternoon, YUKAWA Yasuhiro, a high school librarian, gave a keynote speech on the practical steps he took to transform a dormant school library into a lively one.

There were a total of four case reports about efforts to enhance school vitality through school library activities, delivered by a primary school teacher, a junior high school teacher, and two high school teachers, all from the host region, Tohoku.

Section Meeting 4—Library Services for Children

[1] Let Children Enjoy Reading

In the keynote speech, HARIKAE Keiko, President of the Tokyo Children’s Library, mentioned that we are in a changing situation where there has been a flood of electronic media, the internet has rapidly become widespread, the reason for libraries to exist is questioned, and smartphones are more commonly used in child rearing instead of picture books. She shared her ideas about how to face this difficult time.

After the keynote speech, librarians from the Tokyo Children's Library and a municipal library in Iwate Prefecture, respectively, presented examples of their services for children.

[2] How Reading Affects Children

In the keynote speech, Dr. SAKAI Kuniyoshi, a professor at the University of Tokyo, delivered a lecture titled “The need for children to read in the digital age.” He noted that the emergence of conversational AI, in addition to the heavy use of the internet due to the pervasion of mobile devices, posed a major threat to children’s reading habits. He championed, as a countermeasure to this threat, the importance of reading to foster imagination and the ability to think.

After the keynote speech, a volunteer story time group from Iwate Prefecture and a picture book expert, respectively, presented examples of their services for children.

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(2024.3.26 update)
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