The 110th All-Japan Library Conference (2024)

【2025-E001】

The 110th All-Japan Library Conference was held in Nagasaki Prefecture from November 30 to December 1, 2024, by the Japan Library Association (JLA) and other related organizations, combining face-to-face and online sessions (online sessions were held from November 30, 2024, to January 10, 2025), and there were 956 attendees. The slogan of this year’s conference was “Libraries Connect: People, Cities, Future. ―From Dejima (Nagasaki) in the 21st Century”.

There were keynote reports, the commemorative lecture by writer SAWADA Touko, and presentations and discussions of 15 section meetings.

Next year’s conference will be held in Ehime Prefecture in October 2025. It will take place face-to-face.

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

Section Meeting 3—School Libraries

Creating Expansive School Libraries Which Support Independent and Inquiry-based Learning

In the panel discussion, SAWADA Touko, schoolteachers and a high school student from Nagasaki Prefecture discussed how school libraries can play a key role in school education and help children access a variety of information, considering the issues school libraries and children today are faced with. The high school student suggested that having more conversations about books in the libraries would encourage more reading.

In addition, there were a total of four case reports delivered by teachers and school librarians from primary, junior high and high schools.

Section Meeting 4—Library Services for Children

One for All―Importance of Improved Training and Development

In the keynote speech, INOUE Yasuyo, a professor at Dokkyo University, shared her insights on the subject “Children’s Library Services” in courses for certified librarians in Japanese universities, comparing it with that of US universities. She also mentioned future challenges for improving the subject.

In a presentation, SHIMA Hiroshi, the chair of the committee for children and young people of JLA, presented how Children’s Library Services has been positioned in the past and present in the course for certified librarians.

In another presentation, HIROSE Miyuki, the founder and leader of Toraneko Bunko (a volunteer mini-library), presented some of its activities and argued for the importance of support from public libraries for Bunko activities and reading volunteers in Japan.

In addition, librarians from public libraries in Saga Prefecture and Nagasaki Prefecture gave case reports.

Section Meeting 8—User Education

Overseas Trends in Information Literacy Education―　Considering a Suitable Form for Japan

In a keynote speech, SETOGUCHI Makoto, a professor at Baika Women’s University, explained the Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education which was developed by the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), and shared his ideas about how libraries can take part in learning in the digital environment.

In another keynote speech, UEOKA Makiko, an Associate Professor of Teikyo University, presented the current US situation in which public and university libraries, where users have free access to a variety of technological devices, are getting more users. She mentioned that video games, especially, are strongly attracting people who previously had not visited libraries, improving children and young people’s sense of belonging to their community, and being used for career education and human resource development.

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(2025.3.26 update)
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