for the public have to a large extent
been reduced since the earthquake took palce. In the lending
department temporary seats
for readers have been placed between the
shelves.Kyoto Prefectural Library
Kyotofuritsu Toshokan
9, Seishoji-cho, Okazaki
Sakyo-ku, Kyoto-shi
Kyoto 606
Wednesday a.m. August 14th, 1996
Interview
Takio Takagi, Previous Director
The prefectural library is serving as a research library for in-library use and as a prefectural lending library for Kyoto prefecture. The library is located in Sakyo-ku, Kyoto-shi in the eastern part of Kyoto, and as there is no large city library in Kyoto the prefectural library is serving as public lending library for all citizens of Kyoto.
The present classical building
for the library is 80 years old and was damaged during the
1995-earthquake centered in Kobe. The second floor had to be
abandoned as the construction was no longer safe for library
purposes. All staff offices have thus been removed to former
public areas in the ground floor, the processing department to
the former reading room, and reading facilities for the public have to a large extent
been reduced since the earthquake took palce. In the lending
department temporary seats for readers have been placed between the
shelves.
A building program has been worked out including the total removal of the present library building and the construction of a new building on the very same location in five years from now, if the funding is treated favorably by the Kyoto prefecturate.
Kyoto prefecture has a population of 2.500.000 inhabitants, and the city of Kyoto itself 1.500.000 inhabitants.
The prefectural lending library
has periodicals and a book stock of 400.000 books, and
the research library section 600.000 books. The public lending
library has a daily circulation of 300 books free of charge.
Fifty local branches of the prefectural library system are serviced by a van carrying books ordered from the main library twice a month.
The library's use of IT is still in its initial phase. The implementation of LMS will be coordinated with the planned inauguration of the new library building in five years. Also a common network to link the prefectural branch libraries and the main library is being planned.
At present the use of IT for library staff is limited to four personal computers only:
- bibliographic IR
- for the use of cd-rom,
- for word-processing in the administration
- and for circulation control of part of the total collection circulating between the main library and the fifty branches.
Circulation control is being handled by means of stamp pad and charging cards and a card catalogue is offered for the retrieval of books in the collection. Micro readers for newspaper micro forms are available to the public.
The total number of staff at the prefectural public lending library including three branches is thirty-five, of this number twenty staff members are professional librarians. The former director and the present director are both professional librarians, whereas in other prefectural libraries You may find library managers who have been transferred from other sections of the prefectural services.
The salary level is fairly equal for professional librarians and clerical staff. The salary at a starting level is 150.000 Yen/month (US$ 1.500), and for staff having a thirty years period of seniority 450.000 Yen/month (US$ 4.500)
References:
(1) Libraries in the East / George Chandler. Seminar Press, London, 1971. 214 pages.
