to the citizens of Tokyo.Tokyo Metropolitan Hibiya Library
Tokyotoritsu Hibiya Toshokan
1-4 Hibiya Koen
Chiyoda-ku
Tokyo 100
Tuesday p.m. 20.08.1996.
Interview:
Hiromi Watanabe, Director
Yoshikazu Seki, Associate Director, Subdivision 1.
The Hibya Library is located in Hibya park area in central Tokyo, to the south of the Imperial Palace. The library was first opened to the public at the present site in 1908. Since then it has served as the central public library in the Tokyo area until January 1973, when the Tokyo Metropolitan Central Library was opened. The building was partially damaged by the great earthquake and fire in 1923, but within a month after the disaster, the library resumed its activities.
During World War II the library bought private book collections and evacuated them together with its own special collections to protect the national heritage. These collections still constitute the special collections of the library stock. However, toward the end of the war, on May 25th. 1945, the library was air-raided and as a result it lost almost all books for general service, books which had been accumulated from the beginning of the Showa era (1925).
A three-storied library building was reconstructed in 1957 in a first stage of rebuilding, and in 1961 the present four storied library building was completed. The site and the building are both triangular, and the library has a capacity of 450 seats for study purpose within the library. The total stock comes to 500.000 volumes, half of which is placed on open shelves. The library has its stock in the central part on each floor of the triangular building, thus allowing the maximum use of natural light in the reading rooms surrounding the core. The total floor area is 10.154 m2.
Plans are at present being considered to demolish the building and erect a modern library building on the very same spot. A continuation in use of a central location also noticed in the case of Kyoto Prefectural Library.
The library is included in the
overall structure of Tokyo Municipal Library and has since 1973
been a central lending unit in the capital's public library
system and major portions of its collections were removed to the
new established Central Library in Minato-ku. Not until 1967 did
Hibya Library introduce lending service to the citizens of Tokyo.
The opening hours are Monday - Friday 10.00 a.m.- 8.00 p.m. and on Saturdays and Sundays 10.00 a.m.- 5.00 p.m.
The main activities of Hibya library includes:
The library offers lending service to inhabitants in Tokyo
Hibiya library houses 125.000 volumes in Japanese mainly published in the last five years, including those for young adults, but excluding 80.000 books for children. Also 4.600 foreign books, mainly in English, are offered the users. For children You find 6.000 volumes of foreign books and 4.500 volumes of books on children's literature. At the library is registered 58.000 borrowers, and 335.000 volumes are borrowed on a yearly basis. Up to five books can be borrowed for four weeks.
In the periodical collection
1.162 titles of magazines are found, including 36 foreign titles.
Also 183 titles of newspapers on sticks, including 11 foreign titles. Periodicals are
heavily used in the library and are not to be taken out for
reading at home.
The department for juvenile and children material offers not only circulation and reference services to users interested in these fields, but also offers supporting services for public libraries in the Tokyo area. The size of the collection is 89.000 volume of children's books since the Meji era (1868-1912) including foreign picture books and materials for study. Five books can be borrowed at a time for five weeks. Reading materials in the Juvenile Materials Room may only be read in the room and cannot be circulated. Books are to be taken out by children up to the sixth grade of primary school, but as a common feature in a large metropolis only few children are living in the central part of the city.
On the other hand, the library is having a challenging social mission to the homeless people, dwelling in the park and using the library as a place for shelter and rest. A policy regarding this clientele is still to be worked out.
The audio-visual service offers
16mm films and projectors to groups, and music recordings on cd,
tape and records for individual users. Videos are also included.
The av-collection also has a fine special collection, comprising
1.777 sets of famous kamishibai,
pictures for picture-story shows. Up to five audio-visual items
can be borrowed for 15 days. In a year the department circulates
4.600 reels of movie films, 21.000 music recordings, 190
film-strips and 4.700 tape recordings. In the auditorium in the
basement local cultural film and international film showings are
presented regularly.
A staffed photocopying service is limited to library holdings and provided according to the provisions of the Copyright Law.
Returned books may be dropped at the night-drop-box at the entrance, but audio-visual material are returned only at the counter.
The library has special facilities for the handicapped, and on fourth floor a well equipped room for recording of booktapes for the blind has been set up.
The Hibya Library implemented
LMS in 1988, offering opac to the library users and circulation control 
was started same year in the general
counter on 2nd floor. In the charging of materials hand scanners
are being used in the counter.
References:
(1) Tokyo Metropolitan Central Library: Hibiya Library: Tama Library / Tokyo Metropolitan Central Library, 1993. 18 pages. [All figures mentioned are from this source].
(2) User's Guide to the Tokyo Metropolitan Hibiya Library. Pamphlet, 1993.
