The Dream of Possessing
the World’s Knowledge
From the Library of Alexandria to Google

Akira NEMOTO
Lifelong Learning Infrastructure Management Course
Faculty of Education, the University of Tokyo

The figures, photos and moving images with ‡marks attached belong to their copyright holders. Reusing
or reproducing them is prohibited unless permission is obtained directly from such copyright holders.
(Notice: This material is a translation of the original material in Japanese by agency–translation errors may still exist)

Table of Contents
1.
2.

3.
4.

5.

6.

What is the National Diet Library (NDL) ?
Rising Interest in Electronic Books (e-books)
1.
Kindle and iPad
2.
Google book search
The Library as a Device for Stockpiling Knowledge
History of the Library1.
Library of Alexandria
2.
Modern libraries
3.
Libraries in Japan
Mechanisms for Systematizing Knowledge
1.
Classifications
2.
Metadata
3.
Full text searches
SummaryWhat is the National Diet Library (NDL)

National Library Kansai-kan,
Kyoto
http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/ファイル:National_Library_Kansai.jpg

Main Library in Nagatacho, Tokyo
http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/ファイル:NDL_Tokyo01st3200.jpg

International Library of Children’s Literature(Kokusai Kodomo Toshokan) in Ueno Park, Tokyo
http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/ファイル:International_Library_of_Children's_Literature.jpg

What does the National Diet
Library (NDL) Do?
 Through the legal deposit system, acquires a copy of

every work published in Japan.
 Compiles a National Bibliography.
 Preserves and makes available (for reading/viewing)
various materials.
 Provides various kinds of databases for use via theInternet.

Digital Library from the Meiji Era
 Materials that can currently be viewed include

roughly 130,000 volumes of the approximately
170,000 volumes dating from the Meiji era (18681912) and roughly 27,000 of the 90,000 volumes
dating from the Taisho era (1912-1926) in the NDL’scollection.
 Thanks to a supplementary budget of ¥12 billion last
fiscal year, this program is being expanded topublications from the Showa era (1926-1989).
 Dealing with copyright (which remains in effect until
50 years after the author’s death) can be very
complicated.

‡The NDL as an Expression ofNational Policy
 Research and Legislative Reference Bureau (Chosaoyobi Rippo Kosakyoku)

 Postwar reform ideals → Strengthening of the NationalDiet
 Research assistance services for Diet members
 “Only opposition party members utilize”
 Decision-making based on “knowledge”

 Branch Library System Separate library facilities/collections for the Supreme
Court and each ministry as the branches of NDL
 Support for administration and at the same time
monitoring of administration
 Related to separation of powers among three branchesof government

Rising Interest in Electronic Books
 Kindle
 Amazon— World’s

largest Internet
bookstore
 Terminal designed fore-book reading
 “Electronic paper”
 iPad Apple – Computer
manufacturer
 Universal electronic
device Color LCD

Shared Business Model Shift to databases for electronic book content
 Participation by book, newspaper andmagazine publishers Provision of easy-to-read terminals
 Models Similar to those of the MusicBusiness From packages (LPs, CDs) to webcast
 Are books following the same course?

The Google Book Search “Shock”
 Digitalization of book content in concert withlibraries.
 Libraries of several prestigious universities,

including Harvard, Princeton, the University ofMichigan, and Oxford University participating.
 Conversion of Images + Text (OCR technology)
 Clearance of copyright issues with “Fair UseProvision”
 Total text searches → snippet displays →bookstore purchases/in-library use/purchase ofentire text‡Two Aporia (Contradictions) regarding
the Distribution of Knowledge Technologies shifting frompackages to digital network
technologies
 From common-use (public)

sectors to commercial
sectors (markets)

 Will paper media disappear?
 Will publishers be producing“things” or producing“knowledge?” Information dissemination =Publication?
 What form will editing take?
 Will everything be included
as part of “Net business”?
 What will library employees
do?

The Library as a Device for
Stockpiling Knowledge
 Critical response to Google in various Europeancountries
 History of dealing with libraries as publicknowledge
 Knowledge is not amenable to market placecontrol
 Desire to compete with control by U.S.
 Collaboration among individual nations, eachcreating its own national digital library = World
Digital Library Only individual libraries can make this happen.

Ancient Library of Alexandria, Egypt
 Nexus for commercial andcultural interchanges in theancient Mediterranean world
 Cultural leaders from aroundthis world gathered here andat the Museion (Μουσείον,Museum) Why a library?
 Because learning andculture were transmitted
by copies written onpapyrus.
 The library was a place
where copies were madeby hand, and whereknowledge was copiedand stored.

http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/ファイル:Ancientlibraryalex.jpg‡
http://web1.nazca.co.jp/PAKARU/10-3EGYPT.htm

Bibliotheca
Alexandrina

Joint project between
UNESCO and the Egyptian
Government. Opened in2001.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:BA_day.jpg

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Egypt.Alexandria.BibliothecaAlexandrina.02.jpg

Libraries in Europe
 Churches and monasteries/convents at thesame time functioned as libraries
 One duty was to collect scattered documents

and leave them for later generations.
 Another duty was to research and annotate
the best “edition.” In more modern times, enlightened monarchs

vied to open royal libraries.
 Enlightenment = Liberation of Knowledge
 Photo on next page shows the BIBLIOTECAREALE – TURIN, ITALY.

‡Bibliographies and Documentation
 Attempts to intentionallyextract knowledge frombooks.
 Documentation by the“father of informationscience” Paul Otlet (18641944) Attempt to put on index
cards, the catalogues
and bibliographies oflibraries throughout theworld, andsystematically arrange
them for indexing.
 International Federationfor Information andDocumentation (FID)
and the Universal
Decimal Classification(UDC) system

http://www.mathewingram.com/work/2007/04/02/todays-interesting-link-the-mundaneum/Systemization of Knowledge in Libraries
 Classification
 Activities for systematic arrangement ofknowledge
 Bibliographies Activities for describing knowledge
 Meta-data
Searching by described essential categories
 Meta-data within books (contents, indexes, etc.) Full Text Searches Search activities geared to entire texts

Metadata Structure of NDL
Collection Catalogs

‡‡

‡
‡

Systemization of Knowledge in Libraries
 Classification
 Activities for systematic arrangement ofknowledge
 Bibliographies Activities for describing knowledge
 Meta-data
Searching by described essential categories
 Meta-data within books (contents, indexes, etc.) Full Text Searches Search activities geared to entire texts

Summary Google Book Search, Amazon Kindle and otherelectronic book business models are based on
the concept of the systemization of knowledge.
 From ancient times till their present incarnations,libraries have been paving the way for electronic
libraries through their reproductions of printed
materials, as well as card cataloging andclassification methods and other meta-datatechnologies.
 Does that mean that we no longer requirephysical libraries?
 Will “paper media” disappear?

References Bibliotheca Alexandrina Project

http://www.bibalex.jp/index.html
 The Structure of the World of Documents(Bunken sekai no kō o), Akira Nemoto, Keiso
Shobo, 1998 “Horizons for the Library Information
Sciences: 50 Key Words,” (Toshokanjohougaku no chihei: 50 Key Words) Edited
by Akira Nemoto, et. al., Japan LibraryAssociation (JLA), 2005