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Japan, report 2006

The Japanese Branch now has 61 individual members and 17 institutional members, namely 5 individual members and 5 institutional members fewer than last year. Because of the economical problems of libraries and the lack of recognition for librarians as experts, librarians in Japan do not work in an very easy situation. But the Japanese Branch expects to get some young, active members soon.

The annual activities of the Branch in this year include one Annual General Meeting (on the 20 May 2006), two Research Meetings, one friendly Party of Members and the Publication of three Issues of the Branch Newsletter.

Research Meetings

  • Discussion about copyright in music library (December 2005)
  • Discussion about music sources that are not open to the public in Japan.

As I have informed you last year in Warsaw, the Japanese Branch is now ready to discuss about the establishment of RISM Project with the cooperation of Japanese Musicological Society (The President of Japanese Musicological Society in Japan, Prof. Dr. Masakata Kanazawa is also participating in this congress). We will make effort to get some important collections now closed, open to the public and give you information of sources. Meanwhile we have begun to send RISM office data. The librarian of Kunitachi College of Music and at the current secretary of the Japanese Branch, Mrs.Yumiko HASEGAWA takes an active part in this project.

Publication of the Branch Newsletter

Newsletter No. 25 was published in August 2005, No.26 in December 2005 and No. 27 in March 2006. The Newsletter carries edited versions of papers and discussions given at research meetings, reports of the international congress and news of important developments in our fields.

Homepage

The homepage address of Japanese Branch is http://www.iaml.jp. Last year it was updated 6 times to provide Japanese members with news related to music libraries and other musical activities. This page is currently provided only in Japanese, but as I have promised you also in Warsaw, Mrs. Mari ITOH, who is in charge of out homepage (also participating in this congress), is now preparing the page in English.

Outreach

Ms. Yasuko TODO (Vice-President) is in charge of outreach for the Japanese Branch. We will do our best to help colleagues in Asia to participate in the congress in Sydney next year. Those who many need assistance should contact her.
Japanese Branch has many members. We appreciate that we receive much information and announcement from other branches but we haven't been able to reciprocate. I hope that the exchange of information will be smoother and better. For this purpose, our members at large have begun to bring this ideal to the reality and I am very thankful for their consciousness and activities.

Tsuneko ARAKAWA