Activity Performance Evaluation in FY2022

The National Diet Library (NDL) has widely promoted its vision, "National Diet Library, Vision 2021-2025: The Digital Shift at the National Diet Library" (hereinafter referred to as "Vision 2021-2025"). Based on the purpose of Vision 2021-2025, we perform Activity Performance Evaluation at the end of each fiscal year to assess achievements in our initiatives and basic roles formulated in Vision 2021-2025.

In order to carry out these evaluations in an objective manner, we have established a set of evaluation indicators and associated indicators. Evaluation indicators are designed to provide a means of describing internal library operations, services provided to patrons, and other library services that can be quantified in terms of time required or other objective factors, and for which targets can be established at the beginning of each fiscal year in accordance with the scale and nature of the operations involved, thereby allowing emerging trends to be identified through comparison with the achievement level of previous years. Associated indicators are largely influenced by external factors out of the control of the NDL, which makes the establishment of targets less than meaningful, even though these indicators are useful in identifying emerging trends that affect library operations.

As the framework for the Activity Performance Evaluation is formulated based on Vision 2021-2025, we evaluate activities concerning our initiatives in addition to general activities, which correspond to the "basic roles" in Vision 2021-2025. Evaluation of each general activities category uses set phrases considering the achievement levels for evaluation indicators and trends exhibited by associated indicators, as well as the state of implementation of each activity. Evaluation of each initiatives activities category involves a qualitative assessment that includes comprehensive consideration of the status of the achievement.

All evaluation results are as follows:
Evaluation details for Activity Performance Evaluation in FY2022 (only in Japanese) (PDF: 487KB)

Overview and objectives

We will continue to utilize all available library materials as well as databases and other digital information resources to provide highly reliable responses to requests from Diet members for objective research and analysis. We will undertake research on national policy issues in order to facilitate the deliberation of national affairs, and we will publish the results of this research for use in responding to requests for research. We will also hold policy seminars at which we present our research to Diet members.

We will work to enhance our research services by strengthening cooperation with universities, research facilities, and other parliamentary institutions, both in Japan and overseas, as a means of proactively acquiring a wide range of advanced academic knowledge.

We will continue to undertake a wide range of research projects on basic national policy issues as well as policies related to science and technology—many of which are subject to legal, social, and ethical challenges—and examine these issues from a comprehensive and advanced perspective available through the expertise of outside experts. Moreover, we will make the results of these studies openly available to the public. In FY2022, we will carry out an interdisciplinary research project, "Inequality, Distribution and Economic Growth," and three science and technology research projects ("International Trends and Issues in the Utilization of Space," "Risk Communication regarding Science and Technology: New Challenges and Developments," and "Issues and Prospects of Decarbonization Technology to Achieve Carbon Neutrality by 2050").

We will also continue to work to provide both Diet members and the general public with easy access to information generated by the National Diet, including the Full-Text Database System for the Minutes of the Diet as well as the Index Database to Japanese Laws, Regulations and Bills. These resources will be enhanced with content and functionality developed by the NDL as part of our role in helping to connect the Diet with the people it represents.

Evaluation

We achieved our objectives.

Overview and objectives

We will continue to acquire a wide range of domestic publications through the legal deposit system. We will also continue to acquire the websites of national agencies, municipal governments, and other public institutions, as stipulated in the National Diet Library Law, as well as the content of privately operated websites involved in the recording of historical events or which are otherwise of public importance, with the permission of their webmasters. We will continue to collect e-books and e-magazines that are made available free of charge and without Digital Rights Management. Moreover, we will prepare for the start of the acquisition of commercially available e-books and e-magazines around January 2023.

We will continue to compile databases of bibliographic information for domestically published books and magazines, such as the Japanese Periodicals Index, which are made available to the public via the Internet.

We intend to preserve and ensure future access for library materials, which are the shared cultural heritage of the nation. To this end, we will undertake measures for long-term preservation, including digitization of printed materials and the management of a proper environment for preserving and repairing damaged materials.

Evaluation

We achieved most of our objectives.

Overview and objectives

We will continue to provide remote photoduplication services available by request via the Internet, as well as interlibrary loans and reference services via public and university libraries. In particular, for the upward trend of remote photoduplication services, we will improve the process and enhance the service level (time to delivery). In addition, we will make available a wide range of value-added information, such as search guides and digital exhibitions.

We will continue to work to digitize materials as well as make those for which copyright protection has expired available via the Internet. Through the Digitized Contents Transmission Service for Libraries, we will let patrons of public or university libraries access digitized versions of difficult-to-obtain materials that are not ordinarily available via the Internet. We will also launch our Digitized Contents Transmission Service for Individuals around May 2022, and we will start to provide printout functions with this service in January 2023.

Furthermore, we will continue to offer browsing, copying, and reference services at the Tokyo Main Library, the Kansai-kan, and the International Library of Children's Literature (ILCL), and taking advantage of online formats, we will also hold events such as lectures, with due attention to prevention of the spread of COVID-19. Regarding the Tokyo Main Library, we will increase the number of materials a patron can request at one time, and we will extend opening hours of the Modern Japanese Political History Materials Room (Kensei-shiryôshitsu) on weekdays based on patrons’ demands. Regarding the Kansai-kan, we will hold events commemorating its 20th anniversary.

In cooperation with our affiliated institutions, we will continue to convert academic literature into text data or audio books and collect DAISY and braille data produced by other libraries, and will provide these materials to qualified users via the Internet.

The ILCL will continue to provide children with the opportunity to become familiar with books and libraries through support for the promotion of children's reading activities and services for children.

Evaluation

We achieved most of our objectives.

Overview and objectives

We will continue to provide training and information to libraries in Japan, including by online means, in support of their activities and human resource development, sharing our expertise in library sciences to help improve the operations and services of libraries throughout Japan.

We will continue to participate in the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) and other international activities and interact with other libraries such as the National Library of China and the National Library of Korea, through which we will work to solve problems that are universal to all libraries.

Moreover, we will continue to employ data linkage via the Internet to provide our patrons with a variety of data-linkage platforms that access digitized materials or search guides for Japanese libraries, with the intent to support comprehensive access to and utilization of information resources in Japan.

Evaluation

We achieved our objectives.

Overview and objectives

We will increase the volume of digital materials available via the Internet or at local libraries. Based on the Act Partially Amending Japan's Copyright Act (Act No. 52 of 2021), we will launch a transmission service for out-of-print or otherwise difficult-to-obtain materials for individuals around May 2022, and will support its printout functionality in January 2023.

We will develop an integrated search service for materials for persons with disabilities and release its beta version. Along with that, we will make full-text data generated from digitized materials available to persons with print disabilities. Moreover, based on the Basic Plan for Promoting Improved Reading Environments for the Visually Impaired, we will draw up a draft of guidelines for accessible e-book services in libraries through cooperation with concerned bodies.

Using our accumulated expertise, vast amounts of materials and information will be curated and made available to the general public, including guides to efficient research and introductions to materials about specific fields.

Evaluation

With the enforcement of the Act Partially Amending Japan's Copyright Act (Act No. 52 of 2021), we launched our Digitized Contents Transmission Service for Individuals in May 2022, which makes digitized versions of out-of-print or otherwise difficult-to-obtain materials available via the Internet to the general public who reside in Japan. We also started supporting its printout functionality in January 2023.

In March 2023, Mina Search (beta) was opened to the public as an integrated search service for materials for persons with disabilities, with which full-text data of about 2.47 million items generated from digitized materials became available to persons with print disabilities. Moreover, aiming to facilitate introduction of accessible e-books to libraries, we convened a review meeting composed of experts and concerned bodies and drew up the Digital Library Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 (Draft).

We renewed Research Navi to organize and integrate its contents as well as to improve its usability and accessibility. We enriched the content of our digital exhibitions such as adding portrait photographs of 159 people to the Portraits of Modern Japanese Historical Figures and over 4,500 images to the NDL Image Bank.

Overview and objectives

We will digitize about 48 million frames of our collection to achieve our vision of making all domestic publications available in digital form. We will also consult with concerned bodies and conduct research for the utilization of the full-text data generated from digitized materials.

We will make preparations to start the acquisition of commercially available e-books and e-magazines around January 2023. Moreover, we will strive to achieve long-term preservation of digital materials by collecting digital materials of other institutions, converting media that are no longer playable into usable formats, and other initiatives.

Japan Search will connect digital archives across a range of specializations in support of the creation of an environment that enables information and data to be made open and fully utilized.

Evaluation

We digitized about 51 million frames of our collection such as books, magazines, newspapers, and old materials. Moreover, we renewed the NDL Digital Collections in December 2022 and have enabled full-text search using the full-text data generated from digitized materials. We also took advantage of the data to develop the NDL Ngram Viewer which launched in May 2022, an experimental service which visualizes the frequency of occurrence of query words and phrases by publication date.

We started the acquisition of commercially available e-books and e-magazines under the provisions of the law in January 2023 after revising regulations and building a consensus among stakeholders. We also published a study report based on the results of a survey on long-term preservation of digital materials in which about 3,000 domestic institutions gave valid responses.

6 aggregators and 32 databases were newly connected to Japan Search. We promoted its utilization by releasing text-to image search functionality and holding workshops for participating organizations.