Tag - libraries

 
 

LIBRARIES

Michiko Aoyama’s “What You are Looking For Is in the Library” centers on a local library where five Tokyoites are gently guided through personal issues by kindly librarian Sayuri Komachi.
CULTURE / Books
Nov 13, 2023
‘What You are Looking For is in the Library’: A tender tale with a touch of whimsy
Five readers discover comfort and direction at their local library in Michiko Aoyama’s novel, which offers a believable take on modern life in Tokyo.
The idea of renting a library bookshelf has proved popular in some areas.
CULTURE
Oct 3, 2023
Libraries with individually owned bookshelves spreading in Japan
Such libraries are helping revitalize local communities by creating a place where people can mingle through events.
Japan Times
WORLD / Society
Jan 31, 2022
Book ban efforts spread across the U.S.
Challenges to books are nothing new, but according to educators, librarians and free-speech advocates, the tactics and venues where they play out are changing.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health
Dec 10, 2020
Japanese libraries hope UV machine gives visitors peace of mind
Libraries across the country are installing the machine, which takes 30 seconds to sterilize a book using UV light and flutter its pages to clear out dust.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 29, 2020
Libraries turn the page on COVID-19 as readers are welcomed back
With some customers still cautious, libraries are employing a range of measures to help their service get back to normal.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
May 1, 2020
Closed bookstores and libraries remain a challenge for bibliophiles
Japan is a nation of bibliophiles and while bookstores saw a spike in sales as schools closed due to the outbreak of COVID-19, publishers now worry about the impact on the broader industry.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Nov 10, 2017
Are libraries to blame for Japan's slump in bunko paperback book sales?
Kiyondo Matsui, the president of the publishing house Bungei Shunju, spoke at this year's All-Japan Library Conference, which took place in Tokyo on Oct. 12 and 13. During his talk, Matsui asked the assembled professionals to no longer acquire bunko editions of books for lending in their libraries.
LIFE / Style & Design
May 26, 2016
Kobe library houses broad collection of worldwide fashion books
In the port city of Kobe, where the apparel industry and other fashion-related sectors have blossomed under Western influence since it opened to foreign trade in 1868, a unique library at the Kobe Fashion Museum boasts an extensive collection of fashion books and magazines from around the world.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
May 9, 2016
Aichi town residents setting up mini libraries to get locals reading, chatting
Higashiura Town Central Library in Aichi Prefecture is working with local residents to build mini libraries in the town so that residents have more opportunities to read books. Through it, the effort aims to nurture a stronger community.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 21, 2015
Aichi city nixes 'Tsutaya Library' project amid public opposition
The city of Komaki, Aichi Prefecture, has officially scrapped a plan to build a next-generation public library in collaboration with video rental giant Tsutaya after the majority of its residents voted it down in a referendum earlier this month.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Oct 17, 2015
Councilors get loud on library revamps
As testimony to their characteristically low profile, Japan's public libraries seldom make the news, although two recent exceptions come to mind.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Aug 23, 2015
Novelist Ishiguro's notes and works head to Texas library
The sweeping archives of award-winning novelist Kazuo Ishiguro will be heading to a University of Texas research library, including a discarded opening chapter for his best-known book, "The Remains of the Day," the university said.
Japan Times
JAPAN / History
Aug 7, 2015
Memoir focuses on late librarian's work on censorship in occupied Japan
Keiko Okuizumi completed her memoir earlier this year, in which she describes her late husband Eizaburo's work as a librarian at U.S. universities who had a special interest in censored publications in occupied Japan after the end of World War II.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 24, 2015
Newspapers play a critical role in education
Attempting to shield students from the realities of life that newspapers cover on a daily basis is an exercise in futility.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 11, 2013
Bid to shift libraries to social spaces turns page on stale bookworm image
A new library that opened in Funabashi, Chiba Prefecture, in April is not an ivory tower of books, but an innovative attempt to boost liquor sales and interest in libraries themselves.

Longform

Later this month, author Shogo Imamura will open Honmaru, a bookstore that allows other businesses to rent its shelves. It's part of a wave of ideas Japanese booksellers are trying to compete with online spaces.
The story isn't over for Japan's bookstores