The Collaborative Reference Database Project of
the National Diet Library of Japan
ByKiyoko MURAKAMIAssistant Director
Domestic Materials Acquisition DivisionAcquisitions Department
National Diet Library of JAPAN
April 1, 2004NCC Annual Open Meeting
Library services via Internet from 2002
NDL-OPAC Remote users can not only search bibliographic dat
a but also request copies of the found materials via the Internet
Digital library projects Digital Library from the Meiji Era Rare Books Image Database Digital Navigation Service (Dnavi) Web Archiving Project (WARP)
Collaborative Reference Database Project
One of the projects that the NDL also launched in 2002
An experimental project in digital library services
The project has just finished the original three-year experimental period
Will be released to the public from FY2005
Objectives of the Project
To collect and accumulate reference examples from all kinds of libraries in Japan and make a nation-wide database
To provide via the Internet to the world
To examine new possibilities of reference service in cooperation with libraries nationwide
The basic idea of the project
The NDL has long accumulated a heap of reference records in paper form that were hardly ever used again
Most of the databases which individual libraries have produced to keep their own reference records are too small to be useful
The basic idea of the project is to put these unused or underused reference records into one usable database
If such a database is available to everyone, it can be used as a tool for information and search
Progress of the Project
We started the system design in FY2002
We first invited the libraries to participate to the project in FY2003 and 148 libraries became members
With 4,500 case data, experimental operation started in FY2004
Two meetings were held to exchange information
Verification items
Effectiveness of reference examples when released on the web
Improvement in libraries' reference work enabled by the integrated database of reference examples
Methods of library cooperation using the database
Standard format for exchanging and sharing reference examples
System Framework
The Collaborative Reference Database System consists of four databases
1. Database of reference examples consisting of reference queries and answers
2. Database of manuals to find resources on specific subjects
3. Database of information on special collections (e.g. private collections) held in each library
4. Database of profile data of member libraries
Functions of the System
Member libraries can
input data such as reference examples and manuals directly onto the databases
produce data in the standard format and register massive amounts of data in block onto the databases
search across the four databases at the same time
use bulletin board function which helps exchange of information between members
Options to control access to database
To ensure the protection of personal information and privacy, reference records cannot be opened to the public without some kind of restriction
Three options to control access to the data: for their own reference only open to the member libraries open to the public
Each member library should be responsible for protecting its own data
Samples of display flow
Main display flows are shown as follows
Search page Results page
Detailed record page
Current State of the Project
Reference examples: 12,000 items Manuals: 171 items Data on special collections: 178 collections Member libraries: 283 (first 148) participants
Public libraries (60%), Academic libraries (27%), Special libraries (10%)
The level of access: for their own reference only: 50%open to the member libraries: 10%open to the public: 40%
Agenda and Perspectives
There are still several unresolved matters that we need to tackle
We need to increase the number of member libraries and the amount of data
We are planning to call for participation from overseas
We need to draw up an instruction manual to maintain the quality of the data
Enhancement of the system functions
We have added functions: Browsing, searching by analogy, and
displaying keywords To attach images when registering data and
to insert a comment on other members’ reference data
Member libraries can set up bulletin boards divided by subject
In the future, we will need new functions such as a collaborative answering system ・・・
Users’ queries became more complex…
Today anybody on the Internet can make easy instant searches
When users cannot find an answer on the Internet, they have come to turn to libraries more often than before
At the same time the queries have become more complex and sophisticated than before
Responsibilities in library reference
There are many popular question-answering services on the Internet
The merit of this system is the reliability of the answers because reference librarians can provide for users based on credible information sources
For today’s reference librarians, it is one of the most significant responsibilities to guarantee the credibility of information
For more information
Please contact ;
Digital Library Division, Projects Department
Kansai-kan of the National Diet Library
8-1-3 Seikadai, Seika-cho, Soraku-gun, Kyoto JAPAN 619-0287
tel: +81-774-98-1475
fax: +81-774-94-9118
email: [email protected]
Thank you for your attention
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