Library and Information Science

Usually large libraries have staff training facilities for their own sake. These facilities are expected to be enhanced in the near future. Someone says a national library must have its own affiliate educational and research institute. But, because of its limited scale and nature, such an institute is never able to supersede library schools.

This paper discusses the essential nature of such training as usually offered to staff members of libraries, and tries to make clear in what points they differ from school education. Also, this paper suggests the needs for reinforcement of library education in Japan.

Every year, the National Diet Library recruits a very small number of library school graduates, so the majority of newly employed staff are non-library school graduates. As the library automation advances, the importance of strengthening staff training facilities should be more and more recognized. Especially in Japan such training facilities are needed, because the majority of recruited staff never move from one institution to another and stay on until their age of retirement.

In Japan, there was a Library Staff Training Institute located next to the former Imperial Library in Ueno, Tokyo. It was not an affiliate institution in substance but a library school.

Historically speaking, apprentice schools affiliated to large libraries have been superseded by library schools. This paper tries to make clear why it has been so and mentions the advantages of library school graduates as professionals over non-library school graduates.

The Library of Congress recruits outstanding library school graduates every year and provides them with 17 weeks intern program. As the Library of Congress does, libraries have to offer on-job training for their newly recruited library school graduates. It is because library schools teach their students theoretical aspects rather than practical ones, and the on-job training fills the gap between the two.

For the present in Japan, staff training courses are given at the University of Tokyo Library, Tokyo Metropolitan Central Library, Association of Private University Libraries, and National Diet Library.

In conclusion, the author stresses urgent needs for organized reinforcement of the staff training coordinated with library school education.