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Funding and governance of library and information services for visually impaired people: international case studies
Part2:Country studies
Japan
Materials Supply (Libraries for Visually Impaired People)
Braille
Original materials supplied: Most of the original materials are purchased by libraries. Some materials published in the form of Braille are also purchased.
Conversion: Braille transcribers and volunteers registered at the libraries.
On-demand: Some are on-demand of users. Others are selected by library staffs in a selection meeting as appropriate for collection and produced
Stock: Most are properly produced and always available to users as a library collection. [Braille download ? Most of the Braille books produced by each library for visually impaired people are transcribed by using PC, whose data are uploaded to "Naive Net" to be downloaded by users. Presently 185 organizations are the members of the Net and Braille data of 80,000 titles are registered and there are 4,500 individual users. The Braille data can be downloaded through "Biblio-Net", too.]
Targets for range/depth/speed: Standard period for production of best sellers is within 6 months, while that for other books is within 1 year. We try to produce as soon as possible.
Audio - standard cassette and standard CD
Original materials supplied: Most of the original materials are purchased by libraries. In a very few cases, cassette books and CD Books already published are presented by charitable persons.
Conversion: Narrators and volunteers registered at the libraries. Some library staffs.
On-demand: Some are on-demand of users. Others are selected by library staffs in a selection meeting as appropriate for collection and produced
Stock: Most are properly produced and always available to users as a library collection.
Targets for range/depth/speed: We try to produce as soon as possible, but there is no target speed.
Audio Daisy
Original materials supplied: Most of the original materials are purchased by libraries.
Conversion: Narrators and volunteers registered at the libraries. Some library staffs.
On-demand: Some are on-demand of users. Others are selected by library staffs in a selection meeting as appropriate for collection and produced
Stock: Most are properly produced and always available to users as a library collection.
Targets for range/depth/speed: We try to produce as soon as possible, but there is no target speed
Digital audio download
Original materials supplied: ----.
Conversion: As it is not allowed by Copyright Law, digital audio download is not available. However, Streaming distribution is available through Biblio-Net operated by Japan Braille Library and Nippon Lighthouse Welfare Center for the Blind
On-demand: ----.
Stock: ----.
Targets for range/depth/speed: ----.
Daisy text and audio
Original materials supplied: Almost none.
Conversion: ----.
On-demand: ----.
Stock: Some libraries purchase and possess several titles which are published.
Targets for range/depth/speed: ----.
Large print
Original materials supplied: Original materials are purchased by libraries or borrowed from users or volunteers.
Conversion: Volunteers registered at the libraries. Library staffs.
On-demand: On-demand of users and selection by libraries.
Stock: 20% of libraries for visually impaired people provide large print books.
Targets for range/depth/speed: ----.
Others
Original materials supplied: ----.
Conversion: ----.
On-demand: ----.
Stock: ----.
Targets for range/depth/speed: ----.
Criteria for collection decisions (public libraries)
- Winners of literary prizes/reviews: 10% of titles
- On-demand by the clients: 60% of titles
- Library staffs 30% of titles
Criteria for collection decisions (libraries for visually impaire people)
- Winners of literary prizes: All the books that won Akutagawa Award and Naoki Award are produced
- Selected by library staffs with reference to reviews: 60% of titles
- On-demand by the clients: 40% of titles
| Material kinds | Titles: No. of Libraries |
Titles: No. of titles |
Stocks: No. of Libraries |
Stocks: No. of volumes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Talking books (Cassette tape) |
423 | 180,617 | 440 | 776,266 |
| Talking books (DAISY) | 67 | 10,367 | 64 | 12,970 |
| Talking magazines (Cassette tape) |
84 | 4,387 | 72 | 25,040 |
| Talking magazines (DAISY) |
7 | 170,156 | 6 | 53,550 |
| Braille books | 644 | 99,827 | 705 | 314,008 |
| Braille magazines | 264 | 7,128 | 202 | 44,671 |
| Handmade large print books |
171 | 44,825 | 191 | 81,625 |
| Tactile/cloth books | 414 | 7,312 | 405 | 8,893 |
| Data in Floppy disk | 16 | 1,495 | 14 | 1,452 |
| DVD with closed caption/sign language |
191 | 27,368 | 197 | 26,577 |
| Commercial Cassette tape/CD |
166 | 70,176 | 179 | 128,369 |
| Others | 126 | 23,736 | 129 | 48,296 |
Source: Japan Library Association Committee on Library Services for the Disadvantaged Persons (2006)
| Material kinds | No of libraries |
|---|---|
| Braille books | 83 |
| L-Braille books | 11 |
| Braille magazines | 71 |
| Braille data in, etc. | 62 |
| Cassette books | 83 |
| DAISY books | 83 |
| Cassette magazines | 78 |
| DAISY magazines | 56 |
| Large print books | 20 |
| Tactile books | 24 |
| Commercial tapes (music, entertainment, literature, lecture, etc.) |
43 |
| Ordinary CD other than DAISY (music, entertainment, literature, lecture, etc.) |
37 |
| Other formats | 5 |
| Titles: No. of Libraries |
Titles: No. of titles | |
|---|---|---|
| Braille | 83 | 495327 |
| Cassette tapes | 83 | 481148 |
| DAISY books | 83 | 267,090 |
Source: National Association of Institutions of Information Service for the Visually Handicapped (2006)