Ten years after the Great East Japan Earthquake: National Diet Library support for disaster-affected libraries

摘要

Ten years have passed since the Great East Japan Earthquake. One of the most powerful earthquakes ever recorded in Japan, it caused widespread damage to the eastern coastal region, especially in the northeast. The earthquake and subsequent tsunami took a heavy toll of lives and caused massive damage to buildings and facilities, including libraries. Approximately 1.8 million books were knocked off their stacks and fell to the floor at the Tokyo Main Library of the National Diet Library (NDL). Naturally, this experience increased awareness at the NDL of the importance of disaster-preparedness. Another consequence of this disaster was a commitment made by the Preservation Division of the NDL to provide continuous support to libraries in the process of repairing or restoring library materials damaged by natural disasters. The following is a brief report on major support projects undertaken over the past 10 years and the challenges we faced.