INTERLIBRARY LOAN AND DOCUMENT DELIVERY IN JAPAN: AN OVERVIEW Available to Purchase

The article considers the status of interlibrary co‐operation in Japan in terms of its historical development and future needs. The number of libraries has doubled in the last twenty years. The identification and location of bibliographic information is seen as a particular problem: available tools are discussed and future developments considered. Statistical and background information is provided for a variety of library types: university, public, special, and the major library networks. Special attention is paid to the National Diet Library where a Library Co‐operation Department is seen as addressing some of the major problems. The view of the library in Japan as being an isolated unit with services available to a select group of patrons, is changing, the slow development of interlibrary co‐operation giving way to a growing awareness of the need for increased diffusion and availability of information.