College and Research Libraries The Role of a Bibliographer in a Japanese Collection B y Y U K I H I S A S U Z U K I THE WORK OF A BIBLIOGRAPHER i n a r e -search library of approximately 110,- 000 Japanese volumes1 is both diversified and challenging. Essentially, his j o b is to acquire most effectively the books and other materials needed, or expected to be needed, for instructional and research purposes in Japanese studies. Perhaps in the routine phases of his work—for ex- ample, checking, keeping desiderata files, and processing orders—his work may not differ drastically from that of a bibliog- rapher in other collections. However, as may be imagined, various factors involved in acquiring Japanese materials present many problems. T h e bibliographer is handling materials published in one of the most complicated of languages and he is dealing with native dealers. More- over, the business customs of the United States and those of Japan vary widely. For the verification and examination of materials selected, the librarian has to rely on a special kind of bibliographical material, and, at the same time, he suf- fers from the lack of many types of bib- liographical tools established for West- ern-language publications. Perhaps what makes a Japanese bib- liographer's role different from that of his counterpart in a library concerned with Western languages is that he has to take more initiative in selecting ma- terials. In consultation with the head of 1 For a description of the collection see: Elizabeth Huff, " F a r Eastern Collection in the E a s t Asiatic Li- brary of the University of California," Far Eastern Quarterly, X I V (1955), 443-46. Also, for a general survey of the Oriental collections in the United States see: G. Raymond Nunn and Tsuen-Hsuin Tsien, " F a r Eastern Resources in American Libraries," The Library Quarterly, X X I X (1959), 27-42. The author is very grateful to Dr. Elizabeth Huff for her encouragement and special assistance in pre- paring this article. Gratitude is also due to Mr. Marion A. Milczewski and Mr. Everett T . Moore for valuable suggestions. M A Y 1 9 6 0 Mr. Suzuki is Japanese Bibliographer in the East Asiatic Library, University o\ Cali- fornia, Berkeley. the collection he selects about 80 per cent of the Japanese books annually ac- quired. Rather than merely receiving or- ders and checking on the requested items, he has to go into the market and hunt for the materials which, in his judgment, will be necessary or useful for research in Japanese studies. In the East Asiatic Library, coverage is sought in all the in- tellectual fields, especially in the social sciences, bibiography, language and lit- erature, and the arts. All the publications of presumed research value are sought and studied as much as possible before final orders are placed. T h e first major hurdle the Japanese bibliographer faces in his work is the enormous number of monographs and periodicals published each year in Japan. In 1956 the number of monographs pub- lished was 24,541, of which 14,983 were new titles. In 1957 the number of mono- graphs published reached a record of 25,- 299, of which 14,026 were new titles. T h e number for 1958 showed a slight de- crease; but, still, with 24,983 titles, of which 14,258 were new, Japan surpassed Great Britain, which published 22,143, and the United States, which published 13,462 books in the same year. T h u s in terms of quantity Japan is really the world's leading publishing country. T a b l e 1 shows the distribution by sub- ject of monographic titles published in Japan during the nine-year period 1950- 1958. 241 T A B L E 1 S U B J E C T D I S T R I B U T I O N OF M O N O G R A P H S P U B L I S H E D IN J A P A N , 1 9 5 0 - 1 9 5 8 * SUBJECT 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 General 87 182 256 3 1 6 2 7 3 4 0 5 4 2 3 357 395 P h i l o s o p h y 731 814 820 9 3 8 879 1,004 1,099 1,028 1,043 H i s t o r y 308 465 546 671 708 866 9 8 6 995 1,103 Social S c i e n c e s . . . 2,242 2,344 2,435 2,702 2,457 2,592 2,962 3,132 3 , 3 1 3 N a t u r a l S c i e n c e s . 9 0 4 1,202 1,383 1,795 1,397 1,327 1,481 1,474 1,495 E n g i n e e r i n g 857 1,193 1,349 1,627 1,373 1,468 1,654 1,699 1,721 I n d u s t r y 603 749 826 1,091 776 9 0 0 1,079 1,165 1,225 Art 783 842 1,002 9 9 9 9 9 6 1,127 1,344 1,313 1,182 L a n g u a g e 549 580 557 6 9 4 6 4 6 703 791 921 902 Literature 2 , 7 7 0 3 , 7 5 4 4,017 4 , 7 9 8 4 , 8 3 6 5,815 6 , 3 5 6 6 , 1 2 8 6,155 Children's B o o k s . 1,408 1,388 3 , 2 6 0 3,551 4 , 0 4 2 3,397 4 , 1 1 5 f 4 , 6 6 2 f 5,496 f 3,052 S t u d y G u i d e s . . . . 1,767 2,023 2 , 1 8 6 2,815 3,045 3,052 T o t a l 13,009 15,536 17,306 2 0 , 2 9 3 19,837 21,653 2 4 , 5 4 1 2 5 , 2 9 9 2 4 , 9 8 3 * Based on the statistics in Shuppan nyusu, No. 447, (May 1, 1959), p. 2. T h e classification of the publications is according to the Nippon Decimal System, f This figure represents the totals for Children's Books and Study Guides. It will be evident that it is not an easy task to select out of so many titles the materials to support local teaching and research in the culture of Japan and to maintain an over-all, balanced collec- tion. A second handicap the bibliogra- pher faces is distance f r o m his dealers and publishers. H e has to deal with Japa- nese b o o k m e n over six thousand miles away, and this involves m u c h time and careful effort. A n y mistake by either party introduces extra expense. O n e way to maintain close connection with the dealers is to exchange corres- p o n d e n c e in the Japanese language. N o matter h o w anxious they may be to d o business with a foreign institution, if they have to carry out business in a foreign language, not only will it discourage them, but, even if they wish to carry it out for a long duration, it will hamper their efficiency. Orders may be written or typed in romanized transcription, but the titles should be accompanied with char- acters. T h e romanized transcription with- o u t the characters is very often not intel- ligible to the Japanese. T h e y cannot, nor can we at times, decipher all romanized transcriptions. Likewise, n o American b o o k dealer w o u l d b e able to handle an order if a Japanese sent the orders for English titles in the Japanese katakana transcription. If the dealers can write letters in their native language, they also may be able to h e l p the bibliographer on some intricate bibliographical ques- tions. T h e bibliographer has to utilize every possible source of information, in such materials as are available, regarding the contents and value of the publications to b e acquired. W h a t , then, are the most ready sources for information on current publication? Probably the Shuppan nyusu [ T h e Publication N e w s ] — q u i t e similar to the Publishers' Weekly—which is published three times a m o n t h , will give the best picture of current Japanese publications. T h e j o u r n a l is indexed semiannually. If the library is to circu- late any b o o k lists a m o n g the faculty for their selections of current Japanese p u b - lications, this will be the best choice. Since the Japanese collection is primar- ily for the faculty and graduate students in Japanese studies, it is extremely im- portant to provide some sort of mecha- nism to show a reflection of academic in- terests. Circulating publishers' journals or dealers' catalogs is recommended. T h e 2 4 2 C O L L E G E A N D R E S E A R C H L I B R A R I E S bibliographer should not overwhelm the faculty with too many lists. N o matter h o w slow circulation of the lists among the faculty may be, it gives a useful chan- nel f o r understanding where their cur- rent interest and research is centered. Of course, there are various kinds of recom- mendations; some reflecting research needs and others only general interest. A n o t h e r useful source for new Japa- nese publications is the Nohon shuho— Kokunai shuppanbutsu mokuroku [Weekly List of Newly Deposited Titles; Catalog of Publications Issued Inside Japan], It is published weekly by the National Diet Library of Japan, and the items listed are arranged according to the Japan Decimal System; publications p u b - lished a few years before are often listed. T h e publications listed in the weekly issues are not the only ones f o r sale; also available are numerous government, in- stitutional, society, and privately printed publications. For each title brief descrip- tive information is given. T h i s is a val- uable source f o r identifying what is cur- rently being published, but it also some- times proves to be a source of frustration, since some of the governmental and in- stitutional publications may not be pur- chased even with the persistent efforts of capable dealers. T h r o u g h the Seifu kan- kobutsu mokuroku, a monthly journal of Japanese government publications, the bibliographer learns the titles of the var- ious monographs being published by gov- ernmental agencies. It is not easy to ac- quire some of them, and the bibliogra- pher may have to try all possible means for acquisition, such as writing directly to the governmental offices, asking the National Diet Library for its assistance, or writing to dealers. T h e same thing ap- plies to institutional and society publica- tions. For critical and descriptive reviews of new titles, the Nihon dokusho shimbun and the Tosho shimbun, both weekly newspapers of b o o k reviews and arti- cles, are indispensable. T h e reviews are enlightening, and the bibliographer is also given information on the publish- ing business in Japan. O n e feature which is sometimes quite useful is the occasional listing of books in certain fields which the editors consider to be fundamental and important. For new books there are also such dealers' journals as the Nippan tsushin and the Shinkan nyiisu, p u b - lished by two leading jobbers in T o k y o , the N i p p o n Shuppan H a m b a i Kabushiki Kaisha and the T o k y o Shuppan H a m b a i Kabushiki Kaisha respectively, but they usually add very little to the information included in the Shuppan nyiisu. T h e Shuppan nenkan [Publication Yearbook], which is published about July of each year, can be used effectively to see whether or not there has been any serious omission in the selection of publications in the previous year, and it is an indis- pensable source of information on the Japanese publishing business in general. In addition, the bibliographer receives numerous brochures f r o m dealers and publishers. If the bibliographer is charged with the responsibility of selecting materials on his own initiative, he has to be fa- miliar with contemporary trends in the fields in which he is to make the b o o k selection. It is not possible to read all the journals in the social sciences, but by skimming through some of the journals in the various fields, such as the Rekishi- gaku kenkyu [ T h e Journal of Historical Studies], the Kokka Gakkai zasshi [ T h e Journal of the Association of Political and Social Sciences], the Ajiya kenkyu [Asiatic Studies], the Bungaku [Litera- ture], the Shigaku zasshi [ T h e Historical Journal of Japan], the Shakaigaku hyd- ron [Japanese Sociological Review], the Hitotsubashi ronso [ T h e Hitotsubashi Review], and the Toyoshi kenkyu [ T h e Journal of Oriental Researches], he can b u i l d u p his knowledge on current studies and gain what may be called "en- lightened intuition" in b o o k selection. If the bibliographer has to select books for M A Y 1 9 * 0 2 4 3 the library, the work is a challenge to his knowledge of intellectual activities. Many academic journals print book re- views by scholars and report news and notices in the respective fields, and some of them annually print extensive articles surveying the academic accomplishment in the previous year. T h a t provides the bibliographer with a way to review his selection during these years. T h e sooner he discovers an omission and fills in a gap, the better. If the bibliographer can also act as official host, or if he has at least a chance to meet Japanese visitors, the opportunity can be well used as a source of getting first-hand information on Japanese pub- lications, both old and new. Meeting for- eign visitors provides a wonderful oppor- tunity to show the "sparks" of American librarianship in action and the fine col- lection of materials the visitors' country has produced, but the bibliographer will also have a chance to ask for professional evaluation on certain publications, trends in special fields, or suggestions for im- provement of the collection. Rather than being overwhelmed with the explanation of the size, history, service, characteris- tics, special features, or budget of the li- brary, the visitors will appreciate such gestures of friendliness and humility. In order to let them appreciate fully what they see, they have first to be made to feel at home in the library, and asking them about materials in their respective fields may serve the purpose. It will also give the bibliographer a chance to thank them cordially for the materials the li- brary has received by exchange, if such an arrangement is already set up, or to ask their cooperation in the future for the development and improvement of the collection. If an exchange arrangement has not been set up, it will give a good chance to investigate the possibility of opening one on a mutually satisfactory basis. In regard to old books, the bibliogra- pher has to rely on two means; one is checking in the dealers' catalogs and the other is sending out a search list. Big dealers in T o k y o , such as the Isseido, the Inoue Shoten, the Rinrokaku, the Kyo- kuto Shoten( also called the Far Eastern Book-sellers), the Gannando Shoten, the Bunsei Shoin, the Japan Publications Trading Company, and some of the deal- ers in Kyoto area, such as the I b u n d o and the Rinsen Shoten, regularly issue catalogs of both current imprints and old, used books. Some of them volun- tarily send catalogs of dealers with whom they are on friendly terms and offer the service of procuring the materials listed in these catalogs. T h e y usually send them to the library by air mail. A dealer once mentioned that it is practically impossi- ble to acquire important and interesting items two weeks after the catalogs are issued. This is a very serious handicap for any oriental collection outside of Japan, since it takes about four days, even if the catalogs are mailed immedi- ately after they are printed, to reach most of the oriental collections. Probably it will take another three or four days, unless the items selected are extremely important and urgently sought after, be- fore the bibliographer or his assistants can finish checking and prepare the or- der forms. Another several days will be spent before they go through the order- ing process, and it will take three or four days for the orders to cross the sea. Of course, in case exceptionally important and interesting items turn up, special measures, such as sending the order by cablegram, should be taken. Neverthe- less, the distance and the time involved in processing orders are serious handi- caps. It also seems to be a well estab- lished "secret" practice among the deal- ers to distribute their catalogs among their special patrons some time before they are sent to other, ordinary cus- tomers. In order to meet these handicaps and also to operate library acquisition not merely on the basis of availability of 244 C O L L E G E A N D R E S E A R C H L I B R A R I E S materials but also on the basis of need, search lists are sent to some of the deal- ers who show willingness to g o to the trouble of locating wanted materials for the library and whose satisfactory results substantiate their enthusiasm. Some li- brarians may fear that this practice of sending a search list for needed books to dealers would make them charge more for a wanted title. If the value of the wanted item is high, and if there is an urgent demand for it, it may be worth spending a few extra dollars. T h e bibli- ographer should have some knowledge of the comparative difficulty of acquiring certain items, and if a dealer has to make a special effort to get the needed mate- rials he certainly deserves extra yen, so long as the prices remain within reason- able limits. Furthermore, in order to prevent any malpractice on the part of dealers, the bibliographer can warn them beforehand that whether or not the library purchases, the decisions will depend on the fairness of the prices quoted. He may ask them to send the quotations first and hold the materials until they receive a firm order. T o prearrange "blanket" orders with dealers is not advisable. In a research library on a limited acquisition fund, the bibliographer has to be selective and has to take the initiative. In view of the many publications issued each year, the practice of "blanket" orders with com- mercial dealers can be wasteful. T h e same criticism can be made of having an agent abroad. Unless the person des- ignated as agent is thoroughly familiar with the nature of the collection and the acquisition policy, the materials he purchases can be useless. If the bibli- ographer keeps good relations with the dealers and enjoys their friendly coop- eration, these practices will not be nec- essary. He can make an informal ar- rangement with some dealers, so that they will let him know immediately when they obtain materials of possible interest. For this, probably it will help to orient the dealers gradually to the characteristics, interests, and long range plan of the library. For the proper de- velopment of a collection, the bibliog- rapher has to have the cooperation of the dealers. As in the case of any human relationship, sending courteous notes of appreciation for their efforts and find- ings and words of encouragement for fu- ture business transactions will certainly help in keeping the dealers' cooperation. After a certain length of time and experience with formal orders, the bib- liographer becomes familiar with the ability and specialties of each dealer. He will know which dealer is most efficient, for example, in locating search items, in securing governmental and institu- tional publications, in supplying back issues of journals, in handling special books on the Far East, and so forth. T o each dealer accuracy and speed in filling the orders are stressed, since any mistake will be very costly and since, also, one semester has only fifteen weeks, so that if materials are not received quickly some of the research schemes may be upset. Usually the dealers d o not have any difficulty in romanizing titles when they list them in the four copies of invoices, although the way some of the dealers misread Japanese titles is appalling. It all depends on the dealer and the quality and quantity of the publications ordered, but usually it takes about one and a half to two months before the materials arrive. T h e materials received are checked with the invoices and for- warded to the bindery for accessioning, and the invoices to the main library for payment. W h e n the bibliographer receives re- quests from the faculty and knows of their interests, it is often rewarding to make a brief analysis of requests. W e may call it a vertical and horizontal analysis: "vertical" meaning a checking on the present state of research in the field, important Japanese publications on the same theme, and the library's col- M A Y I 9 6 0 245 lection on the subject; " h o r i z o n t a l " meaning a study of the important p u b - lications in related fields. In this way the bibliographer can not only meet the im- mediate d e m a n d but also prepare mate- rials to some extent f o r future needs. Again, in a specialized research library it is vitally important to keep close con- tact with the patrons and watch where their interest lies and h o w it develops, for this is the only way the bibliographer can meet the challenge, b o t h present and future. Probably every library has f o u n d some time or another that although some books are ignored f o r some time, when researchers want them they have to have them immediately. T h e bibliographer should also be familiar with the con- temporary trends in Japan and k n o w w h o were and are outstanding scholars in the subjects of most m o m e n t to the faculty and the graduate students. T h e focus of b o o k selection by the bibliographer is primarily o n the ma- terials needed lor instructional a n d re- search purposes in Japanese studies, but he will need to consider the interests of the w h o l e university community. For example, if the library is located o n the West Coast, materials on or by the Japa- nese immigrants should be seriously considered. H e will have to watch con- stantly f o r materials to keep some of the collections strong by supplementing with new materials, even if the interest in the collection at the present m o m e n t may not seem entirely to justify selection. For example, if the library has a strong col- lection o n some aspect of Japanese litera- ture, it will be quite logical to add new materials to it, even if there is little cur- rent interest. T h e bibliographer should never forget that the library serves the general library system and must keep materials ready to satisfy the interests of the whole community. Copyright Problems (Continued from page 222) Should the n u m b e r be limited to one in the case of limited editions and very ex- pensive works? Should consideration be given to requiring additional copies for regional libraries, possibly set u p as part of a quasi-federal system to provide se- curity to o u r cultural product as well as to service it? Should a time period be fixed within which deposit must be made; should a penalty be provided for failure to deposit within that time and what should it be? Should deposit in ad- vance of publication b e permitted and en- couraged? T h e r e are other questions, and tenta- tive answers to questions o n the deposit system and on other elements of the copyright registration procedure will un- doubtedly create additional questions. I h o p e I have been able to make clear at least the significant problems which we n o w have under consideration at the Li- brary of Congress; I h o p e also that you will take the o p p o r t u n i t y afforded by this meeting to express your views regarding the desirable content of the deposit pro- visions of a revised copyright law.— Rutherford D. Rogers. 2 4 6 C O L L E G E A N D R E S E A R C H L I B R A R I E S