Mr. Kawamoto started the session with a discussion about the changes in the reference services and resources in Japan. The amount of available information on the Internet as a reference information source has rapidly increased in the last ten years, especially "up-to-date" information. Other electronic resources such as information in CD-ROM and DVD formats have also been getting widely available.
Mr. Kawamoto pointed out to two challenges that the Japanese Studies reference librarians now face in this new environment: 1) choosing appropriate reference source is getting more difficult; 2) verifying the authenticity of information available online and electronic format is crucial.
Following the discussion, a full day session was devoted to Japanese reference sources in print mainly in the Humanities. A total of 280 resources was introduced during the sessions and more than 100 resources are discussed in detail during the hands on session.
NDL's Sanko Tosho Ruiseki Detabase was introduced.
[Prepared by Eiichi Ito.]
