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History of the MVS Project

Created in 1992, with generous funding from the Japan-United States Friendship Commission, the NCC's Multi-Volume Sets Project makes grants for the purchase of expensive multi-volume sets of Japanese language materials that are in demand by users and are not held elsewhere in North America. Acquiring libraries must be willing to bear between 25% and 50% of the purchase price as outlined below and to cover all shipping and handling costs. In addition, the recipient library must agree to provide prompt full-level cataloging, including necessary data in Sino-Japanese original script as well as in Romanization, of materials acquired through MVS in WorldCat no later than June 30th of the grant year. All materials acquired through the project must be labeled as part of the MVS Collection, must circulate freely both locally and nationally through interlibrary loan.

To be considered for funding by MVS, sets must be Japanese language imprints relevant to Japanese studies that cost in excess of ¥l00,000 (about $1,000). The project is intended only to support the purchase of those expensive multi-volume sets that, while important for research, are somewhat specialized and would not fit within ordinary acquisition plans because their purchase would strain library budgets. MVS will not support materials considered essential to any library. And except in rare and well documented circumstances, MVS will not fund the purchase of materials published more recently than two years prior to the grant year. There is no cost ceiling; however, when there is a scarcity of funds the committee may reduce the level of funding granted for any materials.

In addition the NCC encourages applications that will purchase materials in new and emerging areas of scholarship not widely represented in current North American Japanese language collections. The NCC is especially committed to making MVS grants in these categories and whenever possible preference will be given to such applications. Individual faculty members from smaller institutions without professional Japanese studies librarians may apply on behalf of their institution. To apply, faculty members must fully complete the application and provide documentation on their institution's commitment to meeting all MVS requirements.

The MVS Committee has provisionally included electronic materials such as DVD's and CD-ROM's (as was done with videotaped materials in the past). Applications for non-print materials such as DVD's and CD-ROMs must be accompanied by a copy of the licensing agreement from the publisher that clearly states that its terms allow for the proposed materials to circulate freely through interlibrary loan in accordance with MVS Guidelines. As noted, second-hand titles may now be proposed to MVS providing the guidelines above are fully met.