The original article published in Japanese ( http://current.ndl.go.jp/e1778 )
Current Awareness-E No.300
17 March, 2016
What is “Current Awareness-R”? : Articles in 2015
A news blog “Current Awareness-R” (CA-R) was launched along with “Current Awareness Portal” (CA Portal) in 2006. It is a news updates in blog format that concisely summarize news on libraries as well as library and information science in Japan and abroad, in addition to related issues. CA-R is updated every weekday without an exception (2,342 entries in 2015). This article reviews entries published in 2015 and introduce the characteristics of CA-R, its position, as well as challenges.
Characteristics of CA-R and its Position
CA-R is written based on information available on the Internet. To provide backgrounds of the article and to help understand basic information, references including CA-R from the past, an e-mail news magazine “Current Awareness-E” (CA-E), and a quarterly magazine “Current Awareness” (CA) are listed at the end of each entry.
CA-R also serves as a source of topics and a memo for CA-E and CA. Emphasizing rapid communication as news updates, we intentionally keep CA-R articles concise in a few sentences. We then look into the content and the number of visits to select articles for detailed explanation in CA-E and CA. Among the articles with the most frequent visits in 2015 were “Japan Library Association Publishes Nippon Decimal Classification 10th Edition” (see CA1850) and “Ochanomizu University Introduces ‘Entrance Exam Using Library Materials’ in its New AO Entrance Exam from 2016.” (see E1717) These were later published as CA-E and CA articles. CA-R also transmits information on events related to libraries, and have participation reports published in CA-E.
The Great East Japan Earthquake and Libraries
CA-R has been active in transmitting information on the Great East Japan Earthquake and libraries. Looking back the entries in 2015, we find a release of several disaster-related archives: “Great East Japan Earthquake Archive Miyagi” “Kesennuma Archive” “Kuji-Noda-Fudai Disaster Archive” “Urayasu Disaster Archive.” The 2016 is the fifth anniversary since the Great East Japan Earthquake, and several related projects are expected to take place. We plan to transmit information on these issues.
Articles with the Most Frequent Visits
“Collecting Cats: Library Lessons from Neko Atsume (Introduction of an Article)” was the most frequently visited article among those published in 2015. Other articles were “interesting” entries on issues related to libraries such as “Release of Website that Recreates the ‘Library of Babel’” and “Why Don’t Libraries Have Dungeons & Dragons Gamebooks? (Introduction of an Article).” Articles on current affairs such as Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), problem of “TSUTAYA Library,” and the leak of borrowing record at Hyogo Prefectural Kobe High School also captured interests. We intend to continue publishing these “interesting” articles as well as issues on current affairs.
Future Challenges
With the exclusion of Japan, CA-R has the tendency to shed light to issues in English-speaking countries. While trends of libraries in the United States and the United Kingdom merit attention, we have not been able to follow the trends in non-English speaking countries. CA-R welcomes information about trends in libraries around the world. We look forward to receiving information on trends of libraries not only in Japan, the United States, and the United Kingdom, but also other parts of the world.
Written by Research and Information Section
Library Support Division, Kansai-kan of the National Diet Library
Translated by Okada Aya
Ref:
http://current.ndl.go.jp/car
http://current.ndl.go.jp/callfor
http://current.ndl.go.jp/sinsai
http://current.ndl.go.jp/node/27874
http://current.ndl.go.jp/node/29083
http://current.ndl.go.jp/node/28678
http://current.ndl.go.jp/node/28371
http://current.ndl.go.jp/node/28324
http://current.ndl.go.jp/node/28334
http://current.ndl.go.jp/node/28798
http://current.ndl.go.jp/node/28689
http://current.ndl.go.jp/node/28453
http://current.ndl.go.jp/node/29587
http://current.ndl.go.jp/node/29581
http://current.ndl.go.jp/node/29424
http://current.ndl.go.jp/node/29692
E1717
CA1850
