Since the 1980s, there has been a rush of construction projects to build cultural facilities all over Japan. One major reason for this was the decrease in cultural initiatives to create public-works-type halls after this "bubble" period, often referred to as the "era of culture" or the "era of regional development." As of September 1, 2007, 3,944 of the 4,183 cultural facilities in the country were public. (Figures from the Japan Foundation for Regional Art Activities' Survey on Regional Public Cultural Facilities, 2007.)


Though great advances have been made in developing the infrastructure in regional areas, in some cases, as priority was given to the construction of a magnificent facility, there wasn't enough money left to provide content of a corresponding level, nor was it possible to foster the local culture by simply buying up a project from Tokyo. On the other hand, due to a lack of funding and knowhow, there are also some community centers that only deal with regional cultural activities. Needless to say, there are still many questions surrounding the way in which cultural facilities should be managed in regional areas.


In recent years, the opening of public cultural facilities such as Sendai Mediatheque (SMT; opened in 2001), and the Yamaguchi Center for Arts and Media (YCAM; opened in 2003), replete with archiving functions made possible by the inclusion of a library and staffed by performing and other arts specialists, have made it possible for people in regional areas to come into contact with highly specialized art and performances.


These facilities are cultural information centers that have emerged from a "high-art" content. But recent years have also seen the rise of regional libraries, where vibrant cultural activities are organized through original curation.

As part of next year's celebrations to commemorate the 1,300th anniversary of the relocation of the national capital to Nara, the Nara Prefectural Library & Information Center has attracted attention for its unique activities. The facility, designed to serve three functions as the central public library in the prefecture, a specialty library concentrating on the history and culture of Nara Prefecture, and a base for dispatching information, was opened on November 3, 2005 as an amalgamation of two prefectural libraries that were originally located in the cities of Nara and Kashihara. With a collection of some 600,000 books, the library is used by 1,800 people daily.


Inviting the historical geographer Senda Minoru to serve as its director, the library has set out to shed the image that has long been attached to libraries. Going beyond its normal functions (collecting, arranging, preserving, and providing printed materials), the library has developed a variety of projects and events including everything from displays and exhibitions, classes and lectures, to concerts, fashion shows, talk sessions, drama performances, and story-telling.

Dozens of special exhibitions are held throughout the year in the entrance to the library. These cover a wide range of subjects from products developed by local companies, regional tourist information, exchanges with libraries in other prefectures, and international exchanges with foreign countries. (At the time of my visit, an exhibition entitled "Mini-Kawase World" was being held to commemorate the fact that Nara filmmaker Kawase Naomi's had won the Carrosse d'Or (Golden Coach) Award at this year's Cannes International Film Festival.)


The library also collaborates with a variety of organizations to present classes and seminars, covering a diverse range of topics such as management consultation, information on applying for a patent, computer software lessons, and advisory meetings on medicine and health. In addition, in the "Book Trip Through Nara: 1,300th Anniversary of the Relocation of the National Capital" lecture series authors, including such famous figures as Tsushima Yuko, Hirano Keiichiro, and Tsujihara Noboru, talk about their Nara-related works. Senda Minoru also holds public lectures in his role as director in the "Library Theatre" series.


In addition, there are various live performances and other productions such as the "World Music Journal" series of lobby concerts, which give visitors an opportunity to hear religious music from around the world, the "Shika no Untei" storytelling series produced by the Nara-born rakugo (comic storytelling) performer Katsura Bunroku, the "Tribute to Komyo Fashion Show" in which up-and-coming Nara fashion designers present their work, and the "Nara no rekishi de tawamurero(Playing with Nara History)" theatre series, written and directed by Nara-born Matsumura Takeshi.


The talk-show series, "Thinking about 'My Job'", which has continued since the opening of the library, has also proved to be very popular. Labor researcher Nishimura Yoshiaki invites various guests to talk about their jobs, and participants also talk among themselves. Last year eight guests appeared over the course of the three-day event and an average of 280 people attended each day. This fall a book summarizing past events is scheduled to be published.


The library also puts out a free magazine called Nara wo yomu (Reading Nara), which focuses on the new "Nara" and is written and edited by the library staff.

According to Inui Soichiro, who is part of the library's general affairs and planning department, "While the library is a place where a variety of information is stored, it is also a place where the general public can get involved in a variety of events including meetings and editing activities. By holding events at the library, our goal is to create a spiral of knowledge that inspires the participants, and through the editing and dispersion of information, encourages more people to get involved."


A number of prefectural workers are in charge of planning and overseeing events at the library. Despite having only a small staff, none of whom are specialists in culture, and the possibility that at some point, some of them will be transferred, the workers are clearly devoted to uncovering and conveying regional resources with the cooperation of local organizations, companies, regular library patrons, and artists. At the same time, however, they are enthusiastically involved in casting aside the old image of the library and helping a new wind blow through the place. "Rather than trying to meet particular needs, we always try to see things from a distance. This is because unless we attempt to pursue possibilities that differ from the needs of people who already use the library, we will never be able to expand the function of the traditional library."


To support citizen-based cultural activities at public facilities in regional areas, activities and management are a necessary prerequisite. On the other hand, to convey new knowledge and information to regional users, it is necessary to search for a means of developing something that goes beyond activities of the past.


Being so closely connected to everyday life, libraries provide citizens with one of the best introductions to culture. The fact that the Nara Prefectural Library & Information Center is a cultural facility with the ability to dispatch information is suggestive of its great potential as a platform for meetings between ordinary local culture and highly specialized art and culture.