Directory of Overseas Collections of
Old and Rare Japanese Books, Other Print Materials and Manuscripts

　This directory provides information about libraries and museums outside of Japan that hold old and rare Japanese materials, including manuscripts and printed books, historical documents (pre-modern), and single-sheet items like maps and ukiyoe prints, etc. Each entry consists of the institution's address, name of contact person, collection size and description, possibilities of use and/or reproduction, availability of online and print catalogs, and other relevant information. The directory was originally compiled by the Subcommittee on Japanese Rare Books organized under the Committee on Japanese Materials, Council on East Asian Libraries (CEAL), based on the survey results provided by the participating institutions in North America. Now with the cooperation of relevant organizations from wider areas, the scope of the directory has been expanded to include holding institutions in Europe and the Oceania region as well.

　In the early days, this directory was maintained by the Subcommittee on Japanese Rare Books. However, considering users' convenience and the need for more stability, the Subcommittee requested that the National Institute of Japanese Literature (NIJL) maintain the directory database. In response to this request, NIJL redesigned the directory and made it available from its website in 2011. In terms of the data of the directory, the participating institutions are responsible for the accuracy of their own information. For redesigning the directory, the Subcommittee and NIJL agreed to collaborate in collecting data for and updating entries. Although the directory currently offers more information in English, we hope that it will gradually include more entries in Japanese.

　As we have tallied up known holdings, it has become clear that there is an enormous quantity of such old and rare Japanese materials as old books, manuscripts and historical documents, and single-sheet items, in collections outside of Japan, and quite a few of these are deemed precious in that no other copies can be located in Japan. This directory attempts to accurately describe the situation related to old and rare Japanese materials held by institutions outside of Japan for researchers' ready use. Librarians outside of Japan have also been working on identification of affected resources with use of various union catalogues, such as OCLC WorldCat, NACSIS-CAT, and NIJL's Union Catalogue Database of Japanese Texts, which helps to further improve the research environment involving these materials. As this directory is further developed, we can not only expect to see even more active surveying of overseas collections of old and rare Japanese materials by Japanese researchers but also anticipate a surge in research conducted by international scholars. This, in turn, will significantly deepen global academic exchange surrounding old and rare Japanese materials.

　Notice:　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　
Three new institutions have been added: University of Colorado Boulder、Duke University, and University of Iowa. Additionally, data updates have been made for 12 institutions.

　Update Information 1:
Along with this update, some interface changes have been made:
1. The display order in the "Directory List Table" is now sorted by country and then by institution.
2. Regarding 'Directory Data,' the English and Japanese versions have been fully separated into distinct pages. If Japanese data is available, clicking on 'Japanese Page' next to the institution name will direct you to the Japanese version. On the Japanese Page, clicking on 'English Page' next to the institution name will take you to the English version. All English institution data previously referenced from the "Japanese Page" (JSON files) has been consolidated into the "English Page". If you directly linked to the JSON files, please update your links accordingly.
Due to the consolidation of our databases, the Union Catalogue of Early Japanese Books and the Union Catalogue of Early Japanese Books in Europe, which were previously referenced in this directory, have been integrated into the Union Catalogue Database of Japanese Texts. The relevant information has been updated accordingly.

　Update Information 2:
Here is the link for information about notable Japanese Studies collections in North American libraries and cultural institutions:
'Notable Japanese Collections in North America' https://guides.nccjapan.org/notable_collections
Please use this link in conjunction with this directory.