Our philosophy and mission, Library History｜KWANSEI GAKUIN University Library

Our philosophy and mission

Strengthen the ability to collect academic information: Meet the educational and research needs of the University in prompt and effective ways by increasing the amount of electronic media materials such as electronic journals and online databases, which have become increasingly common in recent years, as well as traditional paper materials.

Develop as an electronic library: Reinforce educational and research support by strengthening electronic operations, including the creation of an academic portal site, since the role played by a university library as the base for sending/receiving academic information will become more significant with the development of a networked society as a backdrop.

Be a user-friendly, functional library: Continue to improve facilities and administrative operations, aiming to create a user-friendly, functional university library. For students, we create a comfortable space for their studies and research and provide better instructions for use of our library. For academics, we reinforce collaboration with other universities and institutions so that we can strengthen our role in promptly providing appropriate domestic and international academic information. Further, we create an environment where the faculty and students of Kwansei Gakuin University can take a proactive approach to using the library's academic resources such as books and materials, and facilities as a place for their intelligence exchanges and creation.

Promote the importance of contributing to society: Kwansei Gakuin University advocates social contribution programs in its policy as a university open to its community. In line with this policy, the Kwansei Gakuin University Library promotes social contribution programs by opening the library to students of Kwansei Gakuin High School, alumni of the university, and residents of neighboring areas, as well as by strengthening cooperation with nearby public libraries.

University library history timeline

1889	Walter R. Lambuth founded the Departments of Theology and General Studies of Kwansei Gakuin in Haradamura in the city of Kobe. In a one-story school building with floor space for 30 tatami mats, there was a book room called the Book Building that also served as a makeshift chapel and lecture room. The first director was J. C. C. Newton.
1895	The Department of Theology traveling library was founded. The Traveling Library Book Catalogue (lending rules) was published.
1908	A third floor was added to the Main Building, with half set aside for a library. The name was changed from Book Building to Library.
1912	Private Library of Kwansei Gakuin Rules were established.
1921	Library employee Yujiro Nakajima studied for two years at a school for library sciences in New York City at the public's expense.
1922	Central Hall was built, and Branch Memorial Hall (currently the Kobe City Oji Civic Gallery) was used as a library, the first free-standing building for this purpose.
1929	To celebrate the campus's move to Nishinomiya Uegahara, Fujiuemon Takenaka of the Takenaka Corporation donated a library with a clock tower.
1930	The name was changed from the Library of Kwansei Gakuin to Kwansei Gakuin Library.
1932	The Kwansei Gakuin University establishment was permitted by university ordinance.
1934	The Clock Tower library gazette was first published (the semiannual publication was stopped after the sixth edition).
1942	Lectures were held to commemorate the 50,000th volume in the collection (Bunsho Jugaku, Publishing in 18th Century England; Yasujiro Ohmichi, The National Character of the Economics of Smith; Ohkichi Kitano, Kwansei Gakuin and Owen Research).
1944	During this dark time, the emblem on the library clock tower commemorating English literature, along with the iron handrail at the main entrance, were removed during the war and supplied as metal to the government, and the entire building was repainted in camouflage colors.
1948	Became a university under the new university system.
1954	A Brief History of Kwansei Gakuin Library (from Founding to 1953) was published.
1955	The expansion of both wings of the clock tower and the first-floor library portion were completed.
1956	Professor Kiyoshi Sanekata of the Department of Literature became the seventh president of the university and the first elected in a popular-election system.
1960	The university held the 21st Japan Association of Private University Libraries General Meeting and Research Meeting.
1963	The addition of a new building to the rear of the Number 1 Library was completed.
1965	The Four Kansai Universities Library Mutual Cooperation Agreement on Use of Materials was signed.
1968	The Number 2 Library was completed.
1971	The library gazette Clock Tower returned with publication of the first edition. The Number 3 Library was completed. The second-floor, open-stack rooms were opened to users. An old-books room was established on the third floor and a valuable-books room on the fourth floor.
1973	New offices, a preservation library, and a free-reading room were established in the expanded section. A clock face and hands were added to the west side of the clock tower so that people could tell the time from all four directions.
1974	An audio-visual room was added to the first floor of the old building, and a magazine room was added to the second floor. The Japan Association of Private University Libraries Hanshin Region Mutual Use Agreement went into effect.
1975	General Library Rules were established.
1976	University Library Rules were established, and the position of the Kwansei Gakuin University Library was clarified. The Hyogo Prefecture University Library Council Materials Mutual Use Agreement went into effect.
1980	The number of volumes in the university collections reached about 500,000.
1981	The Four Kansai Universities Mutual Use Agreement was established. A reading room for the visually impaired was established on the first floor of the old building.
1985	Became the chair University of the Japan Association of Private University Libraries (two-year term).
1986	The First Report on University Library Construction was approved during a meeting of the University Board of Trustees. The decision was made to use the BIBLION library package system and link with the academic information center as part of the administration's total system development.
1987	The Second Report on University Library Construction (final report) was approved by the University Board of Trustees and became a University Plan.
1988	The new university library construction position and scale were decided by the Board of Trustees. The University Board of Trustees decided to establish a New University Library Management Issues Committee. The BIBLION Library Management System was activated.
1989	The 100th anniversary of the founding of Kwansei Gakuin was celebrated. The First Acquisition Plan (five-year plan) for the new university library went into effect. The journal management system and circulation system were activated. Special Book Regulations were established. A university library observation team was sent to North America
1992	Joined the academic information center ILL system. The First Academic Materials Council and Special Exhibition was held.
1993	Construction began on the new university library. The collections search system (OPAC) was activated.
1994	The library shifted to a four-department system with the separation and independent establishment of the Journal Section of the Reading Department in preparation for the opening of the new university library. The Second Acquisition Plan (four-year plan) went into effect.
1995	Large-scale damage was incurred during the Great Hanshin Earthquake, including the collapse of library stacks. The first phase of the opening of the new university library was completed. A university library annex opened on the Kobe Sanda campus along with the establishment of the School of Policy Studies. The decision to purchase a collection to commemorate the opening of the new university library was made. The number of volumes in the university collection reached about 1 million.
1997	The decision to establish a new university library art plan was made. The grand opening of the new university library was celebrated. The university library Website was launched.
1998	The university libraries opened to the general public. The cities of Nishinomiya and Sanda signed mutual-use agreements with the public libraries
1999	The library system migrated to BIBLION 21 (Year 2000 compliance, annex function was added, etc.). The new university library received the 15th Japan Library Association Architecture Award. Library hours were extended to 10 p.m. because of adjustment to the educational and research conditions of the evening graduate school
2000	The J. C. C. Newton Prize was created, and works from students and graduate students who had library cards began to be selected as candidates for the prize.
2001	The Kobe Sanda Campus Books Media Building opened. The natural sciences books and materials in the Nishinomiya Uegahara Campus Library were moved to the Books Media Building, and the School of Science and Technology moved to Sanda.
2002	Migration to the new library system (iLiswave) was completed.
2003	The administration was restructured from four departments to two. Regional lectures were held on the National Institute of Informatics catalogue system. An external exhibition titled Kwansei Gakuin University Library Collections Exhibition--Doors to the Future was held at Tokyo Maruzen. Open on a special basis around the New Year. Emergency drills were held at university libraries.
2004	Began opening on Sundays. A digital library was built on the Website. A micro-container server (100,000-reel capacity) was added. A university libraries user survey was conducted. The number of volumes in the university collections reached about 1.4 million.
2005	The EUIJ-Kansai Library opened. A corner for books and materials was established on the Great Hanshin Earthquake.
2006	The University held the 67th Japan Association of Private University Libraries General Meeting and Research Meeting. A faculty user survey was conducted.
2007	The Kwansei Gakuin University Repository was activated.
2008	Off-Campus storage of books and materials began due to lack of space in the library stacks. The Kobe Sanda Campus Books Media Building was transferred to the VI Building. A university library users survey was conducted.
2009	A corner for Books Recommended by Professors was established. A corner for Books with Newspaper Book Reviews was established.
2010	Reading seats were added to the Nishinomiya Uegahara Campus University Library. A corner for Books on Preparing Reports and Theses was established. The library system migrated to iLiswave J V2
2011	The University Library Lectures for Basic Seminars were updated and opened to the entire university.
2012	The University Library Regulations were revised. A university library users survey was conducted.
2014	History of Kwansei Gakuin University Library: 1889 - 2012 was published.The Japan Association of Private University Library Award received. PDF The library system migrated to iLiswave J V3. Automated storage was established.（Period Ⅰ） An external exhibition titled "Printing Technology and the Bible -Reading the Bible on Paper" was held at Tokyo Maruzen.
2015	Official Library characters, "Friends of Kwansei Gakuin University Library" was newly created. A corner for Books featured by various themes was established. A corner for Books on Japan was established.
2016	An integrated information search service, "KWEST" was implemented. An official Twitter account was started. A survey on the use of university libraries was held after switching to an online survey.
2017	The Seiwa Junior College Library was reorganized into the University Library branch with the University Library Regulations revised accordingly.
2018	As the result of the reorganization, the university library was restructured into one department, including branch libraries.
2019	The number of storage spaces for rare books was increased. The library system migrated to iLiswave J E.E . Off-Campus access service (Remote Xs) was started.