Message from the Director of Tohoku University Libraries
Welcome to the website of the Tohoku University Library. As the newly appointed director, it is my pleasure to welcome you and briefly introduce some of our recent initiatives.
This is my second time serving as director after my first term from April 2012 to March 2018. However, it is my first term since the library has celebrated its centennial and the university has been accredited by the government as the first 'University for International Research Excellence'. In line with these milestones, our library has continued to develop in important ways.
One of the things I have noticed since my reappointment in April 2025 is how our efforts related to Open Science and Open Access have continued to deepen in the past seven years. Aiming to improve access to and support the dissemination of research results, our library was one of the first in Japan to conclude Read & Publish agreements for electronic journals, helping us make many more articles available to all members of the university. In this post-COVID era, I believe that the expansion of access to academic information, and particularly remote access, is becoming even more important.
Efforts in this area are especially befitting of Japan's first University for International Research Excellence, and I believe that our library must continue to strive to go beyond conventional services. To expand support for Tohoku University students' and researchers' education and work, especially in the humanities, we began covering the full cost of Interlibrary Loan and Document Delivery sevices in April 2025. Throughout FY2025, we will focus on a variety of efforts, including the provision of e-books for our increasing number of international students, the installation of private work booths to support online conference participation and presentations, as well as the extension to the air conditioning usage period to ensure a comfortable learning environment. In April 2024, the Tohoku University Digital Archives (ToUDA) began exhibiting more of the library's valuable collections to the public, and it continues to work vigorously to digitize the university's invaluable academic resources to increase access further. I am especially looking forward to October 2025, when we will host the annual meeting of the Pacific Rim Research Libraries Alliance (PRRLA), of which Tohoku University Library has been a member since 2016. I believe that this will be a great opportunity to further enhance our international presence.
In short, much progress has been made, with much still to address and accomplish. Please know that our library staff will continue to strive to improve your experience of the Tohoku University Library. We look forward to working together with you.
Toshiya Ueki, July 24th 2025 Library Director of Tohoku University