1. Visiting NTU's main library. Top left: exterior entrance of the library (classical brick style, similar to UCLA's Powell Library). Top right: QR codes posted around the library, which initiate a video tour of the library; very cool! Bottom left: meeting with NTU Library leaders to discuss common best practices and exchange gifts (NTU & the CSU have an exchange partnership). Bottom right: in the book stacks! NTU uses Dewey for their collection.
2. Visiting NTU's Social Sciences Library. NTU's social sciences library is the Koo Chen-Fu Memorial Library, a 10-minute walk from the main library. This library is beautiful, with an amazing "forest of trees" architecture inside. Top Left: the library's interior, with the white, palm tree-like columns. Top right: next to a floor map of the library (excellent map, prominently visible at the entrance). Bottom left: innovative furniture in the library (reminds me of a Mobius Strip!) Bottom right: discussing library outreach ideas with Linda Tung, director of the NTU Social Sciences Library. In the insert photo, you will see a shark mascot on the library's book return bin; she places the shark in various locations in a "Where's Waldo?" type outreach innovation. Fun!
3. Meeting with NTU's International Office. Left: with officers of NTU's International office, discussing ideas for improving student exchanges in both directions: Wendy Chen, Charlotte Chou, & Cyril Chen. Right: at the international office's "video wall" entrance.
Visiting National Taiwan Normal University Library. "Normal" universities are the historical designation for teacher-preparation universities, but today NTNU is a comprehensive university for all disciplines. Top left: at the entrance of the NTNU Library. Top right: with Ms. Tze-Ling Chang, Division Head, Reference & Outreach Services, Bottom left: the beautiful, modern interior of the library. Bottom right: new, glass-walled group study rooms.
1. Visiting the National Central Library. Taiwan's equivalent of a national library is its National Central Library. It is a huge library, with an enormous collection. But it is not just archival; it is is very welcoming to the public, with many outreach services. Top left: outside the main entrance. Top right: inside the beautiful interior. Bottom left: the floor directory of the library (well designed!) Bottom right: a time-machine "then-and-now" photo! Meeting Dr. Shu-hsien Tseng in 2006 (then the director of the Taipei Public Library), and again now, in 2023, now director of the National Central Library.
2. Visiting the NCL's Open Lab Multimedia Center. Last year, the National Central Library opened an extension library, dedicated to makerspaces and multimedia. It is an amazing innovation center, all for the public, with sewing/woodworking/3D printing centers, music rehearsal studios, video production labs, green-screen film studios, and a vast collection of Manga, Anime, DVDs, and more.
Visiting the Taipei Public Library. The Taipei Public Library is a leader in technological innovation! Top left: at the front entrance with one of the TPL's Librarians (resuming our pose from 2014, ha ha!) Top right: technology in the children's section--a self checkout "bee", and book sanitizer. Bottom left: screen of the library's study carrel reservation system. Bottom right: the library's vending machine of popular books--open 24/7 at the library's entrance.
Visiting the Seijo University Library and International Office. Left: entrance of the Library. Right: the Reference collection (still very traditional: lots of encyclopedias and reference books).
Left: large maps of each floor, in plexiglass floor stands, right outside the elevator (very cool! This is very user-friendly, showing students exactly where everything is the moment they exit the elevator) Right: meeting the library director, Mr. Ippei Kato.
Left: an innovative promotional tactic: referring users to the first floor Reference Desk using the elevator lights. Terrific idea! Right: meeting with officers of Seijo University's International Office: Mr. Yoji Kaneda and Ms. Yoshiko Maeda. Seijo and CSUF have an exchange partnership, so you'll notice the bright orange CSUF pennants on the wall (two of them!)
Visiting the Waseda University Library and International Office. Left: outside the entrance of Waseda's Main Library. Center: inside the library, with window-facing, electrical plug-equipped, recliner chairs (very cool). Right: promotional signs for their library workshops and "Ask A Librarian" service.
Left: the Library's "Learning Assistant" Desk. This is the same idea as the CSUF Library south Information Desk: students trained as triage for basic questions. Center: a promotional poster for the LA Desk; they add a unique innovation: advertising the majors of the LA's, so they can give special help to students of the same major at their shift times. Right: the Nippon Decimal Classification (NDC), Japan's version of Dewey.
Left: wall posters of a self-guided video tour of the library, on students' cell phones, with "stamps" they receive for each segment--similar to the CSUF Library "passport stamp" orientation. Right: meeting with officers of the Waseda University International Office to discuss library training for international students: Mr. Shunsuke Mizuno and Ms. Lu Gan (Waseda and the CSU system have an international partnership for exchanges)
Visiting the Tokyo Public Library. Top left: outside the main entrance. Top right: enjoying their Manga collection! Bottom left: collecting lots of great brochures. Bottom right: a screenshot of the library's website, featuring Librarian Chat service.
1. Visiting Ewha Women's University Library. Top: large, granite stone library building. Right: electronic technology is everywhere in the library. Left: meeting with Library Director, Ms. Nani Lee and Dr. Jun Soo Kim, Associate Vice President for International Affairs.
2. Visiting Korea University's Library. Top: the huge, stone library building in European castle-like architecture. Left: standing by the Dewey Decimal Classification (used in the library) in Korean. Right: meeting with the Library's leadership.
3. Visiting Yonsei University's Library. Left: enormous library building. Right: lobby entrance (looks more like a 5-star hotel lobby). As you can see, significant investment has been made in South Korea's top academic libraries.
4. Visiting the Seoul Metropolitan Library, the city's central public library. It is housed in a beautiful, historic building that was originally Seoul's City Hall, built in 1926. When Seoul's new City Hall was built in 2012, the library retained this building. A unique interior feature of the Library--broad wooden stairs along bookcases for both walking and sitting--was popularized by the Korean rapper Psy ("Gangnam Style") in 2013 in one of his music videos.
