A Time Long Ago in Tokyo (1951-1952) - A Librarian Remembers
Jean Boucher
Library/Information Resources Manager (retired)
Shannon & Wilson, Inc.
Seattle, Washington
January 17, 2003
Jean Boucher describes her experiences in 1951-52 creating a library science
library for the Japan Library School (now the Keio University School of Library
and Information Science). The school was established under the direction of
Dr. Robert Gitler. The library school has now celebrated its 50th anniversary,
and offers a doctoral program. Jean also comments on her life in Tokyo as
the school was getting underway. She returned to Tokyo in April 2000 for a
reunion with some of the first library school students. She also recounts
her visit to the current library school.
Note: the permanent URL for this article is http://www.sla.org/chapter/cpnw/interface/pastinterfaceissues/2003_winter/musings.htm,
or http://tinyurl.com/78kq.
See Members in the Spotlight for Jean's biography.
While working at the reference desk at the Library of Hawaii in December 1950, I received a phone call from Dr. Robert L. Gitler, Director of the University of Washington School of Librarianship, from which I had graduated in 1949. Bob asked if I would help him set up a new library school in Japan. General Douglas MacArthur's goal in that post-World War II period was to establish a democratic society in Japan. As a result, the American Library Association and the Dept. for Orientation of Occupied Areas studied the feasibility of a professional librarianship program in Japan. Don Brown, from MacArthur's Civil Information and Education Section, recognized the need for such a program, located some funds, and in early 1950 managed to get the project underway.
NEED FOR THE JAPAN LIBRARY SCHOOL
Takahisa Sawamoto, one of the first employees, and later a professor and director of the school wrote: "Although there had been libraries in Japan for centuries, and in them now and then some exceptionally able librarians, social and economic circumstances until recent times hindered the evolution of a professional concept of librarianship, without which the full potentialities of libraries in our national life could not be realized. The need for corrective action was clear, important and urgent, and it was to proclaim such a concept and provide the training required by it that the School of Library and Information Science of Keio University, then called the Japan Library School, came into being as of 1 April 1951 (Sawamoto, 1971).”
ROBERT GITLER AND THE JAPAN LIBRARY SCHOOL
The story of setting up the school is told in Robert Gitler and the Japan Library School; An Autobiographical Narrative edited by Professor Michael Buckland from the School of Information Management and Systems, University of California, Berkeley (Gitler, 1999). It was an enormous task for Michael to reconstruct what happened so long ago. Bob was in a retirement residence, not too well and pushing 90 years of age, but with marvelous recall. Michael described one Christmas when he had the transcriptions of the interviews with Bob spread out all over his very large dining room table, trying to organize them in some logical fashion. Fortunately, he did make sense of them, and the book is highly readable because it uses Bob's "this is how it was" stories, but with Michael's sense of organization. The American Library Association’s Library Journal calls the founding of a library school in Japan a significant development in international librarianship, and that the book is an excellent record of the library profession in Japan and the United States. I won't retell his story--those interested should read the book. I will just recount a few personal observations as we established the school.
FACULTY AND STAFF
Bob recruited an outstanding library school faculty for the first year. Professors Bertha Frick of Columbia University, and Frances Cheney of the George Peabody Institute Library School in Tennessee, were both well-known for work in cataloging and reference in the United States. Also were Hannah Hunt, Children's Librarian, Rockford Public Library in Illinois, and Ed Larson, Library of Congress Audio-visual Librarian. We all worked well together. Our aim was to establish an excellent library school, as good as any we knew in the United States. It was an educational experience for all of us, but particularly for me, a young person with a lot to learn. In addition to the Americans, there were two part-time Japanese lecturers: Mr. Shigeyoshi Doi, Associate Librarian of Tokyo University Library, and Mr. Mikinosuke Ishida, Professor of Nihon University. Each of our school's office staff was bright and personable, and a pleasure to work with.
STUDENTS
In April 1951 the first students arrived, about 60 of them, and we somehow got the doors open in time and began our first year. The students were an exceptional group. We got to know all of them, as well as our interpreters and staff, very well. How we (and they) were integrated into the most elite private university in Japan--its Harvard, so to speak--is told in Bob's book.
THE JOB
My job was to create a special library for the school, a library science library. It was a daunting task--to start with just a pencil, then a desk, then a typewriter, then a translator and interpreter, then to find a place to put the library. There was no room in the classroom building at Keio University. I ended up in a prized spot--just inside the door of the main library, a 1912 Gothic structure of brick and granite. It was one of the few buildings on campus not destroyed by the fire bombs during the war. The library school library was convenient to the classrooms.
One of Bob's guiding principles was to make it easy for people to use libraries. Initially there was a problem with that. As Bob tells it in his book: "Traditionally students never enter where faculty enters. They had to go in through the basement entrance by a foul-smelling lavatory. By the end of the first year…I got the library school's students coming in through the front door, but no other students at that time. That took me three years (Gitler, 1999)." I was pleased to see that in 2000 when I visited the new Keio main library, this principle was carried out perfectly--the library itself was conveniently located and there was an attractive main entrance which all could use--students, faculty, staff or visitors. For pictures of the old and new Keio Library see their web site: http://www.mita.lib.keio.ac.jp/guide/library_e.html
WHO, ME? CATALOGING?
It was very difficult to get specialized library supplies in Japan at that time. The first task was cataloging the library science books sent out from American Library Association (by the end of the first year the collection numbered about 2000 volumes). The idea of cataloging that library was intimidating. This was pre-everything; electric typewriters, computers, MARC, OCLC, copiers, Cataloging in Publication, even the printed Library of Congress cards were very difficult to get. So I personally typed each of the cards on a manual typewriter for items in non-Japanese languages. My assistant and interpreter, Ms. Ai Kawaguchi, typed cards for Japanese documents in romaji (Roman letters), and inscribed the kanji on the cards in pen and ink (her calligraphy was beautiful!).
RULES
More difficult was deciding how to work within the existing Japanese library system. Fortunately, Bertha Frick, who was teaching the classification and cataloging class, was my advisor and an absolutely logical, empathetic, forward-thinking individual. We set up a dictionary catalog, unusual in Japan. For classification we used the Dewey decimal system with Library of Congress subject headings. We consulted many Japanese librarians, students and language scholars before the rules of entry were finally decided. Many a night, in my hotel room, I typed 5 to 8 cards for each item on my own small portable typewriter. The next year, the director of the National Diet Library, Dr. Tokujiro Kanamori, asked if the catalog could be reproduced in book form. Consequently, the first Catalog of Books and Periodicals, Japan Library School Collection, Keio Gijuku Library was produced in mimeographed form in 1952, with a supplement following in 1956.
CULTURAL/LINGUISTIC
There were cultural and linguistic differences to overcome. Many misunderstandings were patiently resolved. We violated some strong taboos and made some pretty laughable mistakes trying to fit into situations and in using the Japanese language. Our co-workers and students probably regaled their families on our strange ways.
FACULTY MEETINGS
We held our faculty meetings at night in Bob's tiny hotel room sitting on his bed or on the floor. Because of the informality of the meetings I never felt intimidated by all the brainpower in the room, and chimed right in despite my youth and position. Since the deadlines came at us fast and furiously, it took a great deal of equanimity to face everything calmly and logically.
COOPERATION
The politeness of the Japanese people was absolutely amazing to me. In all my time in Tokyo I always felt welcome and even cherished. I did not know it at the time, but Emperor Hirohito, at General Douglas MacArthur's request, prepared the Japanese citizens for our arrival, and had requested that the Japanese people cooperate with us, and they certainly did. For our part, one of Bob's principles was "constant availability”. We did indeed have a constant stream of visitors at school--reporters, photographers, Monbusho (the Ministry of Education), Army personnel, job hunters, students, professors, and practicing librarians. From my letter home, April 19, 1951: "Mr.…came over from the Diet Library and brought us copies of his new book and talked and talked and tried out our electric pencil (which we used for call numbers on books). Two psychiatrists (Japanese) dropped in and stayed. Mr. Dulles' secretary (THE John Foster Dulles) called and wanted a book by Stalin [from the Keio collection]. Some professor had our copy checked out. I called all over town and finally got the book to him [Dulles]."
What did the Japanese think of Bob and the school and the program? They kept asking him to come back whenever he left the country. Keio conferred an honorary Doctor of Philosophy degree on him in 1956. And this is a quote from a librarian who attended several of Bob's classes and workshops: "…But, as the principle of democratism [sic] has gradually been permeating more and more among the Japanese since the end of hostilities, the new American educational plan is in the process of realization….This is the stupendous progress witnessed in our educational world as compared to the old days when the Japanese learned of school education through the aid of only one Japanese version from the original on pedagogy. My heart is full when I think of the library which, taken up by the people as an indispensable agency for social education as well as school education, has come to be recognized as the pioneer of the new education in this country… Though a top-ranking librarian [Gitler] sent over to Japan by the American Library Association, he was so light-hearted as to carry the vase to the ceremonial hall for himself (Inoue, 1951)."
SPEAKING THE LANGUAGE
At night at the hotel I would often help various people, including students, who would come by to practice their English. Everywhere I went--on the train, on the street, at school--people were anxious to practice their English. In fact, it was hard for me to practice my Japanese. I really enjoyed learning the language. I found the kanji characters impossible to read but newspapers were in kana (katakana and hiragana) and easier to read. I learned enough spoken and written language to get around without too much trouble.
We had good interpreters at school and I really enjoyed giving talks, because while the interpreter was translating I had a chance to think about my next words. Bob actually gave a talk entirely in Japanese to the Japan Library Association in May 1951. Quite an accomplishment (and unusual)! Some of the listeners actually thought he knew Japanese, and eventually he did have quite a vocabulary.
MAY DAY, 1952
I never felt threatened or fearful in Japan except during the May Day riot in 1952. Evidently the Communist party used the occasion of a peaceful May Day demonstration by some 300,000 "workaday" Japanese to start an anti-American protest. We took a bus home after work that day instead of Army sedans. Later we heard that such cars were overturned and burned. The riot had been quelled but we met numerous people leaving the scene, some were on their way home. Others went to demonstrate at the Dai Ichi Hotel but the hotel was surrounded by Japanese police. When we arrived for Bob's birthday party later in the evening, all was quiet. Time Magazine, May 12, 1952, said two died and 1,454 were injured, many of them critically. Our students were very concerned for us.
THE KOREAN WAR AND THE COLD WAR
The Korean War was going on and the U.S. had a tense relationship with the USSR. On Russian broadcasts, we Americans at Keio were cited as examples of spies in Japan. Here is an excerpt from the Library of Congress Information Bulletin, March 14, 1952, translated from Bibliotekar, an official Russian library journal: "the planting of American intelligence agents in other countries under the guise of specialists in library and bibliographic affairs…thus, in particular, with the assistance of the American Library Association, a library school was opened in Tokyo in 1950 [sic], the director and teaching staff of which were sent from the U.S.A."
MACARTHUR
It was a shock when President Truman dismissed General Douglas MacArthur abruptly on April 11, 1951. All of Japan was in shock. In a letter home on April 19th I reported that "the Japanese people just worshiped MacArthur." We all thought MacArthur was doing a great job, and the reason for the recall was not clear. With time the reasons became more understandable. In my letter I said: "Some people here though do stick up for Truman. They say he [MacArthur] would have gotten us into more than we could handle." General Matthew Ridgway replaced him, and shortly thereafter General and Mrs. Ridgway paid a visit to Keio. He gave a talk to the whole student body from the balcony above my library, and they both toured the Japan Library School, a memorable event for all of us.
SOCIAL/CULTURAL
We were entertained often by the Japanese people. These were usually official or semi-official events---parties put on by various sponsors of the school, but also by Japanese friends. President Ushioda and the Directors of Keio University hosted a luncheon for our staff. (When I left the President gave me a beautiful pearl necklace and earrings on behalf of the University.)
There were excursions arranged by the students. During my first week there
was an impromptu lesson on using hashi, Japanese "chopsticks",
and an introduction to a raw egg at the bottom of my bowl for sukiyaki.
Lessons such as this often broke the ice between us all on more formal
occasions. We went to an exciting Keio-Waseda baseball game. We saw sumo
wrestling,
a Bunraku puppet show, Takarazuka shows, and Kabuki. I've never been so
cold as in a Japanese movie theater in winter. After the Peace Treaty
took effect in April 1952, near the end of my stay, we were a part of
the U.S.
State Department, and invited to their events--I remember the caviar.
Before I left I visited some outstanding museums and gardens in Kyoto.
I also visited
Hiroshima, which was terrible to behold. In my mind, I can still see on
the stone steps of a building the “shadow” of a person sitting
there when the atomic bomb exploded.
AT THE OSAKA HOTEL, TOYKO
Life was interesting for three young women roommates, all Department of Army civilians, at the Osaka Hotel near the Ginza, Tokyo. We had our own maid, who lived in the hotel. We did not feel the necessity of a maid, but realized that it provided a needed job. No suitable clothes were available to buy in stores, but a seamstress came to our room and made them for us. We all wore the same size, even shoes, and that tripled our choices for the day or evening! There was an Army restaurant in the basement of our hotel. A Bank of America was nearby. But it was difficult to do the most ordinary things, or to buy what we were used to. My roommates were very attractive women and we had many opportunities to go out to dinner, or dancing, what with all the servicemen and other personnel in town.
FORTY-NINE YEARS LATER
In April 2000 I returned to Tokyo. I was met by two of the first students of Keio Library School, now professors: Yoshinari Tsuda and Tsuyoshi Nakamori. The first day of my two-day stay they and Professor Shigeo Watanabe took me to lunch on the waterfront, to lovely gardens, and then to a beautiful Japanese restaurant in the Shinjuku District, Shunnka-shutou. About 21 people, mostly the library school’s first students with a few other guests, gathered there for a party in my honor. We had wonderful Japanese food, served with style, in a traditional tatami-matted room, but in a modern, glittering multi-story building, looking out over the colorful lights of Tokyo.
OUR "HISTORIES"
In my speech to the group I told them that I wanted to hear what had happened to each of them after I left the library school. Their stories were amazing.
Many students became leading librarians, some are active in different professions, and some are retired. Some had started library schools, and many taught at Keio or other library schools. Watanabe-san is one of the most famous children's authors in Japan, Tsuda-san founded a national medical library and think-tank in Tokyo, Takase-san is Counselor to the Governor of Tokyo. One had started a "friends of the library" group, Kono-san is a paper manufacturer. The women in the group looked very successful, and it did my heart good to hear their stories. One of them, Professor Motoko Shiiba, said Bertha Frick must be surprised in heaven, because Frick gave her a "D" in cataloging and now Shiiba-san is a library science teacher at a university, teaching cataloging.
The group presented me with an attractive Aizome "traditional dyed-textile" bag, from Kyoto I believe, a real treasure. It was one of those nights to remember always. And as Tsuda-san put it so nicely in his season’s holiday greetings this year "we must thank you for giving us that rare occasion" as "we [the former students] could have a chance to get together."
LUNCH AND A TOUR AT KEIO UNIVERSTY SCHOOL OF LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SCIENCE
The next day Professor Toshiro Hamada came by and took me to Keio University, where I was met by the entire School of Library and Information Science faculty. Led by the Director, Professor Kimio Hosono, they took me to the new Faculty Club for lunch. Then we went for a tour of the main Keio Library and of the School of Library and Information Science. And wonder of wonders--the library of the school. My collection had multiplied into rows of stacks, with many books and periodicals, and plans for new computers. The success of the School is perhaps reflected by the fact that they now have a doctoral program. In 2001 the school had a 50th year celebration.
NOW A MUSEUM
The group then took me to where my original library was located. I was pleased to see that it is now a museum and archive honoring the founder of the university, Yukichi Fukuzawa, a most interesting western-thinking person. He visited America in the 1860's and was impressed with the concept of democracy. When he returned to Japan he acted as a leader in the study of western arts and sciences. His ideas are expressed in "the pen is mightier than the sword" inscribed in a large stained glass window above the old library's entrance hall staircase, and by one of the symbols used by Keio, a pair of crossed pens. Fukuzawa's grandson, Eiichi Kiyooka, a Keio professor, was one of our strongest champions, and I treasure his English translation of the Autobiography of Fukuzawa Yukichi (Fukuzawa, 1948).
THE HUMI PROJECT
Next we all went down to the library's basement. That's where I spent some
of my breaks, smoking a cigarette on the back steps (horrors!). There I
often spent a few minutes watching a game of go played by the janitors.
They sat on raised tatami mats near a hibachi (charcoal brazier used for
heat and to keep a kettle warm). There was lots of shared laughter brought
on by my hesitant Japanese conversation. Now the basement is the home of
the HUMI (Humanities Media Interface) Project. Keio is digitizing rare books
such as their own recently acquired Gutenberg Bible. There are several different
versions of this Bible. They have successfully digitized a British Museum
copy, so they can compare the versions by using an "electronic thumb."
For more information on the HUMI Project go to http://www.humi.mita.keio.ac.jp/sitemap/Sitemap_eng.htm
OBSERVATIONS
When we started the library school library at Keio we aimed to 1) provide a good basic library science collection for the students and faculty, 2) organize the library so that it would be easy to use, and 3) serve as a useful example of a specialized collection. Later, as a special librarian, I learned to go beyond obtaining and organizing a collection, and beyond spoken requests. It's asking what is it this organization needs to best carry out its mission? What is it that each individual person needs? What is out there that would fill those needs? Then finding a way to accomplish that goal in a timely and economical way. It is also trying to look into the future to keep up with change. I had an unusual and wonderful opportunity helping to get that library started. During my visit in 2000 I was so pleased to see a very successful operation.
In these days of cooperative cataloging with massive databases, OPACs, online full-text, and the web we certainly operate in a different environment than in 1951-1952. In my opinion Bob Gitler's principles of "library service" (it usually sounded like "savis") have indeed endured through the years: good collections, easy access, and friendly and knowledgeable guidance and help from a professional.
IN CONCLUSION
My thanks to Bob Gitler for making all those experiences possible. He was
an inspiration and brought out the best in everyone. I visit him at Lake
Merritt in Oakland whenever I can, and we share the latest news. He still
sees the big picture, and his memory is remarkable. Dr. Buckland, as he
was finishing Bob’s book, told me that in time he would like to do "his
take" on the Japan Library School story. I look forward to reading
it, as he is a great historian of libraries and librarians.
Ed. note: This account by Jean was shortened for Interface publication. For a more complete version, including some more personal memories, her friends may want to go to this link: Unabridged Version: A Time Long Ago in Tokyo (1951-1952) - A Librarian Remembers.
REFERENCES
Fukuzawa, Yukichi, 1948, Autobiography of Fukuzawa Yukichi, translated by Eiichi Kiyooka, revised and authorized edition, Tokyo, Hokuseido Press, 380 p. [1st edition, 1934]
Gitler, Robert L., 1999, Robert Gitler and the Japan Library School: An autobiographical narrative, edited by Michael Buckland, Lanham, Maryland, Scarecrow Press, 173 p.
Inoue, Kojiro, 1951, The impression made upon us by the visiting American librarians, translated by K. Saito, The Tomoshibi (Light), Akita Prefectural Library Bulletin, no. 1, November 5, p. 12-13.
Sawamoto, Takahisa, 1971, Keio University School of Library and Information Science: Its past, present and future, Library and Information Science, Mita Society for Library and Information Science, Keio University, no. 9, p. 11-23.