Compares both the history and specific libraries in Finland, Japan, and Qatar. Researched and presented by Rowan La Barbera.

1. Comparative
Librarianship:
Finland, Japan, and Qatar
Researched & Presented by:
Rowan La Barbera
LIS 670 - International Librarianship
Dominican University

2. Where in the World?
University of the Arts
Helsinki Library
Europe
Japan Art
Documentation
Society (JADS)
Asia-Oceania
Museums of Islamic
Arts Library
Middle East &
North Africa

3. Japan
Finland
Area: 338,145 sq km
Population: 5.6 million
Languages: Finnish (official),
Swedish (official)
Ethnicity: Finnish, Swedish,
Russian, Estonian, Romani, Sami
Religions: Lutheran 66.6%;
none 30.6%
GDP per capita: $48,800
Area: 377,915 sq km
Population: 123.7 million
Languages: Japanese
Ethnicity: Japanese 97.9%;
Chinese 0.6%; Korean 0.4%
Religions: Shintoism 70.5%;
Buddhism 67.2%; Christianity
1.5%
GDP per capita: $40,800
Area: 11,586 sq km
Population: 2.5 million
Languages: Arabic (official),
English (common)
Ethnicity: non-Qatari 88.4%
Religions: Muslim 65.2%;
Hindu 15.9%; Christian 13.7%
GDP per capita: $92,900
Qatar
Quick Facts

4. Japan
Finland
● Impressive natural
environment - 75% of the
country is forested
● One of the happiest,
safest countries in the
world
○ 11/12 lost wallets are
returned!
● Authenticity &
connection are valued -
small talk is not
● Maintains a dual-gov’t
system
○ Imperial Family has
their own separate
duties
● Main Industries
○ Cars & auto parts
○ Consumer
electronics &
computers
● Public performances
and festivals keep
Qatari culture
vibrantly alive
● Calligraphy and
architecture are
popular visual arts
● Home to a World
Heritage Site
○ Al Zubarah
Archaeological
Site
Qatar
Quick Facts - Continued

5. ● People’s Libraries
○ Institutions that will lend to
virtually anyone
○ 1830s - Advocacy for a country-
wide network of libraries
● Finnish Independence - 1917
○ Libraries seen as instrumental in
educating the common people
and ensuring an “open &
democratic society”
● Growth of the Public Library
○ 1928- 1st Library Act
■ Establishes using and
borrowing from collections
as a free service
○ Explicitly acknowledges libraries
as an equitable form of
education
○ Provincial Libraries support the
needs of their regional public
libraries
Libraries in Finland

6. ● Programming
○ Research Data Management
Seminar - March 2023
■ Open & free to all; hybrid
■ Addressing the lack of info
on best practices when
researching art
■ Research experts from the
University & beyond
● Collections
○ Special Collections
■ Rare items of “regional or
cultural-historical
significance”
■ Original manuscripts of
plays, sheet music, etc.
■ Lars-Gunnar Nordström’s
personal library
University of the Arts Helsinki Library
● Services
○ Open to the public - to have a card, must be >15 y.o. and a Finnish citizen
○ University students & staff can use InterLibrary Loaning

7. ● 6th - 8th Century
○ Feudal private libraries
○ Repositories of Buddhist
manuscripts
○ “Open” libraries - differs from
modern public libraries
● Pre-World War 2
○ 1872 - 1st “modern” public library
○ 1886 - University of Tokyo
Library
○ 1892 - Japan Library Association
■ 1929 - Joined IFLA
● Post-World War 2 & Beyond
○ US occupants used their
influence to update Japanese
library systems
○ 1948-1956 - several library-
boosting laws passed
○ Public vs Community Libraries
■ Many feel that public
libraries don’t adequately
meet youth wants & needs
■ The latter are grassroots
organized & lead
Libraries in Japan

8. ● Headquartered in Tokyo
● Programming
○ Annual convention
■ This & various other
meetings are hosted at
various institutions
internationally
○ Workshops & lectures
■ Best practices in art
preservation & cataloging
○ Tours of institutions
● Collections
○ Note: JADS doesn’t seem to have
a collection of their own, but is
concerned with helping others
preserve & maintain their own
art collections.
● Services
○ Membership open to individuals
& institutions/organizations
■ Includes annual & quarterly
publications
Japan Art Documentation Society (JADS)

9. ● Oral History Archiving
○ The Qatari people tend to be less
concerned with written records
○ Oral history is seen as a “crucial tool” in
preserving Arabian Gulf history
● Qatar National Library & Censorship
○ June 2017 - Jan 2021, Qatar was being
“boycotted” by many other countries in
the Persian Gulf region
○ “We’re not holding anything back”
Libraries in Qatar
● Qatar Digital Library
○ Part of a partnership called the “10-year Memorandum of Understanding between
Qatar Foundation, the Qatar National Library, and the British Library” (p. 441)
○ Began in July 2012 & has seen considerable success, both in terms of acquiring
materials & use
○ One of the largest open access online databases for Arab and Islamic history

10. ● Located in the capital of Doha
● Entrance is free for Qatar residents
○ Non-Qatar visitors pay ~14 USD
or ~7 USD if they’re a student
● Programming
○ Daily library tours
○ “Mosques in Qatar: Then & Now”
■ “Architectural tour of
Qatar”
○ Youth & adult art workshops
■ Many mediums & skill levels
● Collections
○ Both secular & religious artworks
○ Qur’an Manuscripts
■ More than 800 pieces
■ 7th - 19th century
■ Abbasid Blue Qur’an, prized
for its rarity & beauty
● Services
○ Custom and pre-built workshops,
conferences, and trainings to
help teachers expand their
classroom
Museums of Islamic Arts Library

11. Bibliography
About Japan. (2021). JapanGov; The Government of Japan. https://www.japan.go.jp/japan/
Ahmed, S. (2018). “Seeking Information from the Lips of People”: Oral history in the archives of Qatar and the Gulf
region. Archival Science, 18(3), 225–240. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10502-018-9293-8
Alix, F. (2021). The History and Current Challenges of Libraries in Japan. SLIS Connecting, 10(1).
https://doi.org/10.18785/slis.1001.09
Al-Mutawa, M. A. (2019). Qatar digital library: A new phase of digital archives. Bibliothek Forschung Und Praxis,
43(3), 441–446. https://doi.org/10.1515/bfp-2019-2072
Facts about Finland. (2023). Visit Finland. https://www.visitfinland.com/en/practical-tips/facts-about-finland/
Facts about Qatar. (2023). Government Communications Office; State of Qatar.
https://www.gco.gov.qa/en/media-centre/information-about-qatar/
Kurata, K., Ishita, E., Miyata, Y., & Minami, Y. (2017). Print or digital? Reading behavior and preferences in Japan.
Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology, 68(4), 884–894.
https://doi.org/10.1002/asi.23712

12. Bibliography - Continued
Miura, T. (2019). The Japan Library Association. International Journal of Librarianship, 4(2), 123.
https://doi.org/10.23974/ijol.2019.vol4.2.151
Museum of islamic art. (2023). Museum of Islamic Art; Qatar Museums. https://mia.org.qa/en/
Tuominen, K., & Saarti, J. (2012). The Finnish library system: Open collaboration for an open society. IFLA Journal,
38(2), 115–136. https://doi.org/10.1177/0340035212444506
Uniarts library. (2023). Uniarts Library; University of Arts Helsinki. https://lib.uniarts.fi/en/
University of Jyväskylä, FI, & Kotilainen, S. (2016). Literacy Skills as Local Intangible Capital: The History of a Rural
Lending Library c. 1860 - 1920. SKS Finnish Literature Society. https://doi.org/10.21435/sfh.21
Walton, G. (2019, June 24). Qatar mega-library defies boycott and woos youth. AFP International Text Wire in
English. https://www.proquest.com/docview/2245325305?accountid=10528&forcedol=true
Thank you for listening!