Japanese Public Library Movement in its Dawning Period

Abstract

The dawning period of the Japanese Public Library here specifies the period from the begining to the middle of the Meiji ear. The early public libraries (Shojaku-kan) were established in the 1O's (12th-13th) of Meiji, mostly attached to the normal college and schools, but most of them were closed from 17th to 20th year of Meiji. This article analyses and clarifies the significance of Shojaku-kan on the public library history in Japan, describing how they appeared, and why they were disclosed, on the data collected locally by the writer himself.