The physical characteristics of paper books are closely related to human cognition, and this is the reason why books have gained a privileged position in academia, literature, and education in the modern era. However, in media studies, following McLuhan’s work, multimedia has been considered more influential due to its sensory attributes compared to the medium of books. In the 21st-century Internet society, all forms of media, including books, have become absorbed into the digital network. In this paper, we have divided the media into two categories: containers, which are the mechanisms for carrying messages, and contents, which are the messages themselves, and have historically examined the transition of media. We then discuss the need to take advantage of the historical characteristics of books in distribution, retrieval, and archiving, and the role of the Digital Collection of the National Diet Library as a model in this regard.

It has been more than 20 years since the concept of hybrid libraries first appeared. In recent years, however, electronic library services have been introduced as a response to the Barrier-Free Access Act and to the COVID-19 epidemic, and as a way to support reading and nonvisitor services. This paper summarizes the current status of information provision by digital media sources in public libraries, including e-library services, and confirms how hybrid information provision with analog media sources is being implemented. The paper also discusses the future prospects of digital media information provision, confirming the need to expand both the quality and quantity of digital media information provision.

As societal digitalization advances, a fundamental and inclusive approach is required for the preservation and effective utilization of local administrative documents. However, the adaptation of administrative documents and similar materials to digital formats has experienced significant delays. One of the benefits of digitalization is the broad accessibility and extreme ease of access that comes with the digitization of vast historical resources. Shifting from a society that has consumed knowledge primarily through paper-based media, there is an expectation for a shift towards a knowledge recycling society, where the utilization of past documents is even more feasible than before.

Museums are now digitally managing the materials they collect, store and exhibit (called collection materials or items), as well as the information describing the materials and museum activities. Using the Tokyo National Museum as an example, this article provides a guide to the status of digital management supporting museum activities and illustrates the actual materials and information provided by these developments, with a focus on exhibitions. Exhibitions that combine actual exhibition space and web content are becoming more common, and the fascinating experience of viewing them can describe as a hybrid type of provision that is unique to museums.

Looking back on the process of preservation and maintenance of NHK’s archives, this report describes an example of efforts made by a staff member of a local broadcasting station in order to solve problems for the future. Until the 1980s, NHK did not have a systematic and organized archive preservation. After that, a specialized department centrally stored and maintained the data, and digitization also progressed. On the other hand, there are still issues such as the maintenance of metadata and the handling of unedited film and tape footage. The story of NHK Kanazawa’s archive project clearly shows the necessity for broadcaster to develop archiving personnel and to strengthen cooperation between broadcaster and external institutions.

Microfilm has been widely used for media conversion and as a space-saving means of collecting materials. Since the 1970s, it has been considered the primary medium for long-term preservation because it can be expected to last 500 years or more in a low-temperature, low-humidity environment. However, it became known that TAC-based microfilms could experience a deterioration known as vinegar syndrome. In the 1990s, the transition to long-term preservation through digitization began to be discussed. This paper outlines the characteristics of microfilm, the current state of its holdings and use, its deterioration and preservation, the significance and use of microfilming newspapers, and its place in the digital age as a backup for digital resources.

In recent years, a ratio of the number of patent applications filed overseas to the number of patent applications filed in Japan has tended to increase, and importance of researching overseas patent documents has increased. This paper introduces features of the “Japio Global Patent Gateway Full-Text (Japio-GPG/FX)” which is a service that allows users to collectively search full texts of patent publications in Japanese from major regions around the world. Japio provides a high-precision machine translation specializing in patents, various support functions for efficient screening, and also provides unique data such as “visualization” of decarbonization and SDGs technologies.