Penn joins interlibrary loan program with Japanese universities

If you are struggling to get to Van Pelt, think about those who travel to Japan to get their books.

Up until last month, some students and faculty members had no choice but to do just that to conduct their research. Now, thanks to the Japan-U.S. Global InterLibrary Loan Framework Project — also known as the GIF Project — they will be able to gain access to necessary material minus the airfare.

Tens of millions of books from over 150 Japanese university libraries will be made available at Penn through this system, Japanese Studies Librarian Molly Des Jardin said in an email.

This is good news for researchers like School of Arts and Sciences graduate student Jeannie Kenmotsu , who studies Japanese art history. In the past, when she has needed a book only available in Japan, she would have no choice but to make a list of items to check out when she visited. Although certain books are sometimes available at other U.S. universities, the universities might not send them, thereby necessitating an expensive trip to the school. After two years of living in Japan, Kenmotsu said she now needs to stay grounded in the United States and buckle down on her dissertation. The GIF Project promises to aid this process.

Frank Chance , associate director of the Center for East Asian Studies, said that many books published during World War II are only available in Japan and difficult to find online. Due to the poor relations between the United States and Japan during this time period, much of the work printed during World War II on any subject is difficult to obtain in the United States. Chance hopes the new program will facilitate access to these materials.

Kenmotsu anticipates this project will “make Japanese studies at Penn even stronger.”

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