Report on Japan Search Activities in FY2024
This article provides an overview of Japan Search's activities in fiscal 2024 (from April 2024 to March 2025).
Table of Contents
1. Establishment of collection policy and consultation service
The collection policy was published in January 2025.
We will expand our collaboration with archival institutions in accordance with this policy.
We have established a simple consultation service for institutions working on digital archives.
Please see the following page for details.
Consultation on Digital Archive Construction and Collaboration
2. Function
Redesign of Japan Search top page
The Japan Search top page has been redsigened to make it more convenient to use in March, 2025.
Gallery template added
We have created templates to help users create their own galleries.
Several templates are available for educational and other uses.
Select “Import” botton in “My Gallery” to choose the templates from “Templates”.
3. Cooperation
In fiscal 2024, we established new partnerships with 6 aggregators and 39 databases which were newly connected to Japan Search.
New database in FY2024
As of the end of March 2025, Japan Search collaborates with 55 aggregators and approximately 31 million metadata from 269 databases are accessible from Japan Search. We will continue to further expand our cooperation in the future.
4. Conversion to JPS RDF schema
Japan Search converts aggregated metadata to Japan Search’s data schema, the JPS RDF schema, and publishes it as linked open data through an API.
As of the end of March 2025, approximately 28 million metadata from 200 databases data providers agreed to provide through the API have been converted into the JPS RDF schema.
*You can check it by running a count query by data set on the SPARQL endpoint.
5. Gallery
【Additional New Galleries】
In fiscal 2024, 27 new galleries we added and 18 galleries created by partner institutions, National Theatre（Japan Arts Council）, Photo Archive Japan, University of Tokyo Library, Tokyo Gakugei University Library, Ryukoku University Library, Fukuoka City Museum, Wakayama Prefectural Archives, Oita Prefecture Library, Saitama Museum of Natural History and Ibaraki University Library are now available.
As of the end of March 2025, a total of 537 galleries are available and we plan to add more galleries in the near future.
New Galleries created by partner institutions in FY2024
6. Promote utilization of digitized content
Using Japan Search
Here are some examples of how to use Japan Search.
The "User Guide" page informs you how to use Japan Search.
Usecases in FY2024
東京農工大学学芸員養成課程では、2021年度より学芸員実習においての展示制作フローをデジタルで追体験し、物資料とデジタルの違いを学ぶ演習を行っています。
群馬県立女子大学文学部文化情報学科で行われている、1年生向けの入門的な演習科目「フィールドワーク基礎」の成果です。実習としてジャパンサーチを使ったデジタル展示を作成しています。 （指導教員：鈴木親彦）
"Galleries" are a kind of online exhibition partner instituions of Japan Search can create on Japan Search. We held a workshop for partner institutions considering creating galleries and project account holders.
GIF IT UP 2024
As an integrated portal in Japan, we cooperated in GIF IT UP 2024, a GIF animation creation contest held by Europeana in cooperation with the GIF animation sharing and search service GIPHY, assisting with PR in Japan and providing open licensed materials to make GIFs. There were 4 entries using the content of Japan Search, and one of them won Children and Teenagers Category Winners.
7. Events
Digital Archive Festival 2024 - Utilization Frontline -
Curation workshop for Japan Search partner institutions
Other past events are summarized on the "Archive" page.
8. PR
Lectures and Contributions
We hold lectures about Japan Search at events and academic conferences hosted by other organizations.
Past lectures and articles are summarized on the "Archive" page.
SNS
Japan Search has been providing information on new databases, content, events and lectures and tips on how to use Japan Search through official X (@ jpsearch _ go) , official Facebook (@jpsearchgo), the official YouTube channel(@japansearch2673) and official Instagram(@japansearch_go).
Conclusion
Japan Search has been expanding its cooperation and utilization, thanks to our partners, users and supporters.
In the future, Japan Search will continue to improve its functions, expand its cooperation with local archives, and promote the use of digital archives.
We deeply appreciate your continued support.