Ebina City Central Library Reopened on October 1, 2015

2015.10.01 Press Releases
Culture Convenience Club Co., Ltd. / Library Distribution Center Co., Ltd.

　

Ebina City Central Library (474-4 Kamigo, Ebina City, Kanagawa Prefecture), which had been closed for renovations since the end of November 2014, has now completed renovations and reopened on October 1, 2015. Ebina City Central Library is the first library in the Tokyo metropolitan area operated by a joint venture between Culture Convenience Club Co., Ltd. (Head office: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Masuda Muneaki; hereinafter referred to as CCC) and Library Distribution Center Co., Ltd. (President and CEO: Ishii Akira; hereinafter referred to as TRC).

"It's easy for all Ebina residents to use, and they'll want to use it anytime. "We have been working on renovating this 30-year-old library in order to create a library that fosters diversity and possibilities, where people can encounter many books, people, and values."CCC's strengths are in creating spaces, customer service, and developing lifestyle genres, and TRC's strengths are in its library expertise as a designated manager of 257 libraries (as of September 2015) and reference skills, and we will combine these to create a new style of "Library & Cafe" in Ebina.

<10 Features of Ebina City Central Library>

1) We have set up a floor dedicated to the "Children's Library."
The space was originally a planetarium and has been renovated. The planetarium dome is used as it is, and the exhibit is designed to unfold the world of picture books. The Kids' Library also houses Tsutaya Bookstore, which stocks recommended picture books and educational toys. A dedicated elevator has been installed so that those with children can easily go up to the 4th floor. We have also improved our nursing rooms and stroller rental services.

2) A collection of 310,000 books
3) On the first floor, there is Tsutaya Bookstore, which offers carefully selected books, high-quality stationery and miscellaneous goods, and a cafe where you can read a book while drinking coffee.
Starbucks Coffee is available
4) On the second floor, we will develop a lifestyle library that focuses on food, travel, hobbies, and other topics that will broaden your daily life.
5) The third floor will feature a study room (100 seats) for learning.
6) The basement floor, which used to be a closed stacks, has been converted into a reading space called a "hideaway for adults."
7) Books can now be returned at stations and convenience stores within Ebina City. (Returns are scheduled to begin at Three F stores in the city from November 1st (excluding some stores), and also at the new Ebina Station free passage/TSUTAYA Sagamino Ekimae store. Additionally, Ebina City Central Library, Ebina City Arima Library, Higashi Kashiwagaya Elementary School Public Library, Ebina City Hall, Ebina City Hall Kashiwadai Liaison Office, and Ebi-nya House will continue to be available as return locations.
8) Opening hours: Open all year round from 9:00am to 9:00pm
9) You can now choose between T-Card and traditional library cards
10) Holding events and workshops throughout the year (such as English reading by foreign staff)

■About CCC
Company name: Culture Convenience Club Co., Ltd.
Representative: Muneaki Masuda (President and CEO)
Business: Entertainment business centered on bookstores, database marketing business centered on T-Points, planning of online services and new platform services

CCC, which operates TSUTAYA, Japan's largest bookstore chain, with book and magazine sales of 113 billion yen in 2013, nationwide, has begun a new business venture involving the planning and operation of libraries. We planned the renovation of the Takeo City Library and Historical Museum in Takeo City, Saga Prefecture, and have been operating it as the designated manager since April 1, 2013. We have introduced Library & Cafe, which allows you to use the library, cafe, and bookstore all in one, including reading books in the cafe before they are loaned out, and have also launched unique services such as allowing you to use the library with your T-Card. In the future, we plan to plan library facilities in Tagajo City, Miyagi Prefecture, and Shunan City, Yamaguchi Prefecture.

About TRC
Company name: Library Distribution Center Co., Ltd.
Representative name: Akira Ishii (Representative Director and President)
Business: Comprehensive library support services, from the creation and sale of the bibliographic information database TRC MARC, to the provision and sale of selected materials and library management contract work.

Bibliographic database TRC MARC: 80% of public libraries across the country use this service for everything from book selection, ordering, inspection, acceptance, lending, returning, and reservations to search and reference services.
Public library operations: In 1996, at the request of the Fukuoka City Public Library, we became the first in Japan to outsource in-library services. In 2004, he was put in charge of the management department of Kuwana City Central Library (Mie Prefecture), Japan's first PFI library, and is currently entrusted with managing 436 libraries, which accounts for more than 10% of the public libraries in the country. Of these, 257 are operated as designated managers.
School library managementWe operate school libraries for 317 elementary, junior high, and high schools in 17 local governments and organizations across the country.

Materials related to this matter

Ebina City Central Library Reopened on October 1, 2015

Inquiries regarding this matter
Culture Convenience Club Co., Ltd.
Public Relations: Mariko Hanai
TEL: 03-6800-3570