Multi-Volume Sets Project (MVS): About the MVS Project

Library Resources Building Fund

   The NCC Multi-Volume Sets Grants Project (MVS) was created to further the cooperative development of Japanese language collections in the United States, and was funded continuously from 1992 until 2018 by the Japan-United States Friendship Commission. For 25 years, the MVS Project helped to build a national collection of unique and expensive Japanese research materials circulating throughout the United States. MVS also received supplemental support from Japan Publications Trading Company, Ltd. (JPT).

   MVS offered grants for the purchase of expensive multi-volume sets of Japanese language materials (those costing more than 100,000 yen per set). To qualify, materials had to be in demand by users and made available through ILL, elsewhere in the US. The MVS committee considered each applicant institution's 1) areas of specialization, unique character, and collection development traditions; 2) research and teaching needs for requested sets; and 3) readiness to freely share the funded sets locally and nationally. All titles funded by MVS were added to the MVS Database, each with a link to the OPAC record of the holding institution. 

•  "Smaller Institutions": Since 2010 MVS allocated 40% of each year’s funds to applications from institutions with annual Japanese language acquisitions budgets of less than $10,000 including monographs, serials, and digital resources. 

• "Faculty applicants": Faculty members at institutions without Japanese studies librarians were allowed to submit an application on behalf of their institution, meeting all criteria for MVS Application.

• "Joint applications": Multiple institutions could submit joint applications for very expensive titles. Joint applications were especially encouraged for acquisition of sets costing 5,000,000 yen or more..

• "Thematic collections": A combination of Multi-Volume Sets, individually published titles, and related reference works on a theme that supports specific research and teaching purposes were also considered for funding.

MVS助成金プログラムは、 日本語図書資料の購入援助として北米の大学図書館へ支給される助成金プログラムでした。　当プログラムを通して、北米における日本研究を支援することを目的としました。

1992年日米友好基金により創設され、NCCがプログラムの選考・運営管理を行っていました。　MVS 選考委員会は、NCCの任命を受けた日本司書三名・日本研究教授二名にNCC事務局長が加わり、計六名によって構成されました。　資料購入に際して、日本出版貿易株式会社が委員会を援助していました。MVSで購入した資料は、北米国内で図書館間・相互貸借資料として、利用に供することが義務付けられています。

MVS助成金プログラムの選考基準は、以下の通りでした。

• 北米国内に同一の資料が存在しないこと

• 高額な（十万円以上）資料であること

• 利用者（日本研究の教授・学生）からの推薦があること

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Click on the pin to find the name of awarded institution, the number of funded titles, and the year of awards.You can aslo search by institution name from search box and zoom in or out to find the pin on the map.

The number of MVS titles awarded for the years from 1993 to 2013 and the award amounts in yen for the last ten years, 2002-2013.

Format & type of the MVS titles awarded in each year from1993 to 2013.

The national MVS collection is comprised of 27% book (in blue), 24% reprint (in orange), 38% microform (microfilm in grey and microfiche in yellow), 1% map, 3% journal, 4% A/V, and 3%CD/DVD as of June 2013.