Toyota City Central Library, Public library in Toyota, Aichi Prefecture, Japan
Toyota City Central Library occupies floors 3 to 7 of the Sangōkan building, east of Meitetsu Toyota-shi Station in Nishimachi 1-chōme. Its collection includes Japan's largest public-library holdings of automotive materials, reflecting Toyota's role as home to Toyota Motor Corporation. The library serves as the central facility of a network of 31 libraries and reading rooms across the city.
The library traces its origins to 1946, when a library committee was formed in the former town of Koromo; it moved into the Sango-kan building on 3 November 1998. The new building opened with about 450,000 volumes, up from 240,000 at the old Jinnancho site. In 2017 the city introduced a designated administrator, and the number of qualified librarians rose from 2 to 44.
The library's origins trace to the 1955 donation of 3,200 books from the former Koromo Domain Naito family collection, still held as the Naito Bunko. Since 1992 it has maintained an international exchange agreement with Oxford's Bodleian Library, and its 1998 opening exhibition displayed a Bodleian Magna Carta and a Tokugawa Ieyasu edict.
The library occupies floors 3 to 7 of the Sankai-kan building on the east side of Meitetsu Toyota-shi Station. A 1999 survey found 68% of users arrived by car, so allow time for parking. Opening hours were extended to 20:00 under the designated manager introduced in 2017.
The library holds a collection focused on automotive history, which connects directly to the city's role as home to one of the world's largest car manufacturers. This makes it one of the few public libraries where the local industry is reflected so clearly in what is on the shelves.
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