On December 10, 13:45 Beijing time, the World Expo Museum Documentation Research Center was invited by Professor Mayuko Sano of Kyoto University to participate in the 8th Symposium of the Japan Society for World Expo Studies and to give a presentation on "The Role of Libraries in the Expo History: An Experimental Study of the Official Expo-themed Documents".

　　In the presentation, academic administrator Luo Yunqing introduced the background and methodology of the study: a qualitative study of official documents containing "library", using the official documents of the World Expo as a sample.

　　The research sample covered twenty-nine World Expos, in eight languages (English, French, Japanese, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, and Korean), and included the following types of documents: exhibit catalogs, official guides, official catalogues, official newspapers, jury reports, final reports, and exhibitor reports.

　　Librarian Tao Cheng reported on the milestones of the research - the multiple roles played by libraries in the historical development process of the Expo: (1) as exhibits and participants; (2) as intensive collaborators of Expo sector, providing talents, offering special collections, conducting reference and intelligence services, providing venues for holding events, promoting communication and outreach, distributing materials, and inheriting the cultural heritage of the Expo; (3) as cultural landmarks and symbols of civilization in the Expo cities. Therefore, libraries should actively participate in the cooperation with the Expo industry to form a win-win situation.

　　After the presentation of the World Expo Museum, the International Conference Hall of Kyoto University was applauded with great enthusiasm. Professor Mayuko Sano commented on the report: The study of the World Expo Museum adopts a new perspective and also summarizes the overall, important information of many Expo documents.

　　Following the report from the World Expo Museum, Mitsuo Munakami, the librarian of the Osaka Prefectural Library, reported on The World’s Exposition Collection and their use in the Osaka Prefectural Library.

　　Ishikawa Atsuko , head of the Osaka Management Department of Nonomura Public Welfare Society, and Asano Atsushi reported on The Corporate Archives “Expo Materials Collection.

　　Finally, Professor Iida Yutaka of Ritsumeikan University's Faculty of Sociology reported on Expo Materials as Media: From My Experience Using Art Archives.

　　In the free discussion session after the four presentations, several scholars from Osaka International University and Tokyo University of the Arts reviewed the presentations, emphasized the value of the documentary archives to the Expo industry and asked each other questions. In response to the questions of the participants, Tao Cheng explained the principles of building the collection resources of WE Library, and Wang Shu, Deputy Director of the Documentation Research Center, introduced the functions of the Documentation Research Center and also hoped to carry out diverse cooperation with the participants in the future, including research and exhibitions.

　　The seminar was held simultaneously online and offline. About 30 people participated offline at the International Conference Hall of Kyoto University, and more than 60 people participated through the Internet.

　　The Society for Expo Studies

　　The Society for Expo Studies was founded in the fall of 2010 as “the Society for the Study of Expo and Human History”, with an initial membership of six people from Japan, China, Korea, and Australia, with the Expo 2010 Shanghai as its object of study. After the Expo 2010 Shanghai, the Society continued its work and brought in new members from diverse backgrounds. The Society published the book World Expoology: World Expo as a Way to Master the World in 2020 and has since changed its name to the Society for Expo Studies.

　　As of September 2022, there are 30 members of the Society for Expo Studies, and it holds academic seminars every two to three months, inviting members and guests from home and abroad to participate in discussions and promote exchanges in fields related to the Expo. The Society for Expo Studies is led by Mayuko Sano, a professor at the Graduate School of Education, Kyoto University.

　　An article on the legacy of the World Expo written by Professor Emeritus Hiroyuki Nakamaki of the National Museum of Ethnology, which is included in the book World Expoology: World Expo as a Way to Master the World published by the Institute in 2020, introduces the World Expo Museum as a case study. In October 2021, the WE library, which is under preparation, inquired by e-mail about the creation of the "Expo Resource Navigator for Host Countries" module of the portal, and initially discussed with the Institute In October 2021, the library in preparation for the World Expo consulted with the Institute for the creation of the "Resource Navigator for World Expo in the Host Country" module of the portal site. The Institute recommended libraries in Osaka that have a centralized collection of Expo resources, invited the World Expo Museum to give a scholarly presentation, and organized a seminar in December of this year.

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