Haga-machi General Information Center

The Haga-machi General Information Center (芳賀町総合情報館, Haga-machi Sōgō Jōhōkan) is a municipal cultural facility in Haga, Haga District, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. It is a composite institution that integrates three distinct functions: the Haga Town Library, the Haga Town Museum, and the Haga Town Archives. The facility is affectionately known as 'Chie no Wa-kan' (知恵の環館), meaning 'Hall of the Ring of Wisdom', a name chosen to reflect the town's slogan 'Wa no Machi Haga' (環のまち芳賀, 'Haga, the Town of Circulation') and the wish that knowledge should circulate among residents. The center is located adjacent to the Haga Town Hall and is a two-story glass-fronted building with a building area of 2,411.33 m². It incorporates environmentally conscious features such as solar power generation, double-glazed windows, ice thermal storage, and radiant floor heating and cooling. The nearest public transport stops are 'Haga Town Industrial Park Management Center' on the Utsunomiya Light Rail (Lightline) and the 'Haga Town Hall' stop on the JR Bus. The center opened in stages in 2008: the library held a pre-opening on July 20, 2008, and the museum and archives opened on October 3, 2008. The archives is notable as only the fourth municipal archives in Japan, following Chatan Town Archives in Okinawa (1992), Shirokawa Town Archives in Ehime (1999, now Seiyo City), and Samukawa Archives in Kanagawa (2006). The center serves as a hub for lifelong learning, cultural preservation, and access to local history and records for the residents of Haga.

The origins of the Haga-machi General Information Center lie in separate local initiatives for a museum, a library, and an archives. In 1974 (Showa 49), a local history museum (郷土資料館) opened in a building that had previously served as the village office. It later moved to a school building that had been closed in 2000, but the museum attracted few visitors and did not function sufficiently. Meanwhile, a community library room (公民館図書室) was established in 1992 (Heisei 4) inside the Haga Town Citizens' Hall. Soon after opening, its shelves were full, and the reading area was cramped, leading users to call for a full-scale library. In parallel, Haga Town began compiling its town history in 1994. At the fifth meeting of the town history compilation committee in 1998, the utilization of collected materials was discussed, and the idea of an archives (公文書館) emerged. The challenges of the library and museum and the archives concept were united under the town mayor's vision for community development, and the concept of an information center with these three functions took shape. In 2003, a 'Haga Town General Information Center (Provisional Name) Establishment Concept Roundtable' with resident volunteers and a 'Haga Town General Information Center (Provisional Name) Establishment Concept Expert Committee' with specialists were set up. In March 2004, the 'Haga Town General Information Center (Provisional Name) Basic Concept' was compiled. In November of the same year, a proposal process for the building design was conducted, and the basic design was completed in March 2005. Construction began in June 2006 and was completed in September 2007. The library held a pre-opening on July 20, 2008, and the museum and archives opened on October 3 of the same year. The municipal archives was the fourth of its kind in Japan, following the Chatan Town Archives in Okinawa Prefecture (1992), the Shirokawa Town Archives in Ehime Prefecture (1999, now Seiyo City), and the Samukawa Archives in Kanagawa Prefecture (2006). In March 2008, the ordinance establishing the information center was enacted, stipulating that the center comprises three facilities—Haga Town Library, Haga Town Museum, and Haga Town Archives—each based on the Library Law, Museum Law, and Archives Law, respectively.

• 2008

  Library pre-opens on July 20; museum and archives open on October 3; establishment ordinance enacted in March.

• 2007

  Building completed in September.

• 2006

  Construction begins in June.

• 2005

  Basic design completed in March.

• 2004

  Basic concept for the information center is compiled in March; design proposal process begins in November.

• 2003

  Resident roundtable and expert committee for the information center are established.

• 2000

  The museum moves to a closed school building.

• 1998

  At the 5th town history compilation committee, the archives concept is proposed.

• 1994

  Haga Town begins compiling its town history.

• 1992

  Community library room opens in Haga Town Citizens' Hall.

• 1974

  Local history museum opens in a former village office building.

A municipal cultural and information hub combining library, museum, and archives functions to serve the lifelong learning and heritage needs of Haga residents.

• Haga Town Library

  Public library service based on the Library Law.

• Haga Town Museum

  Local history museum with collections including works by Western-style painter Fukuda Tane and Japanese-style painter Iwamura Shūgan, archaeological materials from the Menouchi-dai site and Chigakubo Kofun, farming tools, and daily life utensils from Meiji to Showa. It uses a 'storage room exhibition' method without a permanent exhibition hall.

• Haga Town Archives

  Municipal archives based on the Archives Law, collecting and selecting official documents and permanently preserved records. It also holds materials from closed schools as key resources.

1. 1Haga-machi General Information Center - Wikidatawikidata.org
2. 2芳賀町総合情報館 - Wikipedia (Japanese)ja.wikipedia.org
3. 3Official websitetown.haga.tochigi.jp