Just as universities play an important role as institutions that accumulate and pass on knowledge, the library must also be maintained at all times. Today, as the library of Konan University enters the 21st century, it is reinventing itself as it assumes the task of providing an expanded and increasingly sophisticated environment for academic information. The holdings of Konan University presently include some 800,000 books, and of these about 400,000 books are housed in the library. The library system database contains listings for some 400,000 volumes and 6,000 periodicals, which can all be searched electronically. Moreover, interlibrary loan arrangements with other universities and institutions make it possible to obtain materials not owned by Konan University. With the opening of the periodical library in March 2001, it has become a place where students can utilize the periodicals and study freely.