Chika Nakamura

About

Chika Nakamura Ako is a librarian at the National Diet Library of Japan. She has worked across various roles in the library, from reference services to exhibitions of children’s literature. More recently, she has been involved in the evidence-based management of the library’s activities. Her approach is grounded in empathy and aims for continuous improvement.

With a strong belief that libraries should not just be repositories of knowledge, but adaptive, resilient institutions that support people’s changing needs, she aspires to reimagine public services through the lens of Service Design. She is currently studying at the Royal College of Art to gain the practical and theoretical tools for this mission.

She is exploring how Service Design can make services truly impactful and socially relevant through projects such as Goen, a cultural service supporting meaningful, life-based cross-cultural connections, and TALE, a service that promotes mindfulness in the gallery spaces of Tate through a gamification of the museum experience. Both projects reflect her commitment to designing services that foster empathy and long-term engagement.

She holds a BA and an MA in English Literature from Kyoto University, where she cultivated a deep appreciation for critical thinking and cultural perspectives.