Enquiries
The Enquiries Desk is happy to help with basic enquiries. Detailed enquiries should be made in either the Japanese or Chinese offices.
The following closed-access classes should be ordered at the Enquiries Desk:
FA, FB, FD and FE (withdrawn volumes)
CRA-CRZ, FC, FG, FH, FJ and FK (reserved classes)
FL, FM and FN (unbound classes)
unbound serial parts (not kept in the East Asian Reading Room).
Please note that there is no book-fetching between 12.30 and 14.00, after 17.00 (16.45 Friday), or on Saturdays.
Closed-access material in use must be returned to the Enquiries Desk before 17.15 (16.55 Friday). It may be possible for some materials to be transferred to another reading room for use after this time, but arrangements for this to be done must be made well in advance with the staff at the Enquiries Desk.
A selection of reference works in Japanese, Chinese and Korean is housed in the room. These have been drawn from the open-access classes and their classmarks remain the same although they are no longer borrowable. A list of the Chinese reference works is available online. For the Japanese and Korean reference works, the record in iDiscover will indicate where the book may be found.
The current unbound parts of the more important periodicals are available in the room, shelved in the wall case on the south side. The remainder are on closed access and should be requested at the Enquiries Desk. Unbound periodical parts may not be removed from the room.
The open access classes (FA, FB, FD and FE) are shelved in the bookstacks on the Ground and Basement floors below the Reading Room - a list of locations is available.
PLEASE NOTE: the bookcases in the Ground and Basement floors are, in the main, mobile cases (operated by turning a handle). Great care should be taken when using these cases - make sure that the gangway in the block of cases you wish to use is clear of other readers and obstacles such as step-ladders BEFORE turning the handle.
Readers may use their own cameras to take still photographs of material. If you wish to take your own photographs you must first speak to staff and read the information sheets on self-service photography and copyright provided. Photographs may be taken for non-commercial research or private study only.
Cameras and camera phones must be hand-held, and must be capable of being set to 'silent'. SLRs, tripods, 'mini-pods', hand-held scanners and flash photography are not permitted. Please note also that some collections are subject to restrictions and may not be photographed; staff will provide guidance on this.
Please see our full guidelines for further information.