No. 109, June 1999

International services of the NDL

(1) Reference service

We offer reference service to libraries and individuals in overseas countries. 
You may send us your enquiries either by post or fax. We do not in principle accept enquiries by e-mail. We answer your enquiries using our library resources, and the time required for sending you our reply depends on the content and nature of your enquiry. 

Our range of reference service is as follows: 

1. Search of our collections for specific items you request.
2. Search for location of specific items not in our collections
3. Providing bibliographic data for specific books or articles
4. Listing up reference materials for a specific topic
5. Referring to institutions known to be conducting research on a particular subject

Please bear in mind that we do not offer services that fall into the following categories:

1. Predicting the future, etc., which require guesswork, conjecture or judgement on the part of our library staff
2. Recommendation of good books, information on where to sell or buy books
3. Evaluation of old books, old documents and artistic objects, including estimating their market price
4. Deciphering, commentary, translation or summarizing of a book or an article
5. Research for the purpose of school assignments, reports and graduation theses and finding out answers for quizzes
6. Research that may infringe on some person's privacy
7. Private counselling service, legal advice, medical advice and the like
8. Compiling a systematic bibliography on a specific topic
9. Research and study on some other person's behalf
10. Search for an article or a photograph for which no adequate means of search is available

When you send us your enquiries, please make clear what you want to know and all that you already know about it. It will be of great help to us if you tell us what books or articles you have already consulted. Our reference service is free of charge, and you do not have to enclose any kind of payment with your letter of inquiry. 

Our address and fax number is as follows: 
International Cooperation Division, Library Cooperation Department, 
National Diet Library, 
1-10-1 Nagata-cho, Chiyoda-ku, 
Tokyo 100-8924, Japan 
Fax:+81-3-3508-2934

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