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FAQ

This page lists frequently asked questions about using the library and its materials.
If you have a question that is not listed here, please feel free to contact us.

Registration & admission

Q
I belong to another department of UTokyo. Can I use University Library for Agricultural and Life Sciences?
A

Yes. For details, please refer to For Members of Other Faculty/Department.

Q
I’m a graduate of UTokyo. Can I use University Library for Agricultural and Life Sciences?
A

Yes, but you cannot check out library materials.
If you have a pass to University of Tokyo Library System, you can use Agr. Library while the library is open. For those who have graduated from the Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences or the Faculty of Agriculture, we will issue a pass.
For details, please refer to For Alumni.

Q
I’m not a member of UTokyo. Can I use University Library for Agricultural and Life Sciences?
A

Yes, but you cannot check out library materials. For details, please refer to For Off-Campus Visitors.

Q
When does my library card expire?
A

It depends on the type of card:

  • Student ID card: Expiration date is the same as that of the student ID card.
  • Staff ID card: Please ask at the service desk.
  • Library card issued by the library: Expiration date is written on the card.
Q
My staff/student ID card has been renewed. Can I still use the library?
A

Library user information needs to be updated when your staff/student ID card is renewed due to promotion, extension of enrollment, or change of status.

  • If you have a student ID card, please make sure that your contact information is registered correctly in UTAS. If you change your contact information, it will be reflected in your library user information the next day.
  • If you are a faculty or staff affiliated with the Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences / Faculty of Agriculture, or you cannot use UTAS, you will be processed at Agr. Library. For details, please refer to Various Services For Agr. Members > Library pass.
Q
I forgot my library card. Can I use the library?
A

Yes, but you cannot check out library materials and use a Cubicle. Please apply at the service desk.

Q
I lost my library card.
A

The procedure varies by the type of the card. Please contact the following departments.

  • Student ID card: Department in charge of issuing student ID cards (Academic Affairs Division)
  • Staff ID card: Department in charge of general affairs and human resources
  • Library card issued by the library: Library that issued the card
    • You will receive your reissued library card one week after you apply for reissuing. Please note that you will not be able to check out materials while the card is being reissued.

Materials & locations

Q
How can I check the location of the materials held by University Library of Agricultural Life Sciences?
A

Please check Materials & Locations.

Q
I don’t know which library the “Location” in the UTokyo OPAC means.
A

Click on the “Location” link. Detailed information about the library and links to its website will be displayed. Some materials are located outside of the library, such as in laboratories, so please check the library’s website for details.
For the locations of materials in the University Library for Agricultural and Life Sciences, please refer to Materials & Locations.

Q
Which newspapers does the library hold?
A

University Library for Agricultural and Life Sciences holds the following newspapers:

Daily newspapers
(located in the Browsing Corner on 2F)
*Current and previous month’s publications are available.
  • Asahi Shimbun
  • Yomiuri Shimbun
  • Mainichi Shimbun
  • The Nikkei (Nihon Keizai Shimbun)
  • Tokyo Shimbun
  • Sankei Shimbun
  • Japan Times
  • The Japan Agricultural News (Nihon Nogyo Shimbun)
  • The Dong-A Ilbo
  • People’s Daily (foreign edition)
Reduced-size and reprinted editions
(located on B1F)
  • Asahi Shimbun (1970-2015)
  • The Nikkei (Nihon Keizai Shimbun) (1970-2015)
  • The Japan Agricultural News (Nihon Nogyo Shimbun) (1961-2010 (until March))
CD-ROM
(Please apply for use at the service desk)
  • The Japan Agricultural News (Nihon Nogyo Shimbun) (2010 (from April)-)

Other newspapers are available at Multi-media and Socio-information Studies Archive or other libraries.
You can check Newspaper Collections List, University of Tokyo Library System (in Japanese) for the titles and locations of the holdings on campus.
UTokyo members can read some newspapers in the database. Please select “Source Type: Newspaper Articles” and “Access to full text: access” in Database List to search.

Q
Are there dissertations and theses?
A

University Library for Agricultural and Life Sciences holds doctoral dissertations (agriculture, veterinary medical science) from 1958 and graduation theses from 1887 to 1923. For details, please refer to Doctoral Dissertations.
Agr. Library does not hold other graduation theses and master’s theses. Please contact the relevant laboratory for more information.

Q
I’d like to use e-journals.
A

If you are a UTokyo member, please search UTokyo OPAC for e-journals.
Even if the journal is not subscribed to by the University of Tokyo, you may be able to read the table of contents, abstract, and full text for free. If you cannot find a hit in the UTokyo OPAC, please check the websites of publishers and academic societies.

Q
I can’t find the book I’m looking for on the bookshelf.
A

First, please search UTokyo OPAC. Materials with the status “On loan” or “Hold” are not available.
Materials can be in the Newly Arrived Books Corner or the Returned Books Corner. They may be in use by others in the library, or they may be mixed up in the wrong place. Please ask at the service desk.
Some materials are available in e-books/e-journals, too. Please search UTokyo OPAC.

Q
Can I use books held in the laboratory of Faculty of Agriculture?
A

Conditions of use vary by laboratory. Please ask the library. (Materials whose location is “Agr.[Laboratory’s Name]“ or “Agr.Lab.[No.]” are located in the laboratory.)

Circulation & photocopying

Q
Can I photocopy books or journals in the library?
A

The Photocopier (card-operated) in the library allows photocopying within the Copyright Law Article 31.

Q
How many books can I borrow?
A

There is no limit on the number of books you can borrow. Please borrow as many books as you can use before the due date.

Q
Can I return books borrowed from University Library for Agricultural and Life Sciences to other UTokyo libraries?
A

Books borrowed from University Library for Agricultural and Life Sciences can be returned to other UTokyo libraries, too.
You can also return books borrowed from other UTokyo libraries to University Library for Agricultural and Life Sciences.

Q
Can I extend the due date of a book I am borrowing?
A

You can renew books only once for an additional two-week period unless it is overdue. Journals (including statistics and government publications) can’t be renewed.
Please renew books at the service desk or through MyOPAC Service > Status of Loan/ Reservation.

Q
Do you keep a record of books borrowed?
A

You can check your record of books borrowed on MyOPAC. Record is stored for one year, and earlier records will be deleted in sequence.

Q
I lost/damaged a book I borrowed.
A

Please contact the library. In principle, you will be reimbursed in kind. Please handle borrowed books with care.

Facilities

Q
Are there PCs in the library?
A

ECCS terminals and a printer are available in Reading Room 2 (ECCS Corner) on the 3rd floor for UTokyo members. Please use the terminals in compliance with Guidelines for Information Ethics.
There are five terminals for searching UTokyo OPAC in the library, too.

Q
Can I use my laptop in the library?
A

You can use your laptop in all reading seats and Cubicles in the library.

Q
Is there wireless LAN in the library?
A

UTokyo Wi-Fi is available anywhere in the library for UTokyo members. It may be difficult to connect due to Wi-Fi conditions.
You need a UTokyo Wi-Fi account to use UTokyo Wi-Fi. For details, please refer to the website of UTokyo Wi-Fi.

Q
Is there space available to take online classes?
A

You can take online classes in reading seats. Please bring your earphones or headphones with you.
If you want to speak, please use a Cubicle.

Photographing, publishing, and exhibiting of the materials

Q
Can I take a photo of library materials?
A

Advance procedures are required. For details, please refer to Photographing, publishing, and exhibiting of the library materials > Photographing of materials by library users.

Q
How can I use the images in the materials for publication, broadcast, or reprinting? / How can I display the materials at an exhibition?
A

Advance procedures are required. For details, please refer to Photographing, publishing, and exhibiting of the library materials.

Service for Agr./IQB members

Q
Can I request a book from other libraries?
A

If the material is available in a library on/off campus, you can go directly to the library to use it, or you can request the book or a copy of the article to University Library for Agricultural and Life Sciences.
Please request a book or a copy through MyOPAC. If you can’t request through MyOPAC, please ask at the service desk.
For details, please refer to Request Literature.

Q
There is a book/journal that I would like the library to buy.
A

You can submit a book purchase request on MyOPAC Service > Book Request.
Please note that we may not be able to purchase some materials depending on the results of the the Tosho Sentei Iinkai [Library Materials Selection Committee]’s review and budget situation. For details, please refer to Recommendation of Materials / Purchase Request.

Q
I would like to use a library at other universities.
A

Advance procedures might be required. Please ask at the service desk.

Q
I’m at an institute outside of the Yayoi campus. Are there any special services for me?
A

For those who belong to institutes affiliated with the Faculty of Agriculture outside the Yayoi Campus, we offer a service to send books or copies of articles from the collections of University Library for Agricultural and Life Sciences and other libraries on/off campus to their institute. For details, please refer to Library Services for Facilities Affiliated to the Faculty of Agriculture.

Other

Q
I’m not a member of UTokyo. How can I request an article from University Library for Agricultural and Life Science?
A

If you belong to a university or research institute, please request through the library of your university/institute. If you don’t belong to a university or research institute, please request through the public library in your area. We don’t accept a request from a private enterprise.

Q
I would like to know about the history of Faculty of Agriculture or the University of Tokyo.
A

For the history of Faculty of Agriculture, please refer to History of Faculty of Agriculture, UTokyo (in Japanese).
For doctoral dissertations (agriculture, veterinary medical science), please refer to Doctoral Dissertations.
For the history of the University of Tokyo including Faculty of Agriculture, please refer to FAQs > References > History of the University of Tokyo (General Library’s website: in Japanese).

Q
How can I obtain past entrance examinations for the Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences?
A

Past entrance examinations for master’s programs since 2006 are available for purchase at Photocopy Center at Faculty of Letters.
For details, please refer to this page (in Japanese).
For the year of the entrance examinations available for purchase, please refer to this PDF (in Japanese).

Q
I would like to know the Impact Factor of a journal.
A

Journal Impact Factors can be checked in Journal Citation Reports (JCR) (access from off-campus).
For more information about the Journal Citation Report, please click here.