Guide for non-KU users
Kyoto University Main Library holds and collects a lot of materials for KU students’ and faculty members’ study and research.Our library’s collection is also open to the public and we allow external visitors to access it.
Accessing and Copying Materials / For Those Who Have a Library Card for Graduates/ Library Tour / Notes
Accessing and Copying Materials
Firstly, please check by KULINE(KU Libraries Online Catalog) whether the material you would like to access is held in Main Library.
If the material is available in a public library, please also consider accessing it.
We recommend making a reservation before you come.
If you come without a reservation, available materials are restricted to open-shelf ones on the 1st and 2nd floors.
It is not acceptable to apply for access to electronic journals, databases and materials on the basement floors on the day of the visit.
Reservation Process
In order to access electronic journals, databases and materials on the basement floors, an advance reservation is required.
Please apply by 1 week before the desired visit date as the following process:
- Specify the material you would like to access by KULINE.
- Inform us of the following information through the form of "Ask a Librarian"(enter in the [Inquiry] field).
※If you are affiliated with a university or research institution as a student or faculty member, please apply through its library.- Date and time you would like to visit（cf. library calendar）
- Material(s) you would like to access (title, volume number, location, call number, etc.)
- Whether or not you would like to obtain a copy
- Special note
- After we prepare the material, we will send you a confirmation email.
Entry Process
- Come to the information counter on the 1st floor.
- Fill out an entry form and show your identification card. - If you have an advance reservation, show the confirmation email (its screen or print).
- An entry pass is handed to you. Put it on your clothes.
- If you have an advance reservation, proceed to the interlibrary counter. The reserved material is handed to you.
- Return the material and entry pass when you leave the library.
There are not lockers for external visitors in the library. Please carry around your valuables while you are in the library.
Copying
There are 2 copy machines in the library (payable by cash only).It is possible to make a copy of the library’s materials for academic purposes.
Depending on the material’s condition, we may decline the copying by users themselves and deal with it as follows:
- Copying by staff. - The copy is provided through your university library or a public library（ILL for external users).
- Placing an order with a vendor.
- It is permitted to take photos of Japanese-style bound books with the user’s camera or smartphone (an advance reservation is required).
For more details, please refer to “Copying Documents in the Library”
Supplements
- If you would like to know the details of materials whose location is “京大” (Kyoto University) on Kokusho Sōmokuroku or Union Catalogue Database of Japanese Texts, please contact us through the form of "Ask a Librarian".
- There are multiple libraries in Kyoto University. Materials whose location does not start with “Main Library” on KULINE are not held in Main Library. Please contact the holding library referring to ”List of KU Libraries”.
- In order to access rare/semi-rare materials (including doctoral theses), an advance reservation is required. For more details, please refer to ”How to use Rare Materials”.
For Those Who Have a Library Card for Graduates
If you have a library card for graduates, you can enter Main Library and the basement floors without a reservation.
However, if you would like to access electronic journals, books and databases, you need to apply through the application form by 1 week before the desired visit date.
After we receive the application, we check the terms of use and available range and answer the availability.
- If you would like to get a library card for graduates, please refer to “Application / Issue of library card for graduate”.
Library tour
It is possible to tour the library following the designated route. Library staff do not accompany it.Tour time
From the opening time to 1 hour before the closing time (except for between 12:00 and 13:00).Individual Tour (less than 10 visitors)
A reservation is not required. Please apply at the information counter on the day of the tour.Group Tour (10 or more visitors)
Please apply via email including the following information by 1 week before the desired tour date:- Date and time
- Purpose
- Number of visitors
- Representative’s name
Supplements
- Available tour time is within 30 minutes.
- Groups which consist of only junior high school students and below need to be accompanied by a parent or responsible person.
- Photography is prohibited in the library.
- If there are applications from multiple groups for the same tour time, we require them to shift the time and enter the library by turns.
- If the group consists of more than 20 visitors, we require them to divide the group and enter the library by turns.
Notes
- It is strictly prohibited to use the library as a self-study space.
- We decline the entry of external visitors during the university’s exam periods (from mid July to early Aug/ from mid Jan to early Feb) because it is expected that the library is crowded with KU students.
For more details of the schedule, please refer to library calendar - As a rule, the following materials cannot be accessed by external visitors:
- Audiovisual materials: DVD, music CD, cassette tape, etc.
- Deteriorated and damaged materials - Inquiries on the library’s collection are not acceptable at the counter. Please inquire through the form of "Ask a Librarian".
- Please refrain from any behavior that may disturb other users in the library. If you do not follow the staff’s instructions, you may be asked to leave the library.
[Main Library User Service Section 2025.12.01]