1. The Role of Shiga Prefectural Library
2. Opening hours
3. Days closed
4. To borrow books
5. The library and privacy
6. To return books
7. Extension of borrowing period and renewal of borrowed books
8. Guide to the materials room
9. Using lockers
10. To look for materials
11. Requests ( Subscription )
12. When there are things “you want to know” and “you want to search”
13. For those who are unable to visit the library
14. Through the library in your town

The Role of Shiga Prefectural Library

• – There are many books available in the library. These books are waiting for your use.
  We hope that you will find books you wish to read when you are surrounded by books.
  The books you find may bring out your talents and improve your abilities.
  They may also provide new doors for you.
• – If you cannot find the books you wish to read, please ask our library staff.
  Even if your desired book is not available at the library, in most cases, we will be able to obtain the book from another library for you.
  Please feel free to ask our library staff if you need any help.
• – The prefectural library lends books and materials to residents of the prefecture through municipal or town libraries in the prefecture.
  Even if you cannot find your required books at your local library, make a request.
  We have a system of sharing the collections of books at libraries in the prefecture.
  The prefectural library supports the cooperation of libraries in the prefecture.
• – The role of the prefectural library is to establish the system that any adult or child in Shiga Prefecture can select books freely and enjoy reading, and get the necessary reading materials from supporting local libraries as much as possible.

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Opening hours

• From Wednesday to Friday: 10:00 to 18:00
• Saturday, Sunday and public holidays (including holidays): 10:00 to 17:00

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Days closed

• – Monday and Tuesday *The library opens when Monday is a public holiday, and is closed on Wednesday of the week.
• – The following day after a public holiday or holiday *The library opens when the following day is Saturday or Sunday.
• But substitutes two closing days from May 3 to May 5 .
• – The New Year’s period (December 28 to January 4)
• – Collection inventory period

→To Calendar of Shiga Prefectural Library
→To Access map

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To borrow books

• – Registration of borrower’s card
• Please make a borrower’s card to borrow books. Everyone who lives in Shiga Prefecture or commutes to offices or schools in Shiga Prefecture can make a borrower’s card.
  For registration, please fill out a borrower’s card application form and present it to the circulation desk together with proof of your address such as a driver’s license, or health insurance card. The borrower’s card will be issued immediately.
  *Only the holder can use the borrower’s card. Please borrow books only by your card.
  Please note that family members are not allowed to share cards.

• – Circulation and borrowing period
• You can borrow up to 10 books per person for 3 weeks.

• – Borrowing books
• Please take books in the general reference room and reference materials room to the circulation desk on the 1st floor.
  We will complete the process of borrowing the books from each book storeroom at each counter.

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The library and privacy

• Reading is an excellent and spiritual activity for all people.
• Accordingly the library places a great deal of importance on keeping the privacy of its users.
  Personal information is not used for other purpose than to borrow books and for statistical data.
  Borrowing record of books is erased immediately after the book is returned.
  All documents including name and borrowed books such as request slips of books and completed request cards are disposed of by shredder.
  *Please note that we refuse to reply to any inquiry about using books of the user from people other than the user.

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To return books

• – During opening hours
• During opening hours, please return books to each counter of general, reference and children’s material rooms. Borrower’s card is not required.
  *You cannot return books to the circulation desk of the 1st floor.

• – During closing times
• Please return books to the book post on the left side of the entrance when the library is closed.
  Borrower’s cards are not required.
  *In case of overdue books, you may not be able to borrow new books.
  Please remember the return date since the delay of returning books causes a nuisance to other users.

→ To extension of borrowing period and renewal of borrowed books

• – To municipal and town libraries
• You can return books borrowed from the prefectual library to any municipal or town library.
  Please return the books at the counter of public libraries in your town by stating that the books were borrowed from the prefectural library.
  Please do not use any book post at municipal or town libraries to return prefectual library books since the books may hide behind other books.
  *You cannot return books to the Otsu or Kusatsu Library. Please return them to our library directly.
  *In cases where books that you already returned through municipal or town libraries have not yet reached our library, please note that we will be unable to lend more than 10 books in total.
  In case of a significant delay in the returning of books, we will be unable to lend books until we confirm the return of the previously borrowed books.

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Extension of borrowing period and renewal of borrowed books

• – Extension of borrowing period (1 week)
• You may extend the borrowing period (by one week) if you find that you cannot return the books by the return date and call us before the return date.

• – Renewal of books (3 weeks)
• If you want to borrow books continuously, please take the books to the library before the return date and we will renew the books for 3 weeks as long as there is no pending subscription (reservation).
  *The extension and renewal of borrowed books may be applied only once.
  *In the case of returned books being even one day overdue, we will be unable to extend the period or renew the books.

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Guide to the materials room

• General materials room (2nd floor)
• There are about 150,000 how-to books and technical books.
  Language cassette tapes, CDs and reading tapes, music books and large-print books for literature are also available.

• Reference materials room (2nd floor)
• Please use the room for research. All materials for research such as encyclopedias, biographic encyclopedias, statistical books and glossary of terms are available.
  Please use this room for inquires about Shiga Prefecture.

• Local data room (within reference material room)
• Materials on Shiga Prefecture and magazines and newspapers issued in Shiga Prefecture are available.
  Ancient documents are available, too.
  Administrative materials issued by Shiga Prefecture and the municipalities in Shiga Prefecture are in the collection.

• Water data room (within reference material room)
• We are focusing on the collection of all materials on “water”. The main collection is materials on wetlands, rivers and inland water including materials on Biwako (Lake Biwa), and materials on water environmental preservation.

• Foreign books room (within reference material room)
• Foreign books are also available. Chinese books from Hunan Library in China are available as well.

• Magazine room (2nd floor)
• There are latest magazines and back issues of the current year in the room.
  Major foreign magazines are also available. Chinese magazines from Hunan Library in China are available as well.
  You can borrow any magazines except the current issue at the collection counter on 1ST floor.

• Newspaper and magazines room (1st floor)
• Newspapers for the last 30 days and the latest weekly magazines, and hobby magazines are available. Major foreign newspapers are also available.
  *Newspapers for the last month are available in the reference materials room and back issues of magazines are at the magazine corner in the 2nd floor.
  Please contact our staff in the reference materials room for inquiries about newspapers and magazines.

• Children’s room (1st floor)
• There are about 40,000 picture books and picture-story shows. “Story hour” is also held.
  There are materials for those who study foreign picture books and juvenile books.

• Circulation desk (1st floor)
• The desk provides the collection and charging service on books and magazines in the general materials room and reference materials room, and informational service of the library.
  *Please borrow the books in children’s room at the counter in children’s room.

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Using lockers

• Bags are not allowed to be brought into the library.
• When you enter into the library, please place your bags into a locker.
  You need a 100 yen coin to use a locker. The coin will be returned after use.
  Keep your valuables with you. Small pouches are useful.
  *There are baskets provided to place your borrowed books while in the library.

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To look for materials

• – On bookshelves in the materials room
• The books in each materials room are arranged by subject on bookshelves in the materials room.
  Feel free to browse through the bookshelves. We are sure that you will find some interesting books.
  The encounter of a new book will lead to the discovery of your new possibilities.
  *A layout map of each materials room is available. Please ask at the counter.

• – Search by Internet
• You can search books, magazines and newspapers stored in the prefectural library by Internet.
  You also can search magazines stored in other municipal and town libraries in the prefecture by Internet.
  You can search newspaper articles relating to Shiga Prefecture (since 1983).

– Search of books, magazines and newspapers → To search of books
Search of newspaper articles → To titles of newspapers articles

• – Search by search terminal for the library users
• There are terminals available for book search in the library.
  There are 2 kinds of terminals. One is terminals with a touch panel system. The other is terminals with keyboards which enables hybrid search by book title and author’s name etc.
  You can obtain a printed label with the necessary title of book and name of author after finishing the search.

• – Search by lists
• You can search the lists of titles of books and the lists of names of authors (book form) at the entrance of the general materials room on the 2nd floor.

• – Make requests for books at the counter
• Please feel free to search books in each materials room.
  There are books in the stacks.
  For the books in the stacks, please submit to staff at the counter slips for materials request and call slips (or the label by terminal search) together with your name and number of your borrower’s card.
  Please feel free to contact our staff at the counter if you cannot find your desired book.

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Requests ( Subscription )

• – Please make a request of your desired books if you cannot find the books on the bookshelves

  For books on borrow, you can reserve them through search terminals at the library or through the library home page.

  → Click here for more details.

  You can reserve them even at the counter. You do not need to fill in the request card in this case.
  For the materials that are not stored at the prefectural library, please fill in and take the request card to our staff at the counter.
  You can make requests of up to 10 materials per person per time.
  *You can make the requests by phone.
  (The service may not be available when the counters are crowded on Saturday and Sunday.)

• Even books that cannot be purchased
• For the books that are not available at the prefectural library and cannot be purchased due to being out of print, we can borrow them from other libraries such as the National Diet Library.
  Please make a request to the counter if you have books you are looking for.

• – Contact on requests (subscription)
• We will contact you as soon as your requested (subscribed) books on borrow are returned.
  We will contact by e-mail to those who made registration of e-mail through search terminals or the library web page, and by card to those who have not made the registration.
  In case the requested books are not available in the prefectural library, we will purchase them or borrow from other libraries, and contact you by a post card.
  *Please pick up the requested books as soon as possible. The requested books will be kept for 2 weeks after contact.
  *You cannot receive the requested (subscribed) books at your municipal or town library.
  If you wish to receive the books at your municipal or town library, please make a request (subscription) at your local library.

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When there are things “you want to know” and “you want to search”

• – Reference service
• For general questions and searches for your interests or hobbies, please contact our staff at the counter in reference materials room on the 2nd floor.
  We will find the materials for your purpose.
  You can use the reference service by letter or phone.
  Please feel free to contact us any time for questions.
  If the materials in the library are not satisfactory, we will try to find the materials in cooperation with other specialized agencies.

• – Copy service
• You can make the applications for copies at the reference materials room. Materials that can be photocopied are limited to parts of library materials that are permitted under Copyright Act.
  Copy charge is 10 yen per sheet (50 yen per sheet for microfilms).
  *Please note that the current issue of magazines cannot be photocopied.
  *You can obtain copies from other agencies such as the National Diet Library.
  Please contact our staff at the counter in the reference materials room.

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For those who are unable to visit the library

• – Borrow by mail
• We lend books by mail to those who have a physical disability (those who have physical disability certificate) and cannot visit the library. No postage is required.
  For more information on how to use, please contact Service Section of the library.

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Through the library in your town

• The prefectural library thinks that supporting municipal and town libraries is the most important job.
  We understand that your local libraries are very important to get residents of the prefecture to use books of the prefectural library since they use the local libraries most easily and frequently.
• If you have any desired books, please contact your local library.
  If the desired books are not available at your local library, the library will contact the prefectural library.
  If the prefectural library has the books, it will send the books to the library where you have registered.
  If it does not have the book, it may purchase or borrow from other libraries in the prefecture and other prefectures, or the National Diet Library.
  You can make an application for photocopies of books of the prefectural library.
  *If you are in a hurry, we can put books on layaway at the prefectural library. Please visit the library to pick them up.
• We will deliver your requested books by a delivery car which goes around once a week.
  We collect the books of the prefectural library by this car which has been returned to municipal or town library.
  We also deliver the requested books by this car that are stored at other libraries in the prefecture.
• The libraries in the prefecture make efforts to provide your desired materials cooperatively.
  Please use your local library.

→ To the list of public libraries in the prefecture

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