Reference
Ask a Librarian lists all the various ways you can get assistance from the Columbia Libraries, including in-person, phone, and email, as well as chat reference for quick general questions. You can also make an appointment for individual in-depth consultations.
If you know the C.V. Starr East Asian Library specialist you wish to contact, feel free to do so instead of using the forms provided in the Ask a Librarian service. Our contact information can be found in our staff list (scroll down a bit for the reference staff).
Borrowing and Renewing
All information about borrowing and renewing library materials from the C.V. Starr East Asian collections can be found on our website. All policies and procedures, including loan periods and fines, are listed on the Circulation & Reserves page.
Interlibrary Loan
Interlibrary Loan (ILL) enables eligible Columbia University affiliates to borrow material from other libraries and universities and obtain copies of articles or book chapters from titles that are not owned or available at Columbia University Libraries or BorrowDirect. All information about ILL, with links to the request forms, is available on the ILL website.
Research Guides
Librarians throughout the Columbia University Libraries system have created detailed guides to aid in research on a wide variety of subjects, including East Asian Studies. Check out the complete list of available guides here. Barnard College Library has its own extensive list of guides as wel. Check it out here.
Citation Management and Citation Use
When you start doing research, the collection of citations to resources you collect can easily become overwhelming. Columbia University supports several citation management software packages. Find more information about these, with links to free downloads here. When you quote information in your writings, be sure to pay attention to proper form. You can read about Columbia University's academic integrity policy here, and inform yourself about issues of plagiarism here.
Tutorials and Workshops
Periodically bibliographic instruction sessions are offered in the C.V. Starr East Asian Library. These are posted around the library, and are also announced on our website and blog. In addition, workshops and tutorials, both in person and online, on a variety of subjects (e.g. use of certain software and databases) are offered throughout the library system. Check periodically to find out what is going on.
Printing, Photocopying, and other Technology
Both printing and photocopying are available in the libraries. To find complete information about these services, including locations and fees, check here. For complete information about scanning services check here, and for information about computing and other technology services, check here.
Recommend A Title
Do you know of a title that is not available at Columbia, but you feel it should be? Do send us a recommendation, and we will make every effort to add it to our collection. You can either email us individually or fill out the special Recommend A Title form available on the Libraries website. From any library webpage select the tab Find, then choose Recommend A Title from the alphabetized list.