Discovering Chinese Materials: Reference Works

Location and Use

Reference books include dictionaries, encyclopedias, bibliographies and the most recent copies available of statistical yearbooks. They have Library of Congress call numbers and are shelved in call number order. All reference books shelved along the sides of the main Reading Room at 300 level and some, in other levels have records in CLIO. They are not loanable, and have to be used in the library.

Due to space considerations, a small number of reference titles (mostly large sets) are shelved in the regular stacks in the library, but marked as non-circulating. If more than one copy of a reference title is available, the additional copy is often shelved in the regular stacks and are for loan. A few oversize maps are located on the shelves under the display cabinet near the Library exit.

Electronic Reference Works

Reference titles available for access in electronic format include:

• Apabi E-platform Reference Books Apabi 电子工具书, containing about 150 popularly used titles [Note: The vendor Apabi declared bankruptcy in 2023, access may discontinue anytime.]
• Ci hai 辞海
• Charles Muller Digital Dictionary of Buddhism 電子佛教辭典
• Han yu da ci dian 汉语大词典 [Note: The vendor Apabi declared bankruptcy in 2023, access may discontinue anytime.]
• Quan guo bao kan suo yin 全国报刊索引数据库

For more information about reference e-resources, please see the Chinese E-Resources Reference Books and Indexes.