Today I spent a very long day at the National Diet Library.
The library is a huge complex located across the street from the Diet, which can be seen through the trees in this first picture. Using the library starts with applying for a library card, a process which took about twenty minutes. This time around I received a three year card, my last visit to the library (see here) was a one day event, but many things are the same. Once I had my card in hand, I was able to enter through the automated gates, and then the true fun began.
Another pic of the lovely shaded courtyard- no photos allowed inside.
I spent about half of my day finding and acquiring journal articles from the closed stacks of the periodicals counter, and then making photocopies of the relevant materials. Making photocopies sounds a bit deceptive- in reality one has to use a special terminal to print out a customized photocopy request form (with your library card), have a staff member of the photocopy service approve your request, and then submit materials for copying. Then wait about twenty minutes and retrieve said materials after paying (about 15 cents a page, or 14 yen). All told I spent 3,150 yen in copies and reproduction services, or about $31. The other half of the day was spent sorting through materials that are digitized. Many of the digitized materials are only available on site, but the reproduction printing service was actually quite convenient. I thought I would be annoyed with this forced on-site usage, but I think the software and system was quite efficient and seamless. And, it took less time than the photocopying of print journals. I also used microfilm for the first time (and made a PDF which I had reproduced!), making me ever so grateful for computers.
The library is set up for folks who spend entire days inside of the complex- there is a barber shop, two coffee shops, a convenience store, and a large cafeteria. I had lunch in the cafeteria, which had a great view of the city.
After about seven hours, I was mentally and physically worn out, and headed back home. Below are some Diet Building shots that I took after a long day of research.
Do my eyes look glazed over? Because they were.
No comments:
Post a Comment