References

These services help students perform learning, research, and investigational activities. For example, *when you want to search for something, but don't know how.*when you know the materials they want are available, but don't know how to find them. *when you want to find an academic paper, but don't know which database is the most useful. Please ask a member of the library staff for details.

Reference services and where to apply for them

Ordering copies of documents

A portion of book or journal articles that are unavailable at Rikkyo University can be ordered (as copies) and mailed to you from other libraries in Japan or overseas.
The applicant is responsible for copy and shipping fees. To apply, attach the source(s) (a copy from the list of references , database search results, CiNii Books search results, etc.) to a completed "Photocopy Request Form" and submit them together.

Fill out all required information. If you experience a problem related to page numbers, etc. when filling out this application, use the library's databases to research as much as you can in advance.
Please note that copy requests that is outside the range of Article 31 of the Japanese Copyright Law will not be accepted.
Examples of unaccepted requests: The latest issue of a magazine (in which 3 months have not yet passed since its publication, and the next issue has not yet been published), more than half of total pages of a particular book, an academic dissertation without permission from the author, etc.
Please check here for details on the Japanese Copyright Law.

Users are unable to request specific locations. Fees will vary by institute, but are typically about 50 yen per black and white copy, and 100 yen per color copy + shipping fees.

Ordered copies typically take about one week to arrive. However, please note that if the university is closed, or unavailable for a long term due to entrance examinations, etc. it will take even more time.
Once the materials have arrived, you will receive a phone call to the number provided on your application. Please come to the library as soon as possible once you have received the phone call. Once you have received the materials, immediately make sure they are exactly what you ordered (while still in the library).

* Full-time faculty members and graduate students can also apply online.
Check here for details. "Online Photocopy Request /borrowing off-campus materials"

Ordering materials from the other libraries

If the book / materials you want are not available on campus, you can order them from another library in Japan or overseas and view them in the Rikkyo Library.
The applicant is responsible for all related fees. Ordered materials can only be viewed in the library they were ordered in (Ikebukuro Library or Niiza Library). Please note that these materials cannot be used outside of the library.

If the materials are available at an institute which is part of the Yamanote Line Private University Library Consortium, you can go there directly to copy or borrow them in some cases.
Institutes which are a part of the Saitama Academic Library Association (SALA) can be visited directly by using a Shared Viewing Pass (lent out at the Niiza Library counter). Other institutes generally require a referral letter.
If materials belong to a library in the Tokyo outskirts, we generally do not accept applications for ordering them. However, we do issue a referral letter upon library confirmation, enabling you to go there directly to view materials.

Fill out all required information. Fees and lending period will vary by institute.
Roundtrip shipping generally costs about 1,500 yen (with additional handling fees required in some cases). The lending period generally ranges from two to four weeks.
Users are unable to request specific locations.

After submitting your application, it generally takes one week for the materials to arrive. However, please note that if the university is closed, or unavailable for a long term due to entrance examinations, etc. it will take even more time. Once the materials have arrived, you will receive a phone call to the number provided on your application. Please come to the library as soon as possible once you have received the phone call.

Ordered materials can be copied when permitted by copyright law as based on the "Guidelines for the copying of borrowed materials through cooperation between libraries." ( However, this excludes institutes that have already prohibited the copying of borrowed materials, and materials ordered from the National Diet Library. )

If materials are damaged or destroyed while lent out, compensation may be sought by the lending institute, so please take good care of all materials.
* Full-time faculty members and graduate students can also apply online.
Check here for details. "Online Photocopy Request/borrowing off-campus materials"

Issuing a referral letter

If the materials you want to use are not available on campus, Rikkyo University can issue you a referral letter that will allow you to use materials from other libraries or institutes in some cases. Fill out the "Application form for a referral letter to visit other university libraries" and submit it to the counter at your campus library.

Use CiNii Books, OPAC, etc. to confirm the material you want is available, then print out the source and submit it together with the “Application form for a referral letter to visit other university libraries”. Make sure you completely fill out all required information on the application form.
We must contact the institution in advance to get authorization, so we cannot issue same-day letters. Please allow a flexible schedule when applying. Some institutes may allow you to view their materials, but prohibit copying of any kind. Please check on that when receiving your referral letter.