National Museum of Ethnology (Minpaku): Library (図書室）

About the Library:

The Minpaku Library holds more than 600,000 books related to cultural anthropology, ethnology and other related disciplines as well as periodicals, microform, CD-ROMs, and other forms of information resources. This is the largest library for cultural anthropology and ethnology research in Japan. The library uses an open-stack system, however, the rare collection areas are restricted. Materials are classified by area and ethnic group using the Outline of World Cultures (OWC) classification method of the Human Relations Area Files. Periodicals are arranged alphabetically by title.

Collection Size:

• Books: Over 600,000 volumes

Focus: Cultural Anthropology, Ethnology

Notable Collection(s):

The Umesao Collection: It was donated by Umesao Tadao (梅棹 忠夫), the first Director-General of the National Museum of Ethnology.   It covers a wide range of fields, such as ethnology, geography, history, art, and literature.

Note: The Guide uses the ALA/LC standard romanization, however, it also reflects a different romanization system used by an individual institution or collection

Using the Library

Upon Arrival:

• Please obtain visitors' security card at the Information Counter or the Security Guards' Room on the 1st floor, or at the Ticket Counter or the Study Corner on 2nd floor.

• Please verify the desired material is available by using Minpaku Library Catalog.