University of Oxford: The Oriental Institute Library

Located within the Oriental Institute of the University of Oxford, the Oriental Institute Library collects in support of the teaching and researh of Japan specialists at Oxford in the humanities and social sciences. It serves mainly as faculy library and it is located withing the Oriental Institute. The Library is primarily intended to meet the needs of the Faculty's teachers and students. It was created in 1961 from a number of separate, specialised collections, the nuclei of which were often the private libraries of past professors.

The OIL houses the Japanese collection to support Japanese Studies teaching in the humanities. However, the selction and acquisition process, as well as cataloging, are administered by the Bodleian Japanese Library, which is responsible for the collections of Japanese books in Oxford. 

For more information about the Japanese Collection, please contact the Bodlean Japanese Librarian, Ms Izumi Tytler. 

The Oriental Institute Library covers the following subjects: Middle Eastern & Islamic (including Arabic, Persian & Turkish language & literature); Hebrew & Jewish; Japanese & Korean; Syriac, Ethiopic, Armenian & Georgian; and South Asian.

The Japanese collection comprises western works relating to traditional Japan, except art and archaeology; a selection of historical and literary texts in Japanese relevant to the courses offered; and a reference section of works (in all languages) concerned with these areas. The books (periodicals being kept with the library's main periodical collection) are arranged on the shelves by subject according to the Harvard-Yenching classification. There are two sections: the main collection is in the basement, while the reference section of confined dictionaries, bibliographies etc., occupies part of the reading room.

Books on Japanese art and archaeology are held in the Eastern Art Collection at the Sackler Library. The Eastern Art Collections are housed on the Sackler Library's Floor 3.

URL: http://www.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/oil

Online catalog: SOLO (Bodleian catalog), Cinii books

All University card and Library card holders are welcome to the (OIL). For information on the admission policies refer to the Bodleian Libraries' Admissions page. Borrowing of books, however, is restricted to University library card holders only.

Floorplan

OCOJ Database

The Oxford Corpus of Old Japanese (i.e. OCOJ) is a precious resource to all scholars and students of Early Japan, for it comprises an extensive collection of digital texts written in Old Japanese -- the earliest attested stage of the Japanese language. Click here for more information about the project and to consult the database.