Locating Library Materials FAQ

When you can’t find a book after looking it up in the online catalog, one or more of the following reasons might apply:

1. Someone borrowed it:
   Please use the online catalog to check the book’s status as to whether it is “AVAILABLE.” Once the book is borrowed, the status will be changed to “DUE mm-dd-yy.”
2. Different location:
   The book might have been placed on a different floor or in a different area of the General Library or it might be in a branch library. For example, the second floor of the General Library is separated into the Hum/Soc Sci Area, the Art Area, and the Comp Stack Rm. Please take note of the location as shown in the online catalog.
3. Placed on the wrong shelf:
   We often discover books are placed back on the wrong shelf or floor. Patrons are asked to put books on book carts located near the shelves, library staff will place them back in their original place. Also, when looking for a book, it might be a good idea to search around its original shelf location.
4. Another patron is currently using the book, or the book has not been placed back on the shelf:
   Materials may be on reading tables, in copy rooms, or on one of the carts. Again, we ask all patrons to checkout books before taking them into study rooms so as to avoid any inconvenience.
5. New arrivals might be on display shelves:
   A new arrival might be on display. Please have library staff verify its location.
6. Missing:
   When unable to find a book, you may seek assistance from library staff. If the book cannot be found, we will continue searching for it for some time. However, if the book still cannot be located, it will be noted as “Missing” in the online catalog. Readers can recommend missing books for re-purchase.
7. Withdrawal or Removed from shelf:
   The status of “removed from shelf” or “withdrawal” in the online catalog indicates the book might be damaged or outdated. Therefore, the book may be removed from the shelf or withdrawn from the library and no longer available on the shelf.

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This may be due to the following reasons:

1. Another patron is reading it or hasn’t returned it to the shelf:
   The journal might be on a reading table, in a copy room, in a cart, or is being read by another reader.
2. The journal was sent out for binding:
   If an entire year’s subscription or a series of issues are not found on the shelf, it may be that the Library has sent them out for binding. In that case, a sticker with the words “Currently being bound” will be adhered to the shelf, specifying the name of the journal, issues, year of publication and estimated time for them to be returned to the shelf. In the online catalog, the journal will be noted as “Sent for Binding” with the date it was removed also indicated.
3. Placed on the wrong shelf:
   Please look around the area adjacent to where the journal is supposed to be located.
4. The name of the journal/periodical has changed:
   Western-language periodicals are displayed in alphabetical order by title, and Chinese periodicals are displayed according to the number of character strokes in the title. A change in name results in a change in location. If a journal on the shelf only goes up to a certain issue, please check the online catalog for its new name and its new location.
5. Unbound and bound periodicals are located on separate floors:
   Unbound periodicals are located in Current Periodicals on the first floor. Bound periodicals are located in Back Issues on the third floor, as well as in the Comp Stack Room on the second floor (for Japanese periodicals).
   Please look for the periodical you need according to its location as shown in the online catalog.
    

   Ex:	Location General Library Shelf Loc Current Periodicals: 1F Hum/Soc Sci Area 11-01; Back Issues 3F Hum/Soc, Row 051.
   Those listed as [1(1991)-18(2008)] are located on 3F Row 51, and those listed as 19(2009) as well as later issues are located on the first partition of Row 11 on 1F.

6. Priority Services for Periodicals:
   New periodicals that cannot be found on the shelves may have been placed in branch or departmental libraries that have applied for priority services. The Library sends the latest issues of certain periodicals directly to departments and graduate institutes to facilitate their teaching. In the online catalog, the location field should indicate “Sent to XX.”
7. The journal is in another library:
   Please note the location of the journal in the online catalog.
8. The issue is not in the Library:
   Please note the field of "Lib. Has" of the journal in the online catalog: [1(1991)-2(1992), 4(1994)-9(1999)] means the Library lacks 3(1993).

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Periodicals can be found in libraries throughout the university:

1. If the title of the periodical is known, please search for it by title in the online catalog.
2. If you’re not looking for a specific periodical but would like to read about a certain genre, first search by keyword. Enter the keyword and select “Journals.”

A location would be specified when the journal title can be found in the catalog. If it is located in the General Library, a floor and shelf number will be shown. Current Periodicals in the General Library is located on the first floor, separated into Human and Social Sciences, Science and Technology, and Leisure. Back Issue Periodicals (and bound issues) are on the third and fourth floors, separated into Human and Social Sciences and Science and Technology. Other periodicals are placed in branch and department libraries primarily according to their subject nature.

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1. NTU General Library:
   • Daily Newspapers—located in the Newspapers Reading Area at the front entrance of the General Library.
   • Newspapers of the current month—located in the Newspapers of the Current Month Area on the first floor of the General Library.
   • Newspapers dating a month prior—newspapers from the same month are bound together. Binding takes approximately one month before they are placed in the Comp Stack Room on the second floor of the General Library. Extra copies of newspapers, when available, will be placed in the Monthly Newspapers Area and removed after the bound version becomes available.
   • Bound Newspaper Volumes dating after 1991—located in the Comp Stack Room on the second floor of the General Library.
   • Bound Newspaper Volumes prior to 1991—available in form of microfilm located in the Special Collections Reading Area of the fifth floor of the General Library. Most recent collections include:
     • Central Daily News (1951.01.01-1994.12.31, 1999.01.01-2002.06.30);
     • China Times (1969.01.01-2002.06.30);
     • Economic Daily News (1987.01.01-2000.12.31);
     • United Daily News (1951.09.16-2000.12.31).
2. The Law & Social Sciences Library also houses newspapers for up to one year.
3. Please check the location of the newspapers in the online catalog.
4. The Library subscribes to the KMW, UDNdata, and WiseNews. Users can search for full-text newspaper articles. Please click on Databases on the Library’s homepage.
5. The Special Collections Department on the fifth floor of the General Library has 18 newspapers in microcopy, which are part of the Taiwan Historical Documents Collection. Also, other newspapers in microcopy located in the Comp Stack Room on the second floor of the General Library include:
   • Takung News(1902.06~1949.01),
   • Central Daily News (1949.03~1976.12),
   • The Financial Post (1992.06~1993.04),
   • United Daily Newspaper (1957.07~1960.12).

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1. NTU Dissertations and Theses:

• University dissertations and theses are held in the Dissertations/Theses and Course Reserves Area on the basement floor of the General Library. Dissertations and theses from the College of Law and the College of Social Sciences are held in the Law & Social Sciences Library. Dissertations from the College of Medicine are held in the Medical Library.
• Dissertations and theses are for library use only, and are restricted to the designated area on the basement floor of the General Library. They are arranged by college, department/institute, and then by call number. Please search the online catalog to check the call number first. Copies of dissertations/theses may be borrowed when available. They are located in the general stacks on the second and fourth floors.


• Electronic dissertations and theses are searchable and downloadable through Chinese Electronic Theses & Dissertations Service.

2. Dissertations and theses published in Taiwan:

• The National Cheng Chi University Social Science Information Center houses a collection of dissertations and theses published in Taiwan universities before 1995. The National Central Library has a collection of dissertations and theses published after 1984.
• The NTU Library also tries to collect dissertations and theses from other universities by means of purchase and exchange. Please check the Library’s online catalog before visiting either of the two abovementioned libraries.


• Electronic dissertations and theses are searchable and downloadable through Electronic Theses and Dissertations System and Chinese Electronic Theses & Dissertations Service. Electronic Theses and Dissertations System is established by National Central Library. It is the most comprehensive online system of dissertations in Taiwan.

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Yes. Yearbooks are kept in the Special Collections Department on the fifth floor of the General Library. Rules and regulations for using yearbooks and contact information therein are as follows:

1. University yearbooks are not public information and any private information therein must be protected. Yearbooks may be accessed only by NTU faculty, staff, students, retired faculty, retired staff and alumni.
2. When requesting to access yearbooks, patrons must show their valid NTU ID cards in person. They must also fill out a Special Collections Reader Application Form at the 5F Special Collections information desk.
3. For the sake of privacy protection, patrons are not allowed to access or copy old student directories. These directories are not public materials.

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