Skip to main content
It looks like you're using Internet Explorer 11 or older. This website works best with modern browsers such as the latest versions of Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge. If you continue with this browser, you may see unexpected results.

Basic information for finding materials: from searching for items to managing literature: Basic information for finding materials

This document summarizes useful information to help you search for materials at the Mita Media Center for the purpose of writing reports or your graduation thesis.

Searching for materials at Keio University

  1. Searching  KOSMOS

    Materials held by Keio University can be searched on KOSMOS by title, etc.

    ※ Refer to “KOSMOS HELP” for detailed explanations on how to use KOSMOS and its scope.

　　2.　Arrangement of library materials
　　 Books at the Mita Media Center are arranged in call number order.
         Call numbers are printed on a label attached to the spine of the books.
        (e.g., name of material: The Autobiography of Fukuzawa Yukichi; call number: B@289.1@F1@6).
         Call numbers include NDC numbers that classify materials into subject fields, and books on the same subjects are arranged together 
　　(materials purchased using faculty budgets are arranged in the classification order of the faculty’s own rules).
         Related books can be found by looking through the spines of the books on the shelves.
        ※ Journals do not have call numbers. They are arranged in alphabetical order (Japanese journals are arranged in order of their romanized Japanese names,
        e.g., 文芸春秋 is “Bungeishunju”).

　　3.　Location of materials

Locations at which materials are shelved will depend on their type, period, or theme. For more details on shelf locations, please check the floor plan. Check the opening hours on the website before visiting the library. For more information on loan periods, etc., please check the “undergraduate” page. Rules for borrowing materials will partly differ depending on their call number.

Using databases to search for journal papers

  1. Searching databases

    Useful databases to find academic papers when searching for journal articles using keywords can be accessed from Database NAVI. From Database NAVI, it is possible to search databases to which Keio University has subscriptions by subject or material type as well as some free databases such as  Google Scholar. It will also tell you which databases you can access off-campus. In addition to searching databases for academic papers, you can also search databases for newspapers and databases for statistical data.

    ※ CiNii Articles, the largest database for academic papers in Japan(JAPANESE), can also be searched from the "Article(CiNii)" tab on KOSMOS.

  2. Checking availability of papers from databases

    The database search result will give you publication details (bibliographic index) of the academic papers. Information such as ① author, ② theme (title), ③ name of journal, ④ volume and issue of journal and page numbers, and ⑤ year of publication allow papers to be identified and are necessary during searches. In the following figure showing the search results from EBSCOhost, we can see that a paper titled “Fukuzawa Yukichi and Religion” written by Takashi Koizumi was published in volume 4, issue 2, page 109 of a journal called “Asian Philosophy” in 1994. Click on the link to KOSMOS to check whether or not Keio University has a subscription to the journal.

Searching for journal papers without using databases

In the reference section of academic papers, other papers with high degrees of relevance are listed, allowing you to search for papers in succession.

You can search for the journal title listed in the reference section of academic papers on KOSMOS, to check whether or not Keio University possesses the item.

Getting or browsing materials not available at Keio

There are 4 main services the university provides that could allow you to use or browsing materials you seek which are not found on KOSMOS.

 

•  Borrowing from an external library: borrow the item from another university

• Getting a copy of the work: ask for a photocopy of part of the item or the academic paper from another university

• Issuing an Letter of Introduction: issue a referral letter allowing you to visit a library at another university

• Purchase request: you can submit a purchase request to ask the library to purchase the research or learning material using its budget

 

Please refer to the page for each service and understand the conditions, required number of days, and cost before you apply.

Keio University has an agreement with Waseda University and Hitotsubashi University, giving you preferential treatment for some of the services mentioned above.

Managing collected literature

Reference management tools such as RefWorks, Mendeley, and EndNote can be used at the Mita Media Center.

 

Contact info (Mita)

Keio University Mita Media Center
(Keio University Library)

Reference
TEL: 03-5427-1658　
FAX: 03-5427-1665
Hours:
8:45-18:30 on weekdays (8:45-17:00 during holidays)

Links:
Online Reference
Website