What is the Collaborative Reference Database?

Reference Examples- Records of question and answer services performed at member libraries

Search Guides - How to search information resources on specific themes and topics

Special Collections - Information about special collections of individual collections and rare books, etc. owned by member libraries

Profiles of Member Libraries - Information on each member library participating in the reference collaboration

Access Level	Intended User
General Access	Accessible to anyone
Accessible to member libraries	Accessible to individuals from member libraries
Individual libraries only	Only accessible to individuals from the library registering the data.

Reference Examples　Glossary

Reference examples are records of the reference services (question and answer service) provided by member libraries. They are descriptions that detail how a library answered a user's questions.

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Main Contents

　Questions: A list of the details of users' questions submitted to a library.

　Answers: A list of the details of the answers a library provided to users' questions.

　Answering Process: A list of the details of searches up to the point the library provided answers to the users' questions.

　Creation date of case data: A list of the dates the library created the reference example data. Because new and newer information appears in succession, when reading reference examples, please be careful to note when the information was written.

　Category of questioner: This describes the types of users who send questions to the library. Because the librarian presents the answer in a form to suit the needs of each user, the librarian may adapt the particulars of an answer for an adult to a different answer for a child for the same question.

　Library: The name of the library that created the data of reference examples.

For the meanings of other items, please consult the Related Table of English Term Translations

Search Guides　Glossary

Search guides show methods for searching sources of information about specific themes and topics. They introduce fundamental sources of information one must understand before starting a search.

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Main Contents

Search themes: These are details about the themes and topics treated in search guides. Themes and topics that have been selected are based on questions actually submitted to the library and for which user information demand is high.

Contents of the search guide: These allow one to first check the basic materials one must first consult when researching a particular theme.

　Data creation date: The date the data was created. When new books, periodicals, or Internet information, etc. become available they are added to the search guides accordingly. However, there are instances in which updates may be delayed. As always, please be careful to note when the information was written.

　Library: The name of the library that created the search guide.

Special Collections　Glossary

・Special Collections - Information about special collections owned by member libraries such as private collections and rare books, etc.

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Main Contents

Collection name: The name of the special collection and the Japanese reading

Outline: What materials or groups of materials comprise the special collection.

　Restrictions on use: Describes the restrictions for use of items in the special collection. If there are valuable materials in the special collection, in order to preserve them, they may only be made available within the library that owns them.

Library: The name of the library housing the special collection.

Profiles of Member Libraries　Glossary

Information on each member library participating in the Collaborative Reference Database.

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Main Contents

Contact Information: Contact information necessary for making inquiries to the library, including the physical address, telephone number, fax number, and homepage address of the library.

Restrictions on use: Libraries participating in this project not only include public libraries, but also university libraries, and special libraries. Details of any restrictions on use of materials or services are given here.