UBC Collections
- Asian LibraryUBC's Asian Library includes over 180,000 print volumes of Japanese-language materials and is particularly strong in Japanese History, Literature, Religious Studies, and Women's Studies.
- Japanese Maps of the Tokugawa EraUBC Library's Rare Books and Special Collections holds one of the world's largest collections of maps and guidebooks of the Japanese Tokugawa period, ca. 1600-1867, outside of Japan. The collection varies in both format and size: items range from small single-sheet maps to more than thirty square feet, and also include a ceramic plate, a woodblock, and maps in scroll format.
Japanese Rare Book Collection
We have about 180 Japanese rare items housed in the Rare Books and Special Collections. All the items have "Asian Rare-6" as part of the call number. Browse the collection by searching "Asian Rare-6" as "Other shelf number" on the Library Catalogue as you see below.
We are grateful for our generous donors, especially the David Mark Graham Memorial Fund donors, to enable us to develop the collection. For more information on the Fund or to make a donation, please see the David Graham memorial page.
UBC Archival Collections
- Japanese Canadian Materials in the Asian Canadian History and Archives GuideThe UBC Library Asian Canadian History and Archives guide offers an excellent overview of the Library's Japanese Canadian materials.
►Watch a 7-minute video on finding and using Japanese Canadian Resources.
To see the UBC Library's Japanese Canadian Research Collection in the library catalogue:
- Japanese Canadian Research CollectionCall Number: RBSC-ARC-1288 in RBSCPublication Date: 1900-1970The collection consists of approximately fifty small collections or fonds donated by individuals and organizations. The collection encompasses a wide range of topics including relocation to internment camps during World War II, farming, lumbering, religious activities, and personal reminiscences, as well as various organizational records. Online inventory available.
- Japanese Canadian Photograph CollectionAs with the larger Japanese Canadian Research Collection of which it forms a part, the Japanese Canadian Photograph Collection (JCPC) was assembled by UBC Library's Rare Books and Special Collections from various donors beginning in the 1970s. While the JCPC documents a wide range of the experiences of Canadians of Japanese descent in British Columbia, the resource is particularly strong in chronicling their treatment during World War II.
- UBC Japanese Canadian Students of 1942 - oral historyIn 1942, 21,000 Japanese Canadians were uprooted and exiled from the West Coast and were sent to internment camps. Amongst those sent away were 76 UBC students. This collection offers oral history interviews with several of the affected students.
Collections in Japan
- NDL 国立国会図書館サーチJapan's National Diet Library (NDL) has an extensive collection of digital and print holdings. The NDL Search page includes a number of tools, including the functionality to search for records from public libraries across Japan.
- Cinii BooksIncludes records from academic libraries across Japan. Information listed can be used for InterLibrary Loan requests from Japan.
- Waseda University Catalogue (WINE)Provides in-depth information such as table of content details from Waseda University's extensive library collection.
- Tokyo Metropolitan Library 東京都立図書館蔵書検索A very useful resource for obtaining detailed bibliographical information including tables of contents.
InterLibrary Loans (ILL) from Japan
While Material Pick-up (an on-campus pick-up service) is available for circulating print resources in our collection, access to print InterLibrary Loans, including copying and scanning from print collections, is unavailable while the library is closed.
Please check the Library service updates for up-to-date information or ask the Japanese Studies Librarian for more information.
Under the regular circumstances, please go through the regular InterLibrary Loan (ILL) process for Japanese-language titles. First check Worldcat to see if the work is held by a North American institution or NDL. If it is held by NDL, then fill out the ILL form and in the "comments" box mark down the ISSN and NDL article record ID if it's a journal article, listed on the right hand column if it's through CiNii. If you are requesting a book, please include the ISBN, and record ID.