Multicultural Library Service & The Foreign Language Materials Corner
Saitama prefectural libraries set up The Foreign Language Materials Corner on Kumagaya Library. We promote multicultural library service (library service primarily for ethnic, linguistic and cultural minorities) in our community. (Last updated: September 2024)
- Facility
- Library materials
- Mini exhibition and other events
- Let's ask a librarian
- Library Guides (PDF)
- Statistics
- About us
- Volunteer translators
Facility
Saitama Prefectural Kumagaya Library
5-6-1 Hakoda, Kumagaya-shi, 360-0014
TEL: 048-523-6291
FAX: 048-523-6468
.
The Foreign Language Materials Corner
There are about 230,000 foreign residents from 166 different countries living in Saitama Prefecture. The Saitama Prefectural Libraries collect foreign language materials for their better understanding the Japanese way of life and for providing them with information from their various native lands.
The Kumagaya Library holds about 21,000 books in 41 languages including Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, English, and Portuguese etc, 10 newspapers in 5 languages, and 38 magazines in 7 languages. They are shelved in the foreign language materials corner on the 3rd floor of the Kumagaya Library. Our librarians will provide support for you in accessing the required information resources.
The library aims not only to give visitors access to foreign language materials but to present our community with events and exhibitions to foster cultural exchanges.
The foreign language material corner
Magazines
Corner map
| 1. Chinese | 6. French | 11. Foreign textbooks (China, Korea) |
| 2. Korean | 7. Spanish | 12. Foreign textbooks (USA, Vietnam, Brazil) |
| 3. Thai, Vietnamese, etc * | 8. Portuguese | 13. Side reader (USA, UK) |
| 4. English | 9. Italian,Russian,etc | 14. Books for Japanese as the second language |
| 5. German | 10. Multilingual Lifestyle Guidebooks |
15. Overseas brouchure |
*Thai, Bengali, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Malay, Tagalog, Hindii, Urdu, Persian, Arabic, Turkish, Laos, Tajik, Tibetan, Nepali
Foreign language materials
Books
We are developing our collection of foreign language materials written in Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, English, and Portuguese as our priority languages.
Please feel free to ask which libraries have the book you would like to read, if it has been translated in Japanese, or any question on library materials. → Let's ask a librarian
How to search for foreign language books
We have online catalogue for Japanese"詳細蔵書検索" and English"Detailed Search".
- As well as library materials in Japanese, you may search foreign language materials by title, author name, publisher, publication year, language, etc.
- If you check the box "海外資料(foreign book)" on the detailed search page, the system will search materials from foreign books for general users and foreign magazines. To search Saitama local materials in foreign languages, check the box "Saitama local material".
- Click on a title you would like to read, it will show the "Item details". On that page, you may see "Detailed information" and reserve library materials.
- We use Romanized data or eliminate accent marks for some of foreign language materials.
- In the case the book has been published in Japanese version, we can search by the title in Japanese. When you don't know the original title, it would help you.
We wrote some tips to search non-Japanese language books at Web-OPAC (catalogue). Please check " How to search for foreign language books ".
List of books in each language
Click each name of the following languages, our system will turn the result searched by the language name.
- Chinese
- Korean
- Vietnamese
- English ※Due to the large number of English books, we cannot list them. Please use detailed search.
- Portuguese
- Thai
- Malay
- Indonesian
- Tagalog
- Turkish
- Arabic
- Hindi
- Bengali
- Urdu
- Persian
- German
- French
- Spanish
- Italian
- Russian
Foreign textbooks
We hold about 1,200 textbooks and side readers of 6 countries.
This is the list of textbooks in the Foreign Language Materials Corner.
Magazines
Here is the List of the magazines in the Foreign Language Materials Corner.
Old issues (2 years passed) and the latest issue are in-library use only.
Newspapers
Here is the List of the newspaper in the Foreign Language Materials Corner.
We keep back numbers in 3 years. Please use them in the library.
Information papers from city halls and international associations
This is the list of information papers from city halls and international associations.
Please ask about back numbers at the counter on the 3rd floor.
Multilingual Lifestyle Guidebooks Produced by Saitama Prefecture and Local Municipalities
We hold Multilingual helpful guidebooks for daily life in Saitama, published by the prefectural and local governments in Saitama. The guides are available for borrowing.
"Nihongo wo manabu" Books on Japanese as the second language
We Saitama Prefectural Libraries support learners of Japanese language to live, work, raise their children in Saitama Prefecture. We have books for learners of Japanese language as the second language.
The languages of the main text are Chinese(Traditional and Simplified), Korean, Vietnamese, English, Portuguese, Thai, Malay, Tagalog, Indonesian, Burmese, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Russian and Japanese.
For more information, look at the page "Books on Japanese as the second language."
Mini exhibition and events
Mini exhibition and New titles
We have foreign book displays corresponding to seasons, certain topics, and newly arrived books. All books can be checked out. Please check "Mini exhibition and New titles" .
Books about Japanese Culture
Books will help you learn about Japan, providing you information on Japanese society and culture.
If you want to check the books, please see The foreign-language exhibition 'Books about Japanese Culture2' (PDF:1.1 MB).
Past exhibitions:'Books about Japanese Culture1' (PDF:729.4 KB).
Events
Here is(are) up-coming and finished events.
- 'WORKSHOP: How to Find Information' was held on Tuesday, November 21, 2023.
Our librarians showed how to look for materials in different languages by using Web OPAC (online library search) and websites.
・Japanese:「外国語資料の探しかた講座」
・Chinese:「讲座:检索信息的方法」
・Korean:「정보 찾는 방법 강좌」
・Vietnamese:「Lớp học giới thiệu cách tìm thông tin」
Let's ask a librarian
Please feel free to ask librarians for assistance when you are looking for materials or information.
You may ask us for information for research and study purpose by e-mail, at the reference desk of each prefectural library, or our website: Reference service
Library Guides (PDF) in 8 languages
We published library guides in the following languages.
- Chinese version (PDF:880.2 KB)(October 2024)
- Korean version (PDF:2.0 MB)(October 2024)
- Vietnamese version (PDF:1.9 MB)(October 2024)
- English version (PDF:667.0 KB)(October 2024)
- Portuguese version (PDF:817.6 KB)(October 2024)
- French version (PDF:688.3 KB)(October 2024)
- Spanish version (PDF:790.8 KB)(October 2024)
- Simple Japanese version (PDF:1.3 MB)(October 2024)
The viewing of these PDF files requires the installation of Adobe Reader. Please click the icon "Get Adobe Reader" to download and install the newest free version. The page for download is Japanese.
Statistics of our library holdings for the multicultural service
Book: 21,616 books
including 4,244 in Chinese, 2,170 in Korean, 315 in Vietnamese, 10,783 in English, and 1,055 in Portuguese.
Magazine: 37 titles
Journal: 10 titles
as of September 30, 2024
About us: Section for foreign language materials
As part of the internal reorganization of the prefectural libraries in the fiscal year 2003, the Saitama Prefectural Libraries have established a section for foreign language materials in the Kumagaya Library. We have 2 basic policies: to promote multicultural library services to multicultural populations in Saitama and to provide local residents with opportunities for international cultural exchanges.
Volunteer translators
Thank you for considering volunteering opportunities at Saitama Prefectural Libraries. We are working with volunteer translators in 7 languages (English, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese and French, Spanish, Indonesian)as of September 30, 2024. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.