At the Libraries, you can make reservations for materials you would like to use. You can do this in three ways: "By the Request/Reservation Card," "By the Search Terminal in the Libraries," and "From the Library's Home Page."
How to Search for or Reserve a Book
- Who Can Use the Reservation System
- You need to have a Minato City Library Card to make a reservation.
* If you make a reservation from the Internet, you will be asked to enter your password for an Internet reservation system.
* If you make a reservation from the Search Terminal in one of the Libraries, you will be asked to enter a password for the Search Terminal.
- What can be Reserved
- Books and magazines (The most recent issues of magazines cannot be borrowed.)
- Audiovisual materials (CDs, videos, DVDs)
- Books the Minato City Library does not own or does not have as a collection or as part of a collection.
The reservations are accepted only by a Request/Reservation Card.
We will ask the Tokyo Metropolitan Library or libraries in other cities.
We accept reservations for only the CDs, videos, and DVDs that we own in Minato City Libraries.
- Materials Not Available for Reservation
- Books and magazines that are for reference only and that cannot be taken from the library property.
- LDs (They can be used only in the library.)
- Cassette tapes (They can be loaned only to a person with visual disability.)
- The Number of Books that You Can Reserve at One Time (in the overall 6 Libraries in Minato City)
- Books and magazines: up to 10
- Audiovisual materials: Up to a total of 8 titles in overall audiovisual materials
(CDs: up to 3 titles, Videos: up to 3 titles, DVDs: 2 title. This number of reservations is the total number of reservations made from a service counter with a Request/Reservation Card, Search Terminal, or the Internet.)
- Caution When Making a Reservation
- If the requested material has already been reserved for another member, you will be put on a waiting list.
- We will let you know as soon as the reserved material is available. Please visit the library within a week and complete the borrowing procedures.
- Making Reservations by Request/Reservation Card
- Please fill in the "Books/Magazines Request Card" or "Audiovisual Media Reservation Card" and submit it to the service counter.
- If you have already searched for that material by using the Search Terminal and you know that it is not available in the Minato City Libraries, please describe as much information as possible about the item. (This would include even such information as "I saw it in the book review section of the xxx newspaper on xx month, xx day.)
- Making a Reservation by Search Terminal in the Libraries
- Each Library has Search Terminals you can use to examine the collections of the Minato City Libraries. There are two types: touch panel and keyboard.
- The touch-panel type can be used to touch the Katakana or Alphabet shown on the display to input a title or an author's name.
- The keyboard type is similar to the kind used on personal computers; the title or author's name can be entered by the keyboard.
- If you have any questions regarding these operations, please ask an attendant at the library service counter.
- Make reservations from the Library's home page
- 1) Temporary Password
- To make a reservation on Internet, you will need to enter a password. Please request a temporary password at the Minato Library nearest you.
- Even if you have already registered a password for the Search Terminals, you will need to receive one for the Internet system.
- 2) Password Registration
- Access the Library's home page and change to a password of your choice. You can use the 4- to 10-digit 1byte alphanumeric characters (case sensitive). Katakana, marks, and 2bytes characters are not allowed.
- When you change the password, you can change it to the same password as your Search Terminal password. We recommend this method. However, for security reasons, we suggest you change your password on a regular basis, perhaps every two or three weeks.
- 3) E-mail Address Registration
- If you would like to receive notice of the reservation status by e-mail, register your e-mail address. You can register it from the home page. If it is already registered, skip this procedure.
- 4) Search the Materials for Reservation
- Access the [Search] page and search for the materials you would like to reserve.
- On the [Material Details] screen, press the [Add to Reservation Cart] button.
- 5) Login and Request Reservation
- On the [Reservation Cart] screen, press the [Request Reservation] button. Then you will be requested to "Login". Enter the user number (the 10-digit number on your Library card) and your password.
- Select [Contact Method].
- If you select [Email], you need to register an e-mail address.
- Select [Library to Receive the Material]
- 6) Acknowledgement for Availability of Reserved Materials
- When the reserved material becomes available for loan, the library will send you an e-mail notifying you of this if you have selected [E-mail] as your contact method.
- 7) Borrowing Procedures
- Complete the borrowing procedure at the Library from which you requested to receive the reserved materials.
- Please visit the library within a week after the material has been put on hold. If you do not complete the borrowing procedure within a week, the reservation will be canceled. Please be careful if you have selected [Not Necessary] as the Contact Method.
- 8) How to Investigate the Reservation Status
- To check up on your borrowing status, use the [Reservation Status Inquiry] screen on [My Library]. It will display the status until the previous day and the material you entered today.
- Investigate the Reservation Status at the [Processing Status] displayed at the far right of each item.
- 9) Cancel and Change the Reservation
- To cancel or change the reservation, use the [Reservation Status Inquiry] screen on [My Library].
- You can cancel or change the reservation only if the [Processing Status] is [Temporary Reserved].
- Other than that, you are unable to cancel or change the reservation. Please call the Library from which you requested to receive the material, or visit the service counter there.
- On the [Reservation Status Inquiry] screen:
- To cancel the reservation, press the button [Cancel].at the left of each item. To change the [Library to Receive the Material] or [Contact Method] , select the menu items and press the button [Modify Reservation].
- [Temporary Reserved] The reservation procedure is being processed. You can change or cancel the reservation.
- [Reservation Completed] The reservation procedure has been completed.
- [Reservation Allocation Date] The material is to be prepared.
- [Reservation confirmed] The material is ready for loan.
- [Error] The reservation has errors.
- The number of reservations exceed the limit.
- You have already reserved the same materials (duplicate reservation).
- 10) How to Investigate the Borrowing Status
- To check up on your borrowing status, use the [Borrowing Inquiry] screen on [My Library]. It will show the materials being borrowed through the previous day.
- 11) Internet Reservation from Mobile Phone
- If your mobile phone is Internet capable, you can make a reservation from the Internet.
- Other Cautions
- 1) About E-mail
- If you set "unwanted e-mail or spam" protection functions, you many be unable to receive the notification e-mail because of rejection by your security software.
- Set the below address and domain as receivable.
E-mail Address: yoyaku@lib.city.minato.tokyo.jp
Domain:www.lib.city.minato.tokyo.jp - For reasons of privacy protection, we state only the material number on e-mail, not the title. Please use the [Reservation Status Inquiry] screen to check the titles.
- 2) If You Forget Your Password
- If you forget your password, you must make arrangements to issue another temporary password. Please visit the Library and request a new temporary password.