CLIO, the online library catalog, contains records for almost all Chinese-language materials, including books, periodicals, microforms, and databases.

When searching CLIO, the Chinese romanization system one should use is Library of Congress Pinyin, which is based on China's Pinyin system but has significant exceptions.

You may look at the examples listed in Library of Congress New Chinese Romanization Guidelines to quickly understand the exceptions.

You may use Chinese characters for searching Chinese language materials in CLIO, but Chinese romanization will yield the best search results, hence using Chinese characters is not recommended.

However, most CLIO records are included in WorldCat. WorldCat can be searched by using either Library of Congress Pinyin or preferably, Chinese characters, either traditional or simplified, to see the holding status at Columbia and elsewhere. Many researchers simply search WorldCat first. Please note that not all library materials of Columbia one may find in CLIO are available in Worldcat. Most materials available in CLIO are in WorldCat though.

Starr East Asian Library's Chinese-language books can be found by searching CLIO and WorldCat.  Most books have Library of Congress subject headings and classification numbers and they are inter-shelved together with the Japanese, Korean, Tibetan and Western-language books of the same subject headings.

Books that are located the Off-site Library Shelving Facility (ReCAP) can be delivered for pickup in Kent Hall by selecting the "Request from Offsite" option on an item's CLIO record and filling out the online form, or by filling out a request form in person at the Circulation Desk.

Most of Starr East Asian Library's holdings of rare books and special materials have been cataloged in CLIO.  However, some rare/special items may not be processed and cataloged. The Chinese rare/special items in other Columbia University libraries, such as the Rare Book & Manuscript Library in Butler Library, may not be fully cataloged. Please contact the Chinese Studies librarian or librarians in respective libraries for assistance.

For information about electronic books, please refer to the Chinese E-Resources E-Books listings.

Information about periodical holdings, including current issues, is available in CLIO. Current issues of periodicals are housed in the Chinese periodical area in the second alcove on the north side of the Reading Room. Bound volumes of past issues are shelved together with the rest of the collection in the library stacks, or more likely in off-site. Due to space limitations, only the periodical titles of most recent time are kept in the library in Kent Hall. Older volumes are housed off-site. You may request off-site to be delievered to insite. Check CLIO for locations.

Many periodicals are now available online in full-text through Columbia's subscription to journal article databases. These databases include the following:

• China Academic Journals 中国学术期刊全文数据库
  
• CEPS (Chinese Electronic Periodical Services) 中文電子期刊
  
• Dacheng lao jiu kan quan wen shu ju ku  大成老旧刊全文数据库
  
• TEPS (Taiwan Electronic Periodical Services)  台灣電子期刊
  
• Gu gong wen xian (National Palace Museum journals) 故宮文獻
  

We suggest users, unless with a special need for print copies, not to request print copies of the journals included in these full-text databases from off-site.

For more information about electronic journals, please see the Chinese E-Resources Journals listings.

The Library receives approximately 20 Chinese-language newspapers from the People's Republic, Taiwan, and Hong Kong in paper copy via air mail. As they are received, they are put on racks in the Chinese periodical area. Two or three months of back issues are stored temporarily under the table in front of the current periodical alcove before being moved to storage when microfilm copies arrive. At that time, paper copies are discarded. If you wish to see paper copies in storage, please check with the circulation desk or with staff in Room 318 (9:00-5:00 p.m.). The vast majority of Chinese newspapers are only received on microfilm on a yearly basis.

The full text articles of hundreds of newspapers from the People's Republic of China are readily available through Columbia's subscription to the China Core Newspapers Database.  The full text of a dozen or so leading newspapers of Taiwan is available in Xin wen zhi shi ku (Newspapers in Taiwan). In addition, Ren min ri bao (People's Daily) is available electronically, with coverage from 1946 onward.

For more information about newspaper e-resources, please see the Chinese E-Resources Newspapers listings.

All reference books shelved along the sides of the main reading room have records in CLIO. Reference books include dictionaries, encyclopedias, bibliographies and the most recent copies available of many statistical yearbooks. They have Library of Congress call numbers and are shelved in call number order.

Due to space considerations, a small number of reference titles (mostly large sets) are shelved in the regular stacks in the library, but marked as non-circulating. If more than one copy of a reference title is available, the additional copy or copies are often shelved in the regular stacks and are for loan. A few oversize maps are located on the shelves under the display cabinet near the Library exit.

Reference titles available for access in electronic format include:

• Ci hai 辞海
  
• Charles Muller Digital Dictionary of Buddhism 電子佛教辭典
  
• Han yu da ci dian 汉语大词典
  
• Quan guo bao kan suo yin 全国报刊索引数据库
  

For more information about reference e-resources, please see the Chinese E-Resources Reference Books and Indexes listings.

The library's holdings also include collections of multi-media materials, rare books and special collections such as oracle bones, paper gods, and other types of materials.

The library has recently become very strong in Chinese film studies ranging from film posters to independent films and documentaries on DVDs. Other branches of the Columbia University Libraries also hold some Chinese-language materials. These materials may not be fully included in the library online catalog timely; and if they are, some catalog records may not have been completely cross-referenced updated according to current Library of Congress romanization and classification, as typically in the case of the Chinese Oral History Project collection of reminiscences and personal papers. The Chinese Studies Librarian may be asked for help to locate those materials.

New Chinese-language materials, including books, journals and other types of materials processed and cataloged into CLIO, can be found at New Arrivals, which are for the recent three months by default. New arrivals can be seen by adjusting format, publication date and arrival time. New materials can also be searched out in CLIO New Arrivals.

Faculty and students are welcome to recommend titles for purchase. You may submit an online recommendation form, or contact the Chinese Studies Librarian by e-mail.

• Circulation Desk
  For basic questions, the circulation desk staff can provide assistance. They can assist in interpreting a record in CLIO, or helping place a search for a book that is missing from the shelf but not checked out. If the basic information about a book, serial, or newspaper is known, they can provide quick assistance.
• Reference and Consultation
  The Reference Desk staffed with librarians 2:00-5:00p.m. has discontinued since 2010. But one may make an appointment with the librarian for in-depth consultation. He may be contacted for an appointment, preferably in e-mail.