The Art Library specializes in contemporary art. It collects and stores literary materials and exhibition catalogues related to modern and contemporary art as well as art periodicals, making them widely available to the public. Anyone can use the library without charge.
The Art Library for Children features art books for children.
Hours
- Opening times
- 10:00〜18:00
- Requests for closed stack materials
- 10:00〜17:00
- Copying service
- 10:00〜17:00
- Holidays
- Closed on Mondays (If Monday is a national holiday, closed on the following day)
For maintenance and exhibit replacement
It is advisable to make a reservation before visit.
For users
- Library material must be viewed inside the library and cannot be borrowed and taken out.
- Users should leave their belongings in a baggage locker, other than valuables, writing utensils and laptop computers.
- Open stack material in the reading room is freely available for viewing. Users must follow the procedures to request any closed stack materials.
- The library may provide microfilms or duplications instead of the actual materials depending on their condition.
- Wi-Fi within the reading room is freely available.
- Magnifying glass and writing communication machine can be provided.
Cautions
- Eating, drinking, taking pictures or talking on a mobile phone within the Art Library is prohibited.
- Use of the library for any purposes other than reading the materials kept by the library, such as studying for exams or taking a nap, is prohibited.
- We assume no liability for theft or loss of valuables or other belongings left in the reading room.
Retrieval of materials
Search for materials stored by the library using the search device installed in the reading room or on the website.
Online public access catalogue (OPAC)
We digitize some of the valuable materials held by the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo and publish it.
Rare materials Digital Archive
We also offer a service for retrieving books and materials stored by other art museums and museums.
Art Library Consortium (ALC Search)
Requests for closed stack materials(hours 10:00-17:00)
Submit a request form and an admission card at the librarian desk to read closed stack materials. On each occasion, you may request up to five items.
※ Open stack material in the reading room is freely available for viewing.
Reference service
Inquire at the librarian desk regarding art-related materials, how to retrieve materials or to learn the status of materials.
Copying service(hours 10:00～17:00)
Photocopy library material within the scope of copyright. Obtain duplications of data stored on microfilms.
※Taking pictures of the materials with a camera or mobile phone is prohibited.
※Duplication of all pages of any of the materials or zooming in/out on figures or illustrations is prohibited. Users are only allowed to duplicate materials in a single set.
- Copier | A4/A3/B4 | black and white: 30 yen, colour: 100 yen
- Microfilm | A3 | black and white: 30 yen, colour: not for duplication
Multimedia booth
View the audiovisual materials and online database. To use the multimedia booth, prepare an admission card at the librarian desk. Print a screen of the database for a fee.
- Usage time: 2 hours per occasion
- Size | Fee (per copy)
- A4/A3 | black and white: 30 yen, colour: 100 yen
Online database
- ELNET
30 million newspaper and magazine articles and headlines from 1988 are available to search at once.
*in Japanese - Jstor
Database of Journal articles and books on liberal arts. - ADEAC
Digitized contents of Library’s valuable materials
*in Japanese
Library materials
Total number of materials
280,000
- Books: 63,000
- Japanese books: 54,000
- Foreign books: 9,000
- Exhibition catalogues: 81,000
- Catalogues with Japanese text: 69,000
- Catalogues with text written in foreign languages: 12,000
- Periodicals (including publications, bulletins, and yearbooks issued by museums): 136,000
- Japanese periodicals (3,800 titles): 120,000
- Foreign periodicals (360 titles): 16,000
- Microform
- Microfilms: 48 titles
- Microfiche: 14 titles
- Audio-video materials
- Video materials: 180 titles
Major collections
The Art Library collects and stores materials, inherited from the collections of the art library (1976-1995), Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum.
- Catalogue raisonné
- Lists of collections of the art museums in Japan
- Sosaku-hanga (Creative Prints) magazines
- Pre-war art periodicals
- Special personal collections
- Yanase Collection: previously in the possession of Masamu Yanase, early 20th century avant-garde artist
- Saneatsu Collection: previously in the possession of Saneatsu Mushakoji
- Yamao Collection: previously in the possession of Kunmei Yamao, oil painter
- Watanabe Collection: previously in the possession of Susumu Watanabe, oil painter and printmaker
- Okamoto Collection: previously in the possession of Toki Okamoto, oil painter
- Okuse Collection: previously in the possession of Eizo Okuse, oil painter
- Ishii Collection: previously in the possession of Hakutei Ishii, oil painter
- Suwa Collection: previously in the possession of Kanenori Suwa, the printmaker
- Maeda Collection: previously in the possession of Toshiro Maeda, printmaker
- Nakamura Collection: previously in the possession of Hiroshi Nakamura, painter
- Takiguchi Collection: previously in the possession of Shuzo Takiguchi, art critic and writer
- Omuka Collection: previously in the possession of Toshiharu Omuka, art historian