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mep3 · Joined: 05 Feb 2003 Posts: 212

I'm in mainland China now and thinking of moving to Taiwan. One thing I'd like to do while I'm there is some research on English literature. Are there any libraries in Taiwan with serious collections of English books? For example maybe an American university with a campus there, or the main library in Taipei, or any major Taiwanese universities with specialties in English language subjects? Don't get me wrong -- I know it's not an English speaking country and I'm not expecting the answer to be yes. Just asking. Also, any other major venues for English language books and journals that may not be available here on the mainland?

Thanks .... mep

mep3 · Joined: 05 Feb 2003 Posts: 212

P.S. sorry for the duplicate posting. After pressing "submit," I realized that I wanted to put a question mark on the end of my title, and I thought I pressed the "ESC" key in time before the message was posted. Then I added my question mark and posted it again Smile

mizzo · Joined: 05 Sep 2006 Posts: 29

umm I think the major library in Taipei has English books.. not sure though. There are definitely English bookSTORES in Taipei.. Taipei 101 has a good big one... and there are a few smaller ones around, too.

matchstick_man · Joined: 21 May 2003 Posts: 244 Location: Taiwan

The university library in Taichung County I've been into had mind-blowing collections of specialty subject English books and novels.

mep3 · Joined: 05 Feb 2003 Posts: 212

Interesting!! If you don't live near there, I wonder if they'd still let you come in and photocopy books and walk out with your photocopies? I used to do that a lot at a big library in the U.S. and nobody bothered me.

Also, do you know if any of the libraries in Taiwan have inter-library loan services with Hong Kong's public libraries that foreign teachers would be allowed to access? Thanks .... mep

matchstick_man · Joined: 21 May 2003 Posts: 244 Location: Taiwan

On the photocopying, I doubt it. You need a student card to even enter the library.

mep3 · Joined: 05 Feb 2003 Posts: 212

So as a foreign teacher you couldn't even enter that library?

matchstick_man · Joined: 21 May 2003 Posts: 244 Location: Taiwan

You'd need to be at least enrolled in Chinese lessons. A friend of mine used to just walk in behind people who held a card and spend the day in the library.

There are public libraries that can be entered without cards.

mep3 · Joined: 05 Feb 2003 Posts: 212

Any idea what kinds of quantities of English books the public libraries have?