AEMS Reference Service Policy

AEMS staff will accept questions by telephone or e-mail Monday through Friday (except holidays) from 9 am to 4:45 pm. We will do our best to respond to questions the day we receive them. If we receive questions late in the day, we will try to respond the next working day.

If AEMS staff find that a particular question is beyond our powers to answer, we will do our best to refer the patron to an appropriate resource, institution, or person.

AEMS staff can help patrons identify institutions that carry or publish particular items but we cannot borrow those items for you or intercede with those institutions on your behalf in any way.

AEMS staff may be able to find alternative distributors or prices for material but we cannot guarantee that we will find you the lowest possible price. We are not responsible for the quality of service of other organizations.

We ask that patrons understand that our expertise lies in media about Asia. We are not experts on any aspect of Asian language, culture, religion, etc. We can provide short-answer, factual information and informed opinions or references to professional reviews. We cannot provide research support for broad topics.

Examples of questions we probably can answer:

• Can you suggest a video about Japan that will appeal to third-graders?
• I'm looking for the documentary "Hearts and Minds" but it seems to be out of print. Can you help me find a copy?
• Are there any feature films with English subtitles from Thailand available in the USA?
• Are there any documentaries about child labor in Asia?

Examples of questions we probably cannot answer:

• I need to interview a Chinese person for a school project. Can you introduce me to one?
• I'm applying for a job in Korea. What do I need to know about visa regulations?
• I'm doing my thesis on educational systems in China. Can you give me any information?

All questions will be kept confidential, unless the patron gives us permission to forward the question to an outside party.