Ask for help finding a book
Describe remembered details or the topic, audience, and purpose of the book you want.
What is Book Reference Room?
Book Reference Room is a free web app where the community works together on requests such as “I want a book like this” or “I am trying to remember a book I once read.”
It lets anyone experience a reference interview similar to the work of librarians and booksellers. Instead of immediately naming a title, participants can ask follow-up questions to clarify what the reader remembers, needs, or hopes to discover.
Answers include not only a possible title but also the reason it fits. The resulting conversations form a public archive where readers can study how a useful question revealed a clue and why a particular book was recommended.
Open Book Reference Room
Opens bookreferenceroom.cybergomoku.com. The current service interface is in Japanese, and a consultation can be posted without registration.
Three ways to practise reference work
Ask a follow-up question
When a request is too broad, identify the missing condition that will narrow the search.
Recommend and explain
Suggest a title and explain why it answers the reader's request. Feedback remains part of the case.
Learn from librarians, booksellers, and fellow readers
A reference request does not always have one obvious answer. Who will read the book, for what purpose, and what details are reliable? Organising that context through careful questions leads to a better recommendation.
The consultation list can be searched and sorted by recency, answers, reactions, or unanswered status. Join a request that matches your knowledge, or read completed exchanges to see which question unlocked the search and why the final book was chosen.
- Read the request: Review the clues and the questions and answers already posted.
- Organise the criteria: Consider topic, genre, audience, publication period, and purpose.
- Clarify: Ask the requester about any missing condition.
- Research and answer: Verify a candidate and explain why it fits.
Frequently asked questions
What is a reference service?
It is a service in which a librarian or other information professional clarifies a person's need through questions, then researches and points them to useful materials.
Can I answer if I am not a librarian or bookseller?
Yes. Any reader can ask questions or suggest books, regardless of professional role. You can also use the site simply to read past cases.
Can I ask about a book whose title I do not remember?
Yes. Share remembered scenes, cover details, or when you read it, then work with the community's follow-up questions.
Is the service free?
Yes. It is free to use, and consultations can be posted without registration.
More ways to find books
- Reference Test — Investigate vague memories to identify a real published book
- Book Detective — Solve book-selection puzzles and build a bookstore