The library of Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Science was founded in 1959, and renamed herself as the Library and Information Department in 1978. After two restructuring in 2000 and 2005, the Library and Information Department, the Network Department and the Journal Editorial Office merged into the Information Center.

The Information Center is now engaged in three kinds of services: library information services, internet information services and the editing and publication of the Journal. Library information services are mainly focused on the development of SICCAS, and gradually developed into a scientific and technical literature security system, featuring inorganic non-metallic materials. Intranet information services are mainly responsible for the computer network construction and management, the Website design as well as the ARP system construction and maintenance of the whole institute. Journal office is mainly engaged in the editing, publication and distribution of "Journal of Inorganic Materials".

There are about 880 kinds of periodicals (including 290 kinds of Chinese periodicals and 590 kinds of foreign periodicals), 260 kinds of Chinese and foreign current periodicals, and 27,000 volumes of books. The center also has various kinds of standards concerning the research projects of SICCAS.

With the development of Internet information age, network-based service will not only meet the ever-growing demands of library users, but also promote the efficient services of library. The earlier library and information services have changed from single book-style to paperless network information services. Currently, it is available to searching online a variety of full-text and abstract databases, focusing on materials science and covering the relevant areas of biology, chemistry, chemical engineering and energy technology.

The center provides the readers with not only the special topics, SCI, China Citation Index, patents and standards retrieval, but also full text delivery services and interlibrary loan services.

Present, the Center enjoys two bright and spacious reading rooms, providing readers with a quiet comfortable reading environment. One reading room, on the 10th Floor, 4th Building, has the latest books and journals, as well as various Chinese and foreign reference books. The other one, on the 3rd Floor, 1st Building, has lots of backup periodicals: Chinese and western periodicals and CA abstract before 1995 placed at north stacks, Japanese and Russian journals placed at the middle, Chinese and western periodicals after 1996 placed at south stacks.

Opening hours:

10th Floor, 4th Building: Mon.-Fri., 8:00-17:00 (lunch break)