Looking to the East: Challenges in Connecting Asian

Libraries in the World of Information

Karen T. WeiUniversity of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Hong Kong, November 4, 2008

Contents

• Early interest in China• Transformation of China studies• Renewed interest in China studies• Library support of China studies in the U.S.• The role of Chinese studies librarians• Professional support for the Chinese studies librarians in

North America• The changing outlook of academic libraries• Looking to the East• Conclusion

Early Interest in China

• Western interest in China – began in the 16th century• Mateo Ricci (1552-1610)• The rise of Sinology – the study of Chinese language,

literature, or civilization• The study of China in the 17th and 18th centuries• 19th century – the American Sinology just begun

Transformation of China Studies• Acceptance of China studies in the 20th century• The establishment of the Peoples’ Republic of China• Shift of traditional China studies to the study of

contemporary Chinese society• Transformation from discipline specific to

interdisciplinary in nature• Transformation from Sinology to China studies• Impact of Nixon’s visit to China in 1972

Renewed Interest in China Studies

• China’s exploding economy • The arrival of China as one of the world’s new

superpowers• Media attention• Increase in Chinese population in the U.S.• Impact on scholarly communication between China

and the U.S.• Growing demand for library materials and

information resources

Library Support of China Studies

• Collection building through the 19th century• Library of Congress (1869), Yale (1878), Harvard (1896),

Berkeley (1896), Cornell (1918), Columbia (1920), Princeton (1926), Chicago (1930)

• 1930s and 1940s: UCLA, Hawaii, Michigan, Washington, Stanford

• 1960s: Arizona, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Minnesota, North Caroline, Ohio State, Pittsburgh, Wisconsin

• China’s Open Door Policy

Current Status

• Statistics in 2008 Journal of East Asian Libraries http://www.lib.ku.edu/ceal/stat/20062007/cealstat06_07.pdf

• 50 reporting libraries as of June 30, 2007• Monographs: Chinese 8,827,233 volumes [Total

CJK=16,385,292]• Serials: Chinese 39,200 titles [Total CJK=75,927]• Personnel support: Chinese 222 [Total CJK=538]

The Role of Chinese Studies Librarians

• China scholar as librarian• Increased demand for Chinese studies librarians after

World War II• Chinese studies librarianship as a specialized field• Required qualifications and responsibilities• Challenges in training Chinese studies librarians• Recent training institutes

Professional Support in North America

• Council on East Asian Librarieshttp://www.eastasianlib.org/• Committee on Chinese Materials [Japanese, Korean]• Committee on Technical Processing• Committee on Public Services• Committee on Library Technology• Journal of East Asian Libraries• OCLC CJK Users Group

http://oclccjk.lib.uci.edu/

Changing Outlook of Academic Libraries

• New models of scholarly communication• New mechanisms for licensing and accessing digital

content• Introduction of transformative technologies• New methods of teaching and learning• New approaches to interdisciplinary scholarship and

scientific inquiry• Arrival of a new generation of faculty and students• Broad changes in the higher education environment

Future of Academic Libraries

• The 21st century is defined by a need to increase access to information resources and services of global information

• Realignment of library services, facilities, and resources with the academic needs of the higher education community

• Competition in the library market• Higher education undergoing transformational shifts• Impact on Chinese studies librarianship

Looking to the East:Challenges in Connecting Asian Libraries

• Challenges plentiful, opportunities abound• Resource discovery • Balancing Chinese collections in a networked

environment• Financial challenges• Continuing education• Bibliographic control and resource sharing

Resource Discovery

• China is the origin of the world’s single largest information provider about China

• China’s mammoth reservoir of information resources are rich but often difficult to discover

• Lack of broad access to these information resources and services

• Some resources are complex to navigate and evaluate• Promotion of web-based resources and development

of enhanced access tools to aid discovery

Balancing Chinese Collection in a Networked Environment

• Escalating number of published books and journals in print

• Accelerated pace in electronic resources development and the explosion in Chinese digital content

• China studies as a discipline continues to rely on printed sources for teaching and research

• New approaches to information use and higher expectations for access to digital services and content

• The cost – need to consider different business models

Financial Challenges

• Main issue and challenge – balanced budget• Dual print/electronic journals and dual print/E-books• Challenging financial decline at state/federal levels• Reevaluate/realign resources• Strategically invest in teaching and research materials• Collaborate with Chinese libraries• Work closely with book vendors and information

providers to contain prices

Continuing Education

• No library schools offer China related courses• No formal training programs for Chinese studies

librarians• Summer Institutes – 1988, 2004, 2008• Exchange of librarians• Experts from China

Bibliographic Control and Resource Sharing

• Resource sharing has broad implications in connecting the world of information in a networked environment

• Bibliographic control and record exchange between the East and West

• OCLC’s WorldCat as “window to the world’s libraries”

• Using WorldCat to connect libraries of the world• Importance of loading Chinese bibliographic records

Conclusion

• Develop collaborative approaches to the provision of library services and collections with libraries in Asia

• Challenges in the delivery of quality service• Better understanding with better practices• Partnership with libraries in Asia to achieve global

collaboration• Realization of interconnected world with links to the

world’s information content from anywhere at anytime

Thank You!!

Questions?