OUTREACH

The East Asian Library Co-sponsored Symposium on “Collection Development, Research and Service on Chinese Studies”

To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the National Library of China, the Symposium on “Collection Development, Research and Service on Overseas Chinese Studies” was held in the National Library of China on September 7 - 10, 2009.

The symposium was sponsored by the National Library of China, and co-sponsored by the East Asian Library, University of Pittsburgh, USA; The Center for China Studies Abroad, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences; The National Research Center of Overseas Sinology; The Beijing Foreign Studies University. More than 100 scholars and professionals in overseas Chinese studies research and information services attended the symposium, exchanging ideas on the history and prospects of Chinese studies overseas, and the collection development, research, and information services on overseas Chinese studies.

Dr. Hong Xu, head of the East Asian Library, attended the symposium on behalf of the University Library System and the Asian Studies Center. Please click on the symposium website for more details. http://www.nlc.gov.cn/yjfw/zgxwx/index_en.htm

Hong Xu’s Good-will Visit to Chinese Partner Libraries in Macau, Hong Kong, and Mainland China

From September 1st to October 17, Dr. Hong Xu, Head of the East Asian Library, visited China with Dr. Rush Miller, University Librarian and Director of the University Library System, Michael Debrishus, Assistant Director of the University Library System, and Sherrie Schmidt, Dean of University Libraries at Arizona State University.

Their first stop was Hong Kong where they visited libraries at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. They then traveled to Macau where Dr. Rush Miller delivered a keynote speech at the Forum on "Library Collaboration in the Web 2.0 Age - an International and Regional Perspective".  In Macau, Dr. Hong Xu met and exchanged ideas with library directors from mainland China and Taiwan. 

In Mainland China they visited Zhongshan University (also called Sun Yat-Sen University), Wuhan University, Shanghai Jiaotong University, the Life Science Library of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Shanghai), National Science Library, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing University, and Qinghua University. They were delighted to meet all former visiting librarians / scholars and hear about their achievements by applying what they learnt from the ULS-China Librarians Training and Exchange Program.

After Beijing, they visited Shanxi Normal University in Xi’an where Dr. Miller and Dr. Xu signed a document delivery agreement with Shanxi Normal University Library. The next stop was a visit to Sichuan University Library, and schools in the earthquake affected areas, and donated a total of more than 2,000 volumes of English materials to Juyuan Middle School, Beichuan High School, Mianyang Teachers’ College, and Sichuan University Library. Click here to see related photos and reports.

Dr. Hong Xu also visited Wuyi College, Chongqing University, and Xiamen University, where she gave a series talks on library research methodology, collection development and services in the digital environment. 

Dr. Hong Xu (middle) with Dr.Paul Poona (left), Director of the University of Macau Library, and  Dr. GE Jianxiong (right), Director of Fudan University.

Rebuilding School Libraries after the Sichuan Earthquake--Newest Update

On September 22nd and 23rd, 2008, a delegation headed by Dr. Rush Miller, University Librarian and Director of the University Library System, Mr. Michael Debrishus, Assistant Director of the University Library System, Sherrie Schmidt, Dean of University Libraries at Arizona State University, and Dr. Hong Xu, Director of East Asian Library at University of Pittsburgh, visited schools and colleges in the earthquake affected areas.

438 volumes of English books donated by people in Pittsburgh area were presented to Beichuan Middle School (北川中学)，and 341 volumes of English books were presented to Juyuan High School (聚源中学)，two worst-hit schools in the Dujiangyan (都江堰) area during the Sichuan earthquake in May 2008. In addition, 672 volumes of donated materials were presented to Mianyang Normal University Library (绵阳师范学院).

As a token of appreciation for the friendly cooperation and partnership between the University of Pittsburgh Library System and the Sichuan University Library, the delegation visited and met Dr. Shi Jian, Vice President of Sichuan University, China. During the meet, Dr. Miller presented a donation of 681 books in humanities and social sciences published by the University of Pittsburgh Press.

The delegation meet with Mr. Shi Jian, Vice President of Sichuan University	Presentation Ceremony at Mianyang Normal University
Presentation ceremony at Juyuan High School	Presentation ceremony at Beichuan Middle School

For more news coverage and pictures, please click the following links:

Sichuan University

Mianyang Normal University

Update on Rebuilding School Libraries after the Sichuan Earthquake

From June 1 to June 30, the University Library System launched a call for donation of English materials for grades 7-12 students in the Sichuan Earthquake affected area. More than 1,700 volumes of books have been received from various sources. A sincere thank-you is here for all of you who kindly donated your materials for this effort.

Depend on the subject, age, and physical conditions, the donated materials will be shipped to Sichuan University Libraries, then distributed to one worst-hit middle school, high school, and college.

On June 20th, Dr. Hong Xu, Head of the East Asian Library, visited the earthquake area and talked with student survivors in person.

PROJECTS

Modern China Studies Digital Project

We are very pleased to announce the release of the Modern China Studies website which provides access to 36 titles (37 volumes) about Modern China published in the first half of the twentieth century.

During the past year, the Digital Research Library (DRL), the East Asian Library, and Preservation Department of the University Library System (ULS) have worked closely to digitize selected monographs from the Chinese collection as part of an NEH grant awarded to the ULS. The grant called for the microfilming of 3,000 acidic texts as well as the digitization of several dozen texts that formed a pilot project.

We selected the pre-1955 texts that document aspects of the Modern China period. The books are divided into two main categories (Primary Sources and Reference Tools), then subdivided by subject or type. Subjects within the primary sources consist of history, law, literature, political science and social science. The reference tools contain bibliographies, chronologies, directories, handbooks, statistics, and yearbooks. A browse page provides primary access to the digital texts.

We welcome any comments and feedback from you.

SERVICE UPDATES

Scripta Sinica Database Became Available

Scripta Sinica (漢籍全文資料庫) is a full-text database containing about 460 Chinese pre-modern works essential to research in traditional Sinology. The Scripta Sinica database is developed by the Institute of History and Philology, Academia Sinica, in Taipei, Taiwan. It contains almost all of the important Chinese classics, especially those related to Chinese history. Major works include 二十五史, 明實錄, 清實錄, 大清會典事例, all titles in 十通, 大正新脩大藏經, 全上古三代秦漢三國六朝文, 全唐文, etc. New contents are being added regularly.

The database follows the traditional Sibu 四部 classification system, which divides all books into four major categories (jing 經 classics, shi 史 history , zi 子 philosophers, and ji 集 anthologies) . In addition, digitized texts of selected congshu 叢書( large sets) are also included.

To access the database, please either type in “scripta sinica” in PITTCat Plus, or go to the database directly: http://hanchi.ihp.sinica.edu.tw/ihp/hanji.htm . For off-campus access, please follow “connecting from off campus” procedures as detailed in http://www.library.pitt.edu/services/remote.html

New Partner Libraries in China for Document Delivery

In September 2008, Shanxi Normal University (SNU, 陕西师范大学), and Xiamen University Library （XMU，厦门大学） join in the partnership between the University Library System, University of Pittsburgh, and academic and research libraries in China, for global document delivery, and gift and exchange programs

Founded in 1944, Shanxi Normal University (SNU) is one of the 6 normal universities directly affiliated to the State Educational Ministry. The Library is the document and information centre of the university. It has the largest collection among all institutions of higher learning in Northwest China. Its collection amounts to 2 million volumes with a total floor space of 13,700 square meters. The library also runs a master degree program in ancient Chinese bibliography. For more information on the library, please visit its web site at http://www.lib.snnu.edu.cn/

Founded in 1921 by Tan Kah Kee （陈嘉庚）, the well-known patriotic overseas Chinese leader，Xiamen University  is a comprehensive key national university designated for the state key construction of the “211 Project” and the “985 Project”.  The Library of Xiamen University has a holding of over 3 million volumes of print resources, and 1 million volumes of electronic resources, with a distinctive strength in collecting resources for studies and research on Taiwan, and Southeast Asian countries. For more information on the library, please visit its web site at http://210.34.4.20/cn/index.asp

New Chinese and Japanese Subject Guides Available

The following subject guides have been recently added to the EAL website. Please refer to the Guides page for details:

• Siku Series in the East Asian Library ( EAL ) (舘藏四庫系列)
• Ready Reference For Digital Resources Of Art History
• Ready Reference For Japanese Language Study
• Ready Reference For Statistics And Yearbooks

New Chinese E-book Databases Available: Chinamaxx Digital Library, and Apabi Digital Library

April 2008

The East Asian Library has purchased about 2,000 volumes of Chinese e-books from SuperStar Digital Library (also known as Chinamaxx), and 500 volumes of Chinese e-books from Apabi Digital Library. These e-books cover various subject areas, especially material from government archives, manuscripts, statistical and other reference works that complement our print collection. More titles will be added on an on-going basis.

Online reading of full text of all the purchased volumes is available through www.chinamaxx.net (for Chinamaxx e-books), and http://upitt.lib.apabi.com/List.asp?lang=gb (for Apabi e-books). The database offers various search and browse options. For off-campus access and tips on using the databases please refer to the quick starting Guide to Chinamaxx Digtial Library, and the Guide to Apabi Digital Library.

 New Chinese Document Delivery Partner Library in Taiwan

In March 2008, the National Taiwan University joins in the partnership between the University Library System, University of Pittsburgh, and academic and research libraries in China, for global document delivery, and gift and exchange programs.

Being the first integrated and most prestigious institution of higher education in Taiwan area, National Taiwan University has taken up the responsibility of promoting the level of academic research study and teaching in Taiwan, and has from the very start put emphasis on scholarly research in basic theory and on free atmosphere of academic thought ....For more information about the National Taiwan University and the library, please visit their website: http://www.ntu.edu.tw/english/about/history.html

New Chinese Document Delivery Partner Library in Macau, China

In November 2007, University of Macau Library joins in the partnership between the University Library System, University of Pittsburgh, and academic and research libraries in China, for global document delivery, and gift and exchange programs.

The partnership was reported on Macau Daily, the local Chinese newspaper.

Constructed in 1999, the University of Macau Library is one of the most wired and technology advanced library structures in Macau today. It has a working space area of 15,000 square meters in five stories. In order to give adequate resources support to the University expanding curricula, changing pedagogy stimulated by an emerging mobile computing environment, and intensified research activities, the Library exerts its efforts in keeping pace with these breath-taking development and challenges  …For more information, please the library website: http://library.umac.mo/lib.html

China Data Online Available

China Data Online is provided by the China Data Center at the University of Michigan. This resource provides statistical data on China: national, regional, and local; economic, social, and historical. Census data is included. You may access the database through Database A-Z at the library's home .

You may access the database through Database A-Z at the library's home page. Off-campus users please first login to the SSL VPN Service: https://sslvpn.pitt.edu/. As always, if you have any problems accessing this resource, please report via the online feedback mechanism using the "Contact Us" button available on any page of the ULS web site.

PITTCat Upgraded with Unicode Enhancement

PITTCat, the online catalog of the University Library System has recently been upgraded with Unicode enhancement. It is now capable of displaying bibliographic information in the original Chinese, Japanese, or Korean characters. In addition, users now can search PITTCat for Chinese, Japanese, or Korean materials using the original characters as the search terms. This is an important feature that is particularly useful for patrons looking for East Asian materials. Searching guides are available for users to effectively search PITTCat for East Asian materials. Please refer to the Searching Guides for more information.

Service Guideline Update on Chinese East Asian Gateway Service

Effective immediately, the Chinese East Asian Gateway Service will provide document delivery service to individual researchers or non-profit institutions / organizations only. If you need an academic jouranl article for reserch or teaching, but the needed item is not held by any libraries in the United States, you or your Interlibrary Loan staff on your behalf may submit the request to the East Asian Gateway Service by filling out the request form. We will try to obtain it for you from our partner libraries in Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.

Korean Document Delivery Service (KDDS)

We are pleased to offer Korean Document Delivery Service at the East Asian Gateway Service, East Asian Library, University of Pittsburgh. The KDDS at Pitt is focused on Korean academic publications not held by or available from libraries in the United States. We will provide this service in collaboration with KAIST (Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology), one of prestigious IT schools, in Asia. It operates strictly under the copyright laws of the United States and Korea. Any Pitt faculty/students who need full-text Korean academic journal article(s) for their research/teaching may request documents via the Web.

Click to visit the EAL East Asian Gateway Service.

Bibliography of Pre-war Books in Mitsui Collection is Available for Online Access

The University Library is pleased to announce that the Mitsui Collection is open for circulation. More modes of access to the collection have been added, such as by card catalogue, online bibliography of pre-war books, and on-site browsing. Click here for details.

STAFF NEWS

East Asian Library Welcomes New Visiting Librarian from China

The East Asian Library welcomes the following new visiting scholars:

Ms. Bingmei YAN, a cataloging librarian at Inner Mongolia University Library. She will stay with us for one year until August 2010. Her office is 207 B Hillman Library. She can be reached by phone at 412-648-7716 or by email at bingmei@pitt.edu.

Mr. Feng Wang, a digital services librarian from Wuhan Branch of National Science Library at the Chinese Academy of Sciences.  Mr. Wang is interested in information retrieval, semantic web, and digital preservation.  He will be with us for six months, until November 2009.   His office is 207F  Hillman Library.  He  can be reached by email at wangfeng@pitt.edu or phone at 648- 7048 .

Hong Xu's Visit to Academic Libraries in Hainnan Province, China

On June 10th, 2008, invited by the Hainan AcademicLibrary and Information Committee, Dr. Hong Xu visited Hainan University Library, and Hainan Normal University Library. She made a speech entitled “Academic Libraries in the 21st Century –Responses from the University Library System of the University of Pittsburgh”, followed by an interesting discussion with academic library colleagues from different parts of Hainan. Please click here for photo and a brief Chinese report.

Two Recent Publications by Hong Xu

Hong Xu , Head of the East Asian Library, recently contribute two book chapters. Congratulations!

• Xu, H. & Hu, X. (2007).  Chapter 10: Research Methods in Library and Information Science. In: H. Chu & Y. Zhang. (Eds.). Research Fronts in Library and Information Science in the West. Beijing: Renmin University Press. (Series on Research Fronts in the Humanities and Social Sciences in the West). (In Chinese)

• He, D. & Xu, H. (2007). Chapter 8: User Studies. In H. Chu & Y. Zhang. (Eds.). Research Fronts in Library and Information Science in the West. Beijing: Renmin University Press. (Series on Research Fronts in the Humanities and Social Sciences in the West). (In Chinese)

Two Recent Articles by Hiroyuki Good

Hiroyuki Good, the Japanese bibliographer at the East Asian Library, recently published two articles. Congratulations!

• "Webu no yuzabiriti chosha jirei - Pittsubagu daigaku = Usability survey of library webcat-A case study of the University of Pittsburgh" , Tokushu: Riyosha chosaJoho no kagaku to gijutsu, Vol. 58 (2008), No.6

Summary in Japanese http://www.infosta.or.jp/journal/200806j.html#4

Sumarry in English http://www.infosta.or.jp/journal/200806e.html#3

• "Beikoku ni okeru Nihon kenkyu no genjo: Pittsubagu daigaku no genba kara = Current status of Japanese studies in the U.S.: at the University of Pittsburgh" , Kokuritsu Kokkai Toshokan Geppo , No.566 (2008/5)  pp. 14～18   http://www.ndl.go.jp/jp/publication/geppo/pdf/geppo0805.pdf

Two Recent Books by Haihui Zhang

Haihui Zhang, the Chinese Studies Bibliographer at the East Asian Library, recently published two books. Congratulations!

• Haihui Zhang, Yi tian you yi tian : liu qi shi nian dai Beijing ren sheng huo su miao ( 一天又一天 : 六七十年代北京人生活素描 ), Beijing : Zhongguo wen shi chu ban she, 2007.

• Haihui Zhang, An annotated international bibliography of bibliographies on studies of China’s ethnic minorities in the 20th century , Beijing : Shang wu yin shu guan, 2006.

Rebbeca Chenrong Bao Assumes Her New Position

On August 18 2008, Rebecca Chenrong Bao joined the East Asian Library as an acquisition specialist. Rebecca previously worked for Multilanguage Communication Company as interpreter, she also teaches Chinese language and culture classes in Pittsburgh Chinese School. Rebecca can be reached at rebeccab@pitt.edu or phone (412)648-8189.

Nan Yang Assumes Her New Position

Starting July 1, 2008,  Nan Yang assumed her new position as an Acquisition Coordinator at the EAL. Nan has been with the EAL  for over three and a half years. She can be reached at nay4@pitt.edu or 8-8188.

Kung-Chien Yang's Retirement

After almost 23 years' dedicated service at the East Asian Library, K.C. Yang finished her last working day on June 30, and begins enjoying her retired life starting July 1, 2008. K.C started her work at the EAL in 1985 as an acquisition specialist, and in 1998 she became the Acquisition Coordinator, overseeing the ordering, receiving, and invoicing of all EAL materials. A warm retirement party was held on Thursday, June  26th 12-1pm to wish K.C a happy retirement.

Dr. Hong Xu presented a very special gift to K.C—a framed picture of K.C with all EAL colleagues.

Click here for Archived News of East Asian Library.