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The Changing Role of the Chinese Studies Librarian. Karen T. Wei University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Presented at the CALA Midwest Chapter Annual Meeting held at UIUC May 1, 2004. Chinese Studies Librarian. Subject Language Support Chinese studies program – teaching and research
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The Changing Role of the Chinese Studies Librarian Karen T. Wei University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Presented at the CALA Midwest Chapter Annual Meeting held at UIUC May 1, 2004
Chinese Studies Librarian • Subject • Language • Support Chinese studies program – teaching and research • Serve the local community - outreach • Serve the Chinese American community
Development of the Chinese Collection in North America • Library of Congress, 1869 • Yale, 1878 • Harvard, 1879 • Berkeley, 1896 • Cornell, 1918 • Columbia, 1920 • Princeton, 1926 • Chicago, 1930
Chinese Collection (cont.) 1940s: Hoover, Michigan, UCLA, Washington 1960s: UIUC, Indiana, Kansas, Wisconsin Present time: 80+ CEAL statistics, latest, 54 (source: JEAL, Feb. 2004)
Contributing Factors • World War II • China – Communist revolution • Japan – Pearl Harbor attack – Japanese defeat – Transformation into a democracy • Korea – Korean War • Increase in Asian Population
Current Status of theChinese Collections • Based on 54 reporting libraries as of 6/03 • CJK total – 15.3 million volumes • Chinese – 8.4 million volumes • Annual increase – 180,000+ • Serial subscription – 25,000 • Microform – 350,000 • CJK acquisitions budget – $13 million • Personnel
What’s Happening in the Field of China Studies • From humanities to social sciences and beyond • From classical studies to contemporary studies • From subject discipline to interdisciplinary studies • From total reliance on printed materials to electronic resources
Transformation in the Library That Supports the Chinese Studies • Cataloging – from card catalog to automation • Acquisitions – from manual to electronic ordering • OPAC – from romanization only to display of Chinese scripts • Reference – from onsite to remote to electronic • ILL – from manual to information gateway • From Wade-Giles to Pinyin, 2000-
Changing Landscape in Chinese Publishing • Increased publication • Large sets/reprints publication • Increased publications at local level • Government publications - statistics • Electronic publishing and delivery
Changing Landscape in Chinese Publishing (cont.) Electronic publishing and delivery - floppy disk - CD-ROM product - Web-based resource - Full-text database - e-books, e-journals, e-references - Digitization projects - Online interactive projects
Roles of the Chinese Studies Librarian • Information provider/creator • Information evaluator/manager • Instructor • Researcher • Communicator • Negotiator • Translator • Proactive role • Technology orientation
Becoming a Chinese Studies Librarian • MLS • Second Master’s in China studies or advanced degree • Language proficiency • Subject expertise • Knowledge of publishing industry and book trade • Knowledge of AACR2, LCSH, LC classification, OCLC CJK or RLIN CJK • Communication skill in English • Interpersonal skill/supervisory experience • Computer literacy, information literacy • Ability to work in a multicultural environment