The Development Of The Chinese Collection In The Library Of Congress

This is the first comprehensive and in-depth study of the Chinese collection in the Library of Congress, the largest collection of its kind in the Western world. Started in 1869 with some 950 books received in the first exhange of publications between the United States and China, the collection has grown so steadily that in 1977 it numbered more than 430,000 volumes, including 2,000 rare Chinese items, some of which were printed in A.D. 975. In this primarily historical study, Professor Hu examines the social, cultural, and political forces that led to the development and growth of the collection, the acquisitions policies followed, and the sources of personal and financial support found within and outside the Library of Congress. He also explores the methods by which the library has built up several strong areas in the collection, particularly those of Chinese gazetteers, or local histories; ts’ung-shu, or collections of reprints; and rare works.

In this collection of essays written by the former head of the Library of Congress Chinese Collection, Chi Wang chronicles the modest beginnings of the Chinese Collection at the Library of Congress and his crusade to transform it into the largest collection and Chinese cultural presence outside Asia. For anyone who has ever wondered what goes on inside the marble walls of one of the country’s oldest federal institutions, Wang relates an insider’s account of the major milestones and changes to the administration of the Collection over the years. Readers will be surprised not only to learn about some of the rare and priceless books that have found their way to the Library of Congress but also by the candor with which Wang shares his story about serving under three different Librarians of Congress, each with a different mandate and mark they wanted to leave behind. Building a Better Chinese Collection for the Library of Congress has value as American library history but also serves as a useful introduction to Chinese historical archives and libraries. Select writings discuss publication and personnel exchanges with Chinese academic libraries, Chinese character encoding and library automation, and publishing activities in China.

International librarianship: cooperation and collaboration (Scarecrow, 2001), by Frances Carroll and John Harvey, $115 cloth, 384 pages. LTD sales: 391 ($20,902 net)International and comparative studies in information and library science: a focus on the United States and Asian countries (Scarecrow, 2008), by Yan Quan Liu and Xiaojun Cheng, $80 paper, 396 pages. LTD sales: 156 ($7,414 net)International librarianship: a basic guide to global knowledge access (Scarecrow, 2007), by Robert Stueart, $55 paper, 260 pages. LTD sales: 400 ($13,293 net)George W. Bush and China: Policies, problems, and partnership. Wang, Chi. (Lexington, 2009). $45, cloth, 156 pages. LTD sales: 232 ($7,313 net)

From a review of the first edition: "For those of us whose minds unhinge at the sheer immensity of the Library of Congress, with its maze of corridors, multilayered stacks and circuitous subterranean passages, this study will prevent many a false step."—Smithsonian Since the first edition of this book appeared in 1972, there have been many changes in the Library, including a massive reorganization begun in 1977 under the leadership of Daniel J. Boorstin, the present Librarian of Congress. This completely revised and updated look at the Library brings the story up to date, discussing the Library's history, how it works, how the user can take advantage of its many services, where it is going, and how it meets the wide-ranging needs of Congress, other federal government offices, and the library, scholarly, and creative worlds. The authors emphasize the recent impact of technology on what is the largest information-storage and retrieval "machine" in the world. Lively writing and accessible language make this book an ideal introduction to the Library of Congress for the visitor, the first-time user, or the general reader, but it is also a must for every library and librarian, as well as an excellent textbook for library administration courses. The information it contains will make it of great interest even to the most experienced users of the Library.

Baimiao, shuanggou, gongbi, xieyi, and mogu. These words define unique Chinese painting techniques or methods, each of which is seized by the artists whose work is shown in the exhibition, "Brilliant Strokes: Chinese Paintings from the Mactaggart Art Collection," at the University of Alberta Museums in 2008. These paintings span a period of five hundred years, from the fifteenth century to the twentieth century. Brilliant Strokes, the book, is a stunning accompaniment to the exhibition: art enthusiasts and readers intrigued by Asian art are invited to tour its luminous pages.

This volume serves as a guide to all facets of China study: from advice on choosing an appropriate literary dictionary to finding the most recent yearbooks that offer statistical data about the contemporary economy. China Bibliography does not restrict itself to one particular 'discipline', but considers the development of Chinese civilization as a whole, from its imperial beginnings to the present, and therefore demonstrates how one would find information about Chinese history, literature, religion, linguistics, collectanea, as well as present day PRC economic and political policies. Because this book also explains how bibliographical data on China has accumulated over the last 300 years (including within China itself), it also may help the reader understand the significance of a particular type of reference work.