CEAL at the Dawn of the 21st Century

Transcription

1 Journal of East Asian Libraries Volume 2000 Number 121 Article CEAL at the Dawn of the 21st Century Eugene Wu Follow this and additional works at: BYU ScholarsArchive Citation Wu, Eugene (2000) "CEAL at the Dawn of the 21st Century," Journal of East Asian Libraries: Vol : No. 121, Article 3. Available at: This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the All Journals at BYU ScholarsArchive. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal of East Asian Libraries by an authorized editor of BYU ScholarsArchive. For more information, please contact scholarsarchive@byu.edu, ellen_amatangelo@byu.edu.

2 CEAL DAWN 21st CENTURY eugene wu good afternoon ladies gentlemen good back CEAL meetings I1 am honored speaking here today topic bill mccloy assigned me CEAL dawn 21st century I1 thought useful us look back milestones history CEAL find our roots speak remind us legacies left us our pioneering colleagues I1 like share you my thoughts technology future east asian libraries beginning CEAL doesnt really long history trace origin back 1948 group concerned scholars librarians interested east asian libraries got together american library association meeting atlantic city june year discuss problems mutual concern although informal meeting effort evolved made time ushered organizational movement eventually CEAL I1 written elsewhere development east asian studies united states basically post world war II 11 phenomenon although few universities offered 11 full courses east asia then referred far east before world war II fledged study east asia disciplines humanities social sciences did develop until end second world war war pacific transformation japan democracy communist revolution china korean war contributed heightening american awareness importance east asia changing world need better understanding histories civilizations universities generous foundation government support responded expanding teaching research programs east asia today 50 years east asian studies united states probably largest comprehensive western world concomitant development academic enterprise building library resources although several american libraries begun collecting east asian languages long before world war nh library congress began early 1869 yale started 1878 harvard 1879 UC berkeley 1896 comell cornell 1918 columbia 1920 princeton 1926 chicago 1936 experienced greatest growth 1945 number todays major collections those michigan hoover UCLA came being late 1940s others illinois indiana wisconsin 1960s address given march during plenary session annual meeting council east asian libraries san diego california

3 werent many east asian collections existence end war 1945 number common problems already become apparent few short years later reason 1948 atlantic city meeting east asian libraries felt need cooperative solutions help manage problems acquisitions cataloging training personnel result meeting forming informal committee named national committee oriental collections US abroad instructive note problems discussed acquisitions cataloging training personnel still among our main concerns today albeit different context 50 years ago likelihood continue discussing them many years come reminds us once again basic mission library collecting provision service never changes way go carrying mission informal committee replaced year later 1949 joint committee oriental collections sponsored far eastern association predecessor association asian studies american library association act recognition part both scholarly library communities neither adequately equipped time administer develop special collections east asian languages something done first time history american libraries official body joining forces between academic library communities established specific purpose dealing developmental problems east asian collections united states significance attached new joint committee seen membership six members three each appointed far eastern association american library association representing former arthur H hummel chief orientalia division library congress osamu shimizu head japanese section orientalia division elizabeth huff head east asiatic library UC berkeley representing latter wamer warner G rice director university michigan library charles H brown director library iowa state college robert B downs director university illinois blinois library UIs library school howard linton curator east asian library columbia university belonged both associations became executive secretary auspicious beginning principal accomplishment joint committee three year existence agreement library congress reproduce purchase unedited chinese japanese catalog cards sent cooperating libraries under LCs oriental card reproduction project cooperative cataloging sure mechanism catalog card exchange did exist before going through series metamorphoses joint committee became 1954 special comi committee nittee cittee cataloging oriental materials american library association name later changed special committee cataloging far eastern materials 2

4 developing national cataloging standards asyan materials east asian aslan īan new special committee cataloging far eastern materials chaired G raymond nunn head asia library university michigan later become chair committee american library resources far east association asian studies CEALs immediate predecessor special committee occupies very special place history CEAL under LCs leadership set national standards cataloging east asian materials established first time result four yearslaborious work special committee oriental processing committee opo OPQ OPC interdepartmental committee LC concerned variety issues involving processing oriental language materials two committees worked tirelessly together amend twin american standards cataloging ALA cataloging rulesfor jor author title entries rulesfor jor descriptive cataloging library congress effectively applied east asian materials our newer colleagues profession may realize cataloging east asian libraries always way today old days computers national standards cataloging chinese japanese korean materials every library own using own format following own rules although many opted harvard yenching benching scheme classification work library used subject headings maintained classified catalog little authority work even disagreement whether main entry should author title what two committees accomplished under those circumstances very significant milestone development east asian libraries north america indeed epoch making chinese saying people before us planted trees now enjoy shade always indebted these two committees lasting contributions our profession connection should remember particular leadership provided work two committees G raymond nunn lucile morsch C sumner spalding charles H hamilton ray nunn indefatigable workhorse guided work special committee spirit lucile morsch C sumner spalding successive chairs OPC capacity chief LCs descriptive cataloging division incisive always willing meet us halfway charles hamilton chief cataloger east asiatic library UC berkeley rare ability discern linkages among seemingly disparate rules potential impact cataloging east asian materials arguments often revealed our ignorance subtlety intent rules safely said without participation work amending rules much difficult adoption amended rules national standards did mean however end libraries cataloging problems new challenge implementation east asian librariescataloging great expectation everyones dream shared cataloging might come true toward end LC established 1958 special far eastern section processing department under direction warren tsuneishi later become 3

5 chief orientalia division first director area studies department LC purpose new section initiate cooperative cataloging program east asian publications patterned what LC doing decades publications languages unfortunately program really did get off ground expected soon terminated main reason lack sufficient manpower LC meet editing demand required bringing cataloging copies participating libraries very strict LC standard demise short lived program notwithstanding drive toward sort shared cataloging did lose momentum altogether survived part different form LC established japan office under NPAC program national program acquisitions cataloging purpose NPAC insure both adequate coverage current publications speedy availability bibliographical records them NPAC japan office under direction andrew kuroda head japanese section LCs orientalia division did just number years good useful program unfortunately dismantled budgetary reasons establishment NPAC japan office discussion establishing similar program chinese language materials perhaps hong kong began both within without library congress early 1970s diplomatic relations between washington beijing impossible even think setting NPAC center china mainland time however discussion never got anywhere since libraries those days looked LC get things done east asian libraries thought best continue engage LC effort find better solution help them problems chinese acquisitions cataloging purpose harvard yenching benching library invited twelve large east asian libraries library congress series meetings chinese cooperative cataloging beginning new york 1972 followed second meeting chicago 1973 third boston 1974 ad hoc committee chinese cooperative cataloging set first meeting charge investigating feasibility cooperative chinese cataloging subsequent deliberations centered several issues slowness LCs distribution printed chinese catalog cards exclusion national union catalog published LC records east asian language duplication efforts among east asian libraries consequence response LC proposed compilation new LC publication called chinese cooperative catalog incorporating cards submitted cooperating libraries misgivings LC proposal main concern east asian cards being permanently left national union catalog once chinese cooperative catalog published whole matter turned CEAL time appointed subcommittee national union catalog ad hoc committee dissolved CEAL subcommittee continued discussion LC proposal unfortunately sufficient support 4

6 proposal dropped east asian libraries wait decade until mid 1980s before truly national international shared cataloging program place thanks technology brought us online cataloging services RLG OCLC issues collection development same time many universities introduced teaching research programs east asia post world war nr years new east asian collections came established these institutions collection development needs somewhat different those older libraries newer ones start ground while older ones having already established core collection basic texts essential east asian library advantage being able concentrate current publications building new east asian collection where none presented daunting challenge even adequate financial support case 1960s problem simply werent many sources supply older publications needed new collections particularly chinese what newly established collections interested neither procurement current chinese publications easy task volume publications peoples republic china time limited chinese government did allow direct purchases foreign libraries every book acquired hong kong japan number new publications taiwan small publishers did aggressively engage export number them busily engaged reprinting block print editions centuries ago exactly what needed here these reprints mostly satisfy taiwans taiwana Taiwans own needs publishers seemed oblivious overseas market AAS committee american library resources far east cea11 CEALs immediate predecessor succeeding ALA special committee cataloging far eastern materials 1958 chaired G raymond nunn submitted 1963 proposal AAS establishment under AAS auspices chinese materials research aids service center taipei benefit american libraries purpose coordinate reprint print titles needed chinese studies community united states AAS approval initial grants well american council learned societies council library resources taipei center set began operation fall 1964 robert L irick harvard phd chinese history appointed director since then taipei center later became independent reprinted thousands print titles helped filling shelves american libraries foreign libraries collect chinese language publications meanwhile current chinese publications demanded attention particularly those peoples republic china just mentioned american libraries allowed buy directly china 1960s exchange possible 5

7 national beijing library buying indirectly hong kong japan best poor substitute supply limited many titles available chinese government did allow export time AAS setting taipei center just mentioned effort made open additional sources supply contemporary chinese publications especially those chinese mainland joint committee contemporary china JCCC american council learned societies social science research council took lead hopes fast growing teaching research programs contemporary china universities adequately supported toward goal JCCC thought important find how institutions countries dealing problem sources especially contemporary publications see what leam learn them I1 asked conduct survey submit report recommendations survey year making included visits major research library centers chinese studies country abroad discovered survey number libraries soviet union eastern europe lesser extent western europe japan receiving research materials originating PRC variety ways available us these libraries receptive idea sort exchange us report submitted JCCC principal recommendation I1 made establishment national center identify assemble reproduce distribution contemporary chinese publications hard find research materials 20th century china either unavailable available very few american libraries profit enterprise center chinese research materials CCRM launched 1968 under auspices association research libraries ARL washington DC generous ford foundation grant P K yu lecturer history university hong kong owner prestigious long men book company hong kong recruited director additional grants andrew mellon foundation national endowment humanities made possible CCRM become academic publishing going concern very short period time three decades CCRM now independently incorporated still profit organization under directorship pingfeng chi singularly responsible making available libraries worldwide wide great quantity rare hard find research materials toth century china become important support facilities modem contemporary china studies world I1 exaggerating say chinese collections east asian libraries around world poorer today CCRM collecting PRC publications east asian libraries benefited significant timely help provided federal government early 1960s chinese 6

8 local newspapers available subscription purchase foreign libraries government released library congress holdings 1200 papers published before 1960 while great majority them incomplete files many very fragmentary containing few issues significance release cannot overemphasized none publications available elsewhere time now read many local newspapers online free charge release red guard tabloids 1967 state department academic community another case point soon start cultural revolution 1966 normal publishing china supplanted issuing millions copies quotations chairman mao selected works mao zedong zerong vendors hong kong tokyo little else offer reprints number red guard tabloids began appear hong kong became instant best sellers although these publications highly polemical contain great deal information documentation available elsewhere rarity importance these new sources made them must items everyones list overnight libraries around world competed another acquire them pushing already high price charged them even higher joint committee contemporary china JCCC chairman john H lindbeck mentioned earlier again asked help JCCC approached state department request consider sharing collection red guard materials academic community state department responded affirmative invited JCCC send representative washington DC examine materials determine whether release indeed helpful academic community believed I1 undertook mission JCCC examining materials urged immediate release materials thus released formed bulk 20 volume red guard publications issued CCRM 1975 kind government academe relationship I1 believe should encouraged I1 dwelled issues chinese collection development pressing among collection development problems facing east asian libraries 1960s 1970s say problems japanese korean collection development work indeed generally speaking japan case matter availability cost south korea came close japan regard great deal resemblance between north korea china least early years terms difficulties involved acquiring publications them establishment national coordinating committee japanese library resources NCC funded japan US friendship commission japan foundation korean collections consortium north america funded korea foundation represented two important milestones development japanese korean collections american libraries interest time allotted me I1 let my colleagues panel address these developments detail 7

9 technology east asian libraries while general research libraries seriously exploring C 1960s 1970s use technology improve operation east asian libraries still occupied mundane problems cataloging t standards how build astren strengthen 9then collections automation far everyones mind east asian libraries agenda 1975 statement CEAL invited submit ford foundation priorities development funding library programs support east asian studies did make particular reference role emerging technology librariesfault play east asian library development east asian libraries serious work being done east asian character codes country time computers handle east asian languages various needs presented 1975 CEAL statement persuasive same year ford foundation urged american council learned societies ACLS appoint steering committee study problems east asian libraries composed following persons george bechman professor asian studies dean college arts sciences university washington chaliman chariman Ch albert feuerwerker professor history director center chinese studies university michigan herman H fussler fussier martin ryerson distinguished service professor graduate library school university chicago hanna H gray provost yale university warren J haas vice president information services university librarian columbia university william F miller provost vice president stanford university warren tsuneishi chief orientalia division library congress eugene wu librarian harvard yenching benching library harvard university guide work steering committee commissioned series papers number them written CEAL members including karl lo 10 T H tsien weiying wan raymond tang thomas kuo thomas lee richard howard warren tsuneishi myself steering committee made report 1977 east asian libraries problems prospects recommendations bibliographical control collection development access technical personnel matters report attracted significant attention library academic circles following year ACLS joined social science research council SSRC cosponsored joint advisory committee east asian library program order continue work begun steering committee following persons appointed joint advisory committee patricia battin vice president university university librarian columbia

10 charles churchill dean library services washington university hideo kaneko curator east asian collection yale university library F W mote professor east asian studies princeton university robert E ward director center international studies stanford university eugene wu librarian harvard yenching benching library harvard university john W haeger ex officio director ACLS SSRC ARL east asian library program work committee led online cataloging east asian libraries later date report automation cooperation scholarship east asian libraries 1980s joint advisory committee stated decade unprecedented growth along course linked primarily foreign area studies programs rather development research libraries general east asian libraries crossroad lessening federal foundation funding ought embark upon new course sharing work materials access relying iton lion automation principal planning management tool keystone according report capability input manage store transmit display output bibliographic records containing east asian vernacular characters exactly same automated systems already created perform similar functions western language materials general research libraries basic reorientation course development east asian libraries north america advocated report fundamentally change way east asian libraries operated welcomed concerned immediate result joint advisory committees recommendation decision research libraries group RLG introduce 1983 ford foundation support CJK enhancements research libraries information network RLIN RLGs operating arm move made possible first time creation cataloging records library then copied libraries viewed researchers everywhere 1986 online computer library center OCLC established similar CJK bibliographic utility rest course history remembering pioneers reminisce our past important honor pioneers our profession I1 like salute two them particular I1 knew them best kaiming chiu mary clabaugh wright you know dr chiu first librarian harvard yenching benching library served position great distinction thirty eight years dr wright first curator chinese collection hoover institution eleven years I singular honor succeeding both them mary wright 1959 kaiming kaimins kalmins chiu

11 dr chius name long synonymous east asian librarianship united states very first person appointed librarian east asian library american university tenure almost four decades harvard yenching benching library remains day longest among nations east asian librarians legacy lies elsewhere remembered harvard yenching benching Yenching classification scheme first work cataloging chinese japanese korean books western world scheme adopted use major east asian libraries united states several leading east asian collections europe australia until 1970s 1980s remembered putting romanization along vernacular script catalog card something take granted today introducing separate catalogs shelving language dr chiu great mentor number people trained harvard yenching benching Yenching library later achieved prominence amono among n them james K tung became assistant university librarian curator gest library oriental collections princeton fang chaoying tu lien che known impeccable scholarship ming ching history collaborated dr arthur H hummel professor L carrington goodrich respectively compilation eminent chinese ching period dictionary ming biography two publications lasting importance chinese studies tien hung tu became librarian ofyenching benching Yenching university library teng yenlin served reference librarian national library peking chen hungshun taught department library science peking university 1949 course kaiming chius greatest legacy collection built harvard yenching benching Yen library giant respect succeeded building almost nothing greatest libraries east asian research western world unlikely accomplishments ever duplicated words trustees harvard yenching benching institute paid him tribute upon retirement scholar exemplifies best traditions accomplishments both east west prof mary C wright another legendary library builder trained historian harvard husband arthur wright peking pearl harbor came subsequently interned japanese wei hsien shantung duration war war ended accepted offer hoover institution stanford university collect materials chinese collection being planned hoover since hoovers main interest still modem contemporary affairs under rubric war peace revolution mary wright asked focus acquisitions work accordingly did entrepreneurial energy skill resourcefulness imagination traveled major cities china sought advice eminent scholars bibliographers badgered government agencies publications negotiated exchange agreements major libraries universities painstaking efforts gathered tons materials including large number journals newspapers ephemeral materials essential social 10

12 science research time systematically collected libraries mary wright did confine herself ordinary channels collecting activities 1947 having wangled seat US military transport flew yenan benan base chinese communist party where succeeded obtaining large group chinese communist publications issued communist controlled areas these publications even available elsewhere china time almost complete set chieh jangjih pang fang jih pao liberation daily official organ chinese communist party acquired excursion remains day original copy western world following return united states late 1947 managed acquire harold issacs collection group underground chinese communist publications late 1920s early 1930s collected issacs shanghai 1930s editor china forum soon afterwards reached agreement nym wales helen snow sale hoover nym wales collection containing chinese communist related publications documents mid late 1930s collected edgar snow nym wales visited northwest china harold issacs nym wales collections together provided basis much subsequent research early history chinese communist movement scholars around world task theretofore impossible lack documentation scholar library builder mary wright left us lifetime work rich insight inspiration pioneer east asian librarianship provided vision ingenuity collection building efforts supplied necessary perspective scholar active library user what research library should like how should function then went creating library future often said fools make predictions I1 am going make here today where east asian libraries another ten twenty fifty years I1 do want say few words technology east asian libraries enter new millennium high technology done wonders made possible libraries do things hardly imaginable ten twenty years ago libraries now manage much efficiently serve users much effectively much now available our fingertips look university library catalog view museum collection china japan korea anyplace else access full text databases read journals newspapers online order copies tens thousands perhaps hundreds thousands specialized web sites provide information types list goes high technology ff undoubtedly continue develop even higher level accomplishment libraries library users benefit unprecedented incredible contribution high technology made libraries scholarship notwithstanding must forget technology means achieve end I11I1

13 end itself while continue seek new technology service scholarship must continue our efforts building collections past final analysis what scholarship demands libraries substance information substance come what libraries able collect words great american naturalist henry david thoreau made walden pond famous cannot afford improved means unimproved end serve us well librarians remember these words proceed digital libraries apply technology our work 12