Accessing Resources for Chinese Studies in the Electronic Age

Journal of East Asian Libraries Volume 1998 Number 114 Article 4 2-1-1998 Accessing Resources for Chinese Studies in the Electronic Age Zhijia Shen Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/jeal BYU ScholarsArchive Citation Shen, Zhijia (1998) "Accessing Resources for Chinese Studies in the Electronic Age," Journal of East Asian Libraries: Vol. 1998 : No. 114, Article 4. Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/jeal/vol1998/iss114/4 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.

ACCESSING RESOURCES CHINESE STUDIES electronic AGE zhijia shen university colorado boulder introduction advances computer technology recent years revolutionized way information stored disseminated electronic information resources many academic fields especially chinese studies mushroomed presented both opportunity challenge sinological librarians researchers digitization greatly shrunk space needed information storage distance longer important factor information delivery digital collections beginning replace print collections traditional type example texts ancient inscriptions oracle bones now stored audio video CD- ROMs past five years internet world wide web created digital extension academic research libraries various materials use chinese language processing devices valuable collections texts images sounds now increasingly available internet actively providing access growing electronic information resources various media existing beyond walls individual libraries become essential sinological librarians serve needs research community paper addresses two aspects electronic resources chinese studies first developments field second what libraries do provide access these increasingly rich electronic resources development electronic information resources chinese studies process library automation chinese language materials united states traced back september 1983 library congress started input machine readable cataloging MARC records vernacular script research library information network RLIN database evidenced beginning electronic resource sharing east asian collections united states following decade numerous east asian collections joined RLIN later online computer library center OCLC shared cataloging thus chinese language processing capacity provided RLIN OCLC bibliographic paper shortened version paper prepared general audience presented panel stretching library walls east asian collections electronic age during meeting western conference association asian studies boulder colorado october 25 1997 research inspired recent studies chinese electronic resources published journal east asian libraries 15

utilities library materials cataloged retrieved electronically vernacular languages scripts services developed RLIN RUN OCLC databases OCLCs first search expanded shared cataloging document delivery public service functions 1996 pilot project completed extended OCLC CJK vernacular searching public end users RLIN RUN OCLC expanded national bibliographic utilities become electronic information giants providing access monographs journal articles well full text databases document delivery electronic archiving services past decade these bibliographic utilities become international memberships across world OCLC 1996 946 member institutions asian pacific region thousands cataloging records libraries asian pacific area regularly entered OCLC database every year processes similar those occurred united states taking place china asian pacific area led academic research libraries libraries china quickly taken initiatives digitize library catalogs near end 1980s national library china NLC completed project developed chinese MARC CNMARC system 1990 officially published first edition chinese MARC format chinese MARC center established 1991 new technology development company NLC issues chinese MARC records regular basis center publishes catalog current chinese serials among many databases chinese bibliography authorities database contains personal authors family authors group authors conferences geographical names uniform titles series titles subjects authority file ancient chinese authors compiled providing 40000 personal group authors ancient times 1911 CNMARC cnn4arc data now being exported countries 2 integrated library automation systems chinese language capacity adopted many libraries worldwide wide among them system developed innovative interfaces widely used united states many university libraries university washington seattle university california san diego university oregon name just few adopted 111 III ili lii CJK module university colorado east asian library me process implementing module III 111 lil lii CJK libraries becoming active user group east asian collections install system networked integrated library automation systems chinese libraries something unreal few years ago become commonplace china well asian pacific areas shenlian shanlian Shenlian online cataloging project shanghai me jinxintu Jinxintu online cataloging center beijing two largest systems developed china early 1990s using newly adopted national standard china marcfomwt MARC format these systems suitable large academic libraries smaller academic public libraries shenzhen zhenzhen Shenzhen integrated library automation system general integrated library automation system developed joint efforts ofxian jiaotong Jiaotong university zhengzhou Zheng zhou university 2 many leading research libraries china taiwan hong kong adopted US made III 111 ili CJK system catalogs accessed via internet searching catalogs these libraries familiar US users searching own library catalogs home 16

along networked library online catalogs full text digital collections various formats become popular CDROM form electronic media early challenged printed media survey conducted subcommittee chinese materials CD ROM databases council east asian libraries 199495 produced long list CDROM available US researchers 3 two years list grown much longer numerous new products published especially asian pacific countries many large scale projects digitize classical documents carried taiwan hong kong mainland china these resulted numerous full text electronic databases chinese local gazetteers published before 1949 disc thirteen classics commentary twentyfive dynastic histories many titles valuable work done alongside digitizing classics add contemporary commentary annotations texts national library china produced CDROM edition chinese national bibliography 1988 date CDROM edition retrospective chinese national bibliography 19491987 1987 shanghai library published index chinese newspaper periodical literature quanguo Quanguo baokan backan suoyin sueyin CDROM qinghua universitys national research center CDROM products engaged producing monthly updated full fall fuli text database CDROM 3000 academic periodicals published china chinese english languages another project sort CDROM version peoples university reprinted newspaper periodical literature fuyin fudin baokan backan zilian ziliao full text database selected chinese newspaper journal articles 4 internet world wide web opened opportunities transmission sinological research materials worldwide wide china twenty national networks CHINAPAC CHINADDN CERNET connect networks parts world through these networks exchange documents correspondence between cities china US become matter minutes software handle chinese vernacular venacular scripts enable users input display access vernacular venacular information US researchers search online catalogs available cities china via internet using various web browsers taiwan taiwan academic network TAN now provides world wide web access academia sinica national central library variety web servers netted information dissemination situation similar chinese language speaking communities research institutions world accessing increasingly rich electronic resources through balancing place tiace service concepts view fast rising ocean electronic resources chinese studies say nothing academic fields how provide access becomes critical question information specialists must answer people even argue access become crucial libraries should choose access ownership conference canadian library association CLA june 1997 author heather menzies keynote speaker warned library colleagues danger without reinventing libraries now know them relegated minor support role brave new world cyberspace 17

called todays librarians change libraries place service same conference ideas typical digital age challenged paul whitney incoming CLA president inaugural address represented traditional view saw danger mind set created key decision makers library place books key component information cultural exchange redundant supported argument complex ideas best left print 5 world enters twenty first century librarians information specialists constantly confront questions instead choosing between two I1 suggest balance them explosion information formats makes necessary ever libraries cooperate collection development kinds resource sharing library own information needed clientele every library responsibility preserve worlds knowledge sense ownership means access owning sake accessing must actively engage developing both infrastructure electronic resources substance these resources provide users access needed research library place continue exist sometime however sector virtual collections our libraries grow collections chinese language materials even urgent open channels especially those provided internet access worlds research materials given sky rocketing prices chinese printed materials explosion publishing geographical areas where many scholarly works resources produced access through both place service essential balance library both place service must continue own materials libraries do while vigorously seeking access resources others own both ownership access justifiable rewarding necessary libraries electronic age words must something offer ready take must own collection provide site access materials needed ie core collection including electronic formats basic materials subscriptions needed teaching research campus these CDROMs subscriptions online services maintenance updated effective web page among possibilities I1 like stress potential chinese information services world wide web world wide web created potential global information village where collections connected virtual library accessible whole world library collections services chinese studies must take advantage internet become active members global information village world wide web become extremely large pool information grows astounding speed according OCLC report december 1996 world wide web trillion bytes data terabyte february 1997 size doubled two terabytes 6 frequently difficult scholars find effectively pertinent items research many search engines yahoo infoseek Infoseek automatically index every resource web provide descriptions beyond filename may necessarily carry semantic content lack specialized indexing prohibits effective systematic search web thing 18

librarians do help develop mechanisms organize web OCLC attempted solution developing metadata networked images dublin metadata future WorldCat database may contain metadata worlds information 7 Metadata core element set catalog resources web OCLC envisions near worldcat same time provides enormous opportunities internet poses challenges these preservation information pointed phyllis bspies espies BSpies vice president OCLC sales international growing tendency assume networks databases access model replace ownership model libraries access model first glance attractive academic administrators looks like convenient way cut costs shift access model manages maintains knowledge base8 baseg baneg confront challenge OCLC taken initiative creating maintaining electronic archiving creating archival repositories depositories electronic materials credible guarantees longterm access chinese studies librarians what do help researchers use rich resources web besides joining efforts OCLC initiating cooperative projects libraries develop maintain quality bibliographic databases stage least thing do use hyper text markup language HTML develop web based virtual collection chinese studies through virtual collection help researchers navigate web find needed research materials virtual collection common expression web page advantage integrating sound graphics images well capability link various resources chinese studies virtual collection web tailored serve teaching research profiles faculty student population individual campus cathy chius experimental stop research station7 university california santa barbara library illustrates what virtual collection offer 9 developing virtual collection librarians integrate growing global network information our library services use our subject expertise screen web resources pertinent teaching research programs our user community these resources include full text documents newspapers reference tools dictionaries yearbooks library catalogs those libraries asian pacific areas these materials grouped subject research projects course names faculty names course virtual collections do limited chinese studies materials cover materials areas east asian studies chinese studies librarians while entertaining ourselves splendid idea virtual global collection must assume responsibilities developing knowledge base participating preservation electronic resources web based virtual libraries many chinese studies librarians already undertaken constructive projects direction example online center cultural revolution studies recently developed chinese librarians university pittsburgh ohio state university serve information clearinghouse types research cultural 19

revolution projects enable us make significant contributions organizing existing knowledge making available electronically conclusion digital age presents both opportunity challenge chinese studies librarians researchers increasingly rich electronic resources chinese studies waiting us information specialists develop organize preserve access among many electronic opportunities world wide web opened exciting arena chinese information transmission retrieval web central trend library science research play crucial part transforming role our libraries librarians must take initiative explore use web gathering organizing disseminating information our library users NOTES 1 cheng zhen national library china development chinese bibliographical automation china journal east asian libraries 99 june 19932431 199324 3 1 2 zhou yuan catching technology recent developments chinese libraries journal east asian libraries 112 june 19972533 3 peter X P zhou current electronic resources chinese studies overview 199525 34 journal east asian libraries 106 june 19952534 4 thomas H hahn year 1995 questions development automation sinological librarianship journal east asian libraries 108 february 199617 5 library hotline hatline Hotline july 28 1997 xxvi xavi 30 6 OCLC newsletter 228 julyaugust July August 1997 pp ap 7107 7 OCLC newsletter 228 julyaugust July August 1997 pp ap 7107 8 oclcnewsletter OCLC 228 julyaugust July August 1997 pp ap 7107 9 chiu cathy stop research using WWW BI bl journal east asian libraries 1996 120 109 june 1996120 1 20 20