Journal of East Asian Libraries
Volume 2000 Number 122 Article 5
10-1-2000
Chinese Treasure Hunt: A Survey of Chinese Manuscripts and Personal Papers
Lillian Yang
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BYU ScholarsArchive Citation Yang, Lillian (2000) "Chinese Treasure Hunt: A Survey of Chinese Manuscripts and Personal Papers," Journal of East Asian Libraries: Vol. 2000 : No. 122 , Article 5. Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/jeal/vol2000/iss122/5
This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the 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 [email protected], [email protected]. CHINESE TREASURE HUNT SURVEY CHINESE manuscripts PERSONAL PAPERS lillian yang university southern california
PURPOSE STUDY manuscripts personal papers valuable sources researchers purpose study determine what original kind chinese manuscripts chinese personal papers exist east asian libraries collections north america 2 compare general library policies governing use chinese manuscripts personal papers survey conducted november 1999 background wanting find how libraries treat kind chinese manuscripts personal papers I1 designed sent short questionnaire members east asian academic librarians california prior our annual meeting september 1999 day our annual meeting university california riverside september 10199910199911 received responses my survey questionnaire my california colleagues ten different academic institutions survey results impressive example library possession several original letters written dr hu shih well known chinese scholar regarded many father modemmodern chinese poetry these letters placed box left unprocessed years before being noticed current chinese librarian charge another library extensive collection manuscripts personal papers well known modemmodern novelist pai hsien yung yet another personal papers ofkangofgangkang yu weis descendant prof lo10 jung pang including manuscripts kang yuweiyu wei
I1 realized findings my survey california academic libraries many valuable chinese treasures original kind chinese manuscript personal papers hidden different east asian librariescollectionsLibraries Collections throughout united states waiting discovered many opfbopf these treasures unknown researchers scholars librarians
RESEARCH METHOD
I1 decided worthwhile conduct nationwide survey east asian librarians listed east asian libraries listserveListServe eastlibeastlinEastlib I1 very much encouraged positive responses cooperation received my california colleagues same questionnaire designed survey california east asian academic librarians used my nationwide survey questionnaire sent electronically via eastlibeastlin listservListserv november 8 1999 request answers questionnaire returned before november 25 1999 number questionnaire responses fell short my initial expectation I1 followed mailemaile message november 22199922 1999 urging return questionnaires questionnaire
7 responses received electronically several librarians followed electronic responses fax regular mail send exact chinese titles chinese characters chinese manuscripts personal papers chinese word processing capabilities available libraries librarians requested clarification meaning terms chinese manuscript chinese personal papers before submitting replies questionnaire
questionnaire designeddesienedgned simplicity mind contained fifteen short questions beginning respondents name institution ending respondents comments asked each respondent describe briefly important valuable chinese manuscripts personal papers library east asian collection asked libraryslibrarys policy governing use chinese manuscripts personal papers see appendix definitions TERMS chinese manuscriptsmanuscnmanusonptsapts manuscripts means documents written hand documents written author both typewritten hand written forms defined manuscripts here authors formal working draft working papers etc included manuscripts purpose survey manuscripts written either chinese language long author chinese here foi survey term chinese manuscripts refers original kind manuscripts reproduced handwritten books considered kind original manuscripts personal papers files drafts working materials lesson plans letters diaries etc considered personal papers here survey refers original kind personal papers written chinese languages chinese person
archives archives even broader term refers individuals papers business organization papers
SUMMARY questionnaire RESULTS twentyfivetwenty five east asian libraries responded my questionnaire ten indicated chinese manuscripts personal papers collections fifteen libraries responded do chinese manuscripts personal papers closer examination clear chinese manuscripts listed respondents do quite match definition chinese manuscripts original kind documents written hand used survey therefore number libraries actually having original kind chinese manuscripts personal papers may total less fifteen largest east asian libraries large holdings chinese collections did respond survey even repeated queries
none fifteen libraries reported having written policy governing use chinese manuscripts personal papers them except two libraries indicated follow main libraryslibrarys policy governing use manuscripts personal papers fourteen libraries house chinese manuscripts personal papers special collections department
8 main libraries thus follow main libraryslibrarys special collections procedures processing manuscripts personal papers
certain restrictions specific materials libraries allow chinese manuscripts personal papers used own faculty students outside researchers few libraries require prior written oral requests submitted before using materials two east asian libraries collections require use chinese manuscripts chinese personal papers presence library personnel depending condition manuscripts personal papers nature materials libraries allow part materials photocopied machine while libraries do allow materials copied hoover columbia UCLA berkeley few libraries list chinese manuscripts chinese personal papers onlineline catalog websitewebsite none libraries concrete plans digitize chinese manuscripts personal papers now almost them undecided whether digitize chinese manuscripts personal papers future
SAMPLES TREASURES UNCOVERED TBE SURVEY columbia universitys chinese oral history project autobiographies related papers columbia universitys large collection autobiographies related papers include memoirs published book form microformmicroform dr shih hu wellington koo han hun li tingfupingfu tsiang hsian hsi kung kuochenkuo chen wu etc oral history manuscripts include szechwanSzechwan warlordgarlord sen yang documentary collections include tsiang ting fu papers wellington koo papers hsiang hsi kung papers etc manuscript copy secret years chiang kai shek ginny connor autobiographic account chen che ju wife chiang kai shek hoover institutions archives holdings china taiwan hoover large collection materials both english chinese related china taiwan personal papers diaries dr ichiI chi meimelmet papers pingwenping wen mao correspondence ofteoftvTV soong papers related general claire lee chennaultChermault etc few examples items held libraries letters dr hu shih dr lin yutangyu tang dr mei ichiI chi etc manuscripts kang yuweiyu wei kang yuweiyu wei ban huang hui collection chang aiailingling manuscripts pai hsien dungsyungs manuscripts wang mangs manuscripts
9 conclusions
survey results point original kind chinese manuscripts personal papers many east asian libraries collections these chinese manuscripts personal papers often listed online catalogs nor listed holding libraries web pages except very few cases original kind chinese manuscripts chinese personal papers made known users through means often kept inside box unprocessed faculty students each campus generally knowledge existence chinese manuscripts personal papers library outside researchers way finding holdings chinese manuscripts chinese personal papers different libraries librarians working within each individual chinese collections may know hidden treasure own libraries east asian librarians general little knowledge vast number chinese manuscripts personal papers existing east asian libraries collections these valuable research resources often kept hidden unknown unused years
interesting question arises do east asian librariescollectionslibraries collections intentionally keep chinese manuscripts personal papers hidden unknown outsiders staff do spend time processing materials nor providing time consuming readers services potential clients using chinese manuscripts personal papers intentionally surely possibly through neglect simply east asian libraries collections do enough staff handle even daily work flow say nothing special processing services manuscripts therefore chinese manuscripts personal papers receive low priority low attention library staff whatever reason may seems me east asian librariescollectionsLibraries Collections need reconsider whether chinese manuscripts personal papers menmeritmenitt higher priority terms processing service library museum library collections supposed preserved used includes chinese manuscripts personal papers valuable resources many scholars researchers suggestions
ideal union list covering ofa kind chinese manuscripts personal papers north american libraries union list make much easier researchers scholars find valuable resources hidden different east asian librariescollectionsLibraries Collections full union list too big task undertake list selected chinese manuscripts personal papers value
compile union list full cooperation every east asian libraries collection essential otherwise list incomplete just survey incomplete several important east asian libraries collections strong chinese collections chose participate mean smaller east asian libraries collections cooperative willing larger ones share resource information certain outstanding institutions berkeley hoover UCLA columbia did participate survey perhaps official body chinese materials committee council east
10 asian libraries take task compiling union list chinese manuscripts personal papers north american libraries members east asian libraries collections might willing participate union list great aid scholars researchers librarians worth considering
ACKNOWLEDGEacknowledgementsMENTS
I1 wish extend my sincere thanks east asian librarians took time respond survey I1 am able obtain permission responding libraries disclose holdings chinese manuscripts personal papers thus perhaps inviting queries outside I1 shall happy compile preliminary short list future share hidden treasures discovered survey my colleagues east asian libraries
11 APPENDIX
CHINESE manuscripts PERSONAL PAPERS ACADEMIC LIBRARIES SURVEY
1 your name your library your phone number your e mail address
2 do you chinese manuscriptspersonalmanuscripts personal papers your collectioncollectionlibrarylibrary yes
3 how large your chinese manuscriptsmanuscriptspersonalpersonal papers collection manuscripts published work items manuscripts unpublished work items personal papers items 4 please list describe both english romanization chinese your chinese manuscriptspersonalmanuscripts personal papers especially important valuable manuscripts your collection
1
2
3
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10 use additional sheet needed 5 do you written policy governing use chinese manuscripts personal papers your collection yes
6 do you follow your main liblibrarysrarys policies governing manuscripts personal papers yes
12 7 please briefly describe policy governing processing use you manuscripts andor personal papers
8 please briefly describe how you process your manuscripts personal papers
9 may use manuscriptspersonalmanuscripts personal papers your collection faculty graduate students undergraduate students outside people 10 what procedure must follow order use chinese manuscriptpersonalmanuscript personal papers your collectioncollectionlibrarylibrary
11 must chinese manuscriptspersonalmanuscripts personal papers used presence staff member yes
12 do you allow manuscriptspersonalmanuscripts personal papers xeroxed 13 chinese manuscriptspersonalmanuscripts personal papers listed your online catalog yes
listed web yes 14 your chinese manuscriptspersonalmanuscripts personal papers digitized yes
do you intend digitize your manuscriptspersonalmanuscripts personal papers yes undecided
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