Established in 1990, the UC Irvine Libraries’ East Asian Collection serves the needs of the East Asian research and teaching community on campus. This includes faculty and students from the Departments of History, Art History, East Asian Studies, Comparative Literature, Film and Media Studies, Drama, Sociology, Political Science and Anthropology. The UCI Libraries East Asian Collection also serves affiliates of several academic centers, including the Center for Asian Studies, Long US-China Institute and Center for Critical Korean Studies. Also open to local residents, the Collection has grown over 30 years from the original 8,000 Chinese books to over 120,000 volumes in Chinese, Japanese and Korean languages, making it one of the fastest growing collections of this kind in the nation and the largest East Asian Collection in Orange County.
2. Letter from Chang-Lin Tien. April 27, 1989.
UCI’s Executive Vice Chancellor Chang-Lin Tien wrote to Professor Pauline Yu, incoming founding department chair of East Asian Languages and Literatures (now East Asian Studies) and Professor Theodore Huters, founding faculty of Chinese Studies, to confirm the allocation of budget and staff resources to establish UCI’s Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures.
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3. Letter from Marion Buzzard. November 20, 1990.
Marion Buzzard, former head of collection development and acquisitions, wrote to Dr. William Wong, founding East Asian studies librarian, upon his arrival. The letter details the Libraries plan to support Dr. Wong’s work of establishing the East Asian Collection.
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5. Two Shi Jie Ri Bao (World Journal) Newspaper Articles about UCI Libraries East Asian Collection.
a. This article reports on the initiative of adding Chinese newspapers to the UCI Libraries East Asian Collection thanks to efforts by Librarian Emeritus Daniel Tsang.
“中文報紙進入加大圖書館，報委會委員曾振鍛功不可沒.” Shi Jie Ri Bao. December 26, 1990. Page 32.
b. This article announces the donation of a 500-volume set of Lizaotang Si Ku Quan Shu Hui Yao (Digest of the Great Encyclopedia of Four Treasures) from the National Palace Museum in Taipei to the UCI Libraries East Asian Collection.
“故宮捐贈全套四庫全書，加大東亞圖書館如獲至寶.” Shi Jie Ri Bao (World Journal). December 26, 1990. Page 32.
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6. “Gifts Build Library’s East Asian Collection”. UCI Journal. Volume 12, Number 3. Spring 1993. Page 14.
Article discusses the significant role of gifts and donations from local and international communities in the early developmental years of the UCI Libraries East Asian Collection.
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7. Letter Announcing Korea Studies Program. December 4, 1995.
Letter from former UCI Dean of Humanities, Spencer C. Olin, to founding East Asian Librarian Dr. William Wong, announcing the launch of UCI’s Korean Studies program, the arrival of founding faculty member and Professor Chungmoo Choi, and the corresponding mission of the Libraries to add Korean Studies materials to its East Asian Collection.
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8. Establishment of the UCI Libraries Korea Corner. November 30, 2016. Photos courtesy of Allan Helmick.
Twenty-two years after the inauguration of the Korean Studies Collection, UCI became the first and only university in the West to host a Korea Corner - a dedicated area in Langson Library housing Korean language, literature, history and cultural resources to students, faculty and local residents. The Korea Corner features a multi-regional media player for watching Korean films and comfortable seats for reading and learning. Korea Corner was established with the generous support from the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Los Angeles delegated by the Korea Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
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8. Establishment of the UCI Libraries Korea Corner. November 30, 2016. Photos courtesy of Allan Helmick.
Twenty-two years after the inauguration of the Korean Studies Collection, UCI became the first and only university in the West to host a Korea Corner - a dedicated area in Langson Library housing Korean language, literature, history and cultural resources to students, faculty and local residents. The Korea Corner features a multi-regional media player for watching Korean films and comfortable seats for reading and learning. Korea Corner was established with the generous support from the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Los Angeles delegated by the Korea Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
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1. Quotes from UCI University Librarians.
a. Former UCI University Librarian Calvin Boyer (1980-1991). January 28, 2020.
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Introduction - Birth and Growth (Items 1-12) - Rare and Precious Resources (Items 13-19)
Books are for Use (Items 20-31) - Resources for the Local Community (Items 32-41) - Grants and Gifts (Items 42-49)
Working with Global Partners to Build the Collection (Items 50-56) - With the Help of Faculty and Friends (Items 57-62)
Autographed Books and Tributes (Items 63-72)
Questions? Please contact us at partners@uci.edu. Copyright Statement.