 |
Starr News |
Spring 2001
Happy Year of the Snake from all of us at the C. V. Starr
East Asian Library! Although nothing may be as noticeable as the
construction work going on in and around the library, there are
other activities and services to report on too. Among them is the
new LibraryWeb, which has changed the look and the URLs of
Starr’s pages as well, so be sure to check it out for all the
most up-to-date Starr information and news, at:
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/lweb/indiv/eastasian/index.html
Restoration project
The construction work in the Library, part of the
Kent-Philosophy Restoration Project, continues. The work in the
building involves replacing all the pipes in the drainage system
within the walls. On the 100 level, it involves repairing and
restoring the foundation walls, both from within the building
(which required the Library to move many bookshelves that were
against the walls) and from the outside (which will be done by
digging through College Walk on the south and Kent Plaza on the
north). Additionally, all of the vertical drainage pipes have
horizontal transfer points on the 100 level, which are also being
replaced, in the microform corridor and room 105. Once the project
is completed, it will reduce – maybe even eliminate –
internal leaks, and improve climate control.
In the short term, it is disruptive to our services, and we
apologize for that. Due to the age of the building, asbestos has
been discovered, and work has been rescheduled to allow for
appropriate asbestos abatement. In the library, this will be a
quick project. Air quality is tested during and after the asbestos
is removed – so you are assured that if the 100-level is open
to patrons, the air quality is fine.
We appreciate your patience while the work is going on, and hope
for order to be restored before the end of the semester.
CJK display now available in Eureka
After years of waiting, the time has finally come. Eureka, the
public search engine for the RLIN database, now offers the option
to display CJK (as well as some other non- roman scripts) in its
records. To be able to make use of this option you need to use a
browser that can handle CJK scripts. All LibraryWeb terminals have
been re-programmed to work through Internet Explorer, with its CJK
components. Internet Explorer will automatically recognize and
display the script of CJK websites. This set-up replaces the
NJ-Star software which was used previously.
When searching Eureka for Chinese, Japanese, or Korean material,
the brief display screen now has a Show original scripts
button at the top of the listings. When you click this button a
check window may pop up to confirm whether the non-roman scripts
show correctly. Once you confirm this – you may have to
download some files on your own computer to display CJK – the
bibliographic records display will reload with the non- roman
script added.
Recon almost done
We are making good progress with the conversion of the card
catalog records to online records. At this point it is estimated
that approximately 98% of the catalog records of our collection are
now available online in Eureka and WorldCat – and will soon
also be available in CLIO. A start has also been made to create
online records for non-print materials, such as scrolls, etc., and
materials in so-called Minority Languages (Mongol, Manchurian).
Switch to Pinyin coming soon
Last semester we reported on the start of the nationwide
conversion project to convert all old catalog records romanized
according to the Wade-Giles system, to Pinyin romanization. RLG
reports that Columbia’s records are in the process of being
converted. Watch our home page — in a few weeks the converted
records will also become available in CLIO, after which we will be
searching for Chinese materials in Pinyin. The flyers relating to
the Chinese collection will be revised, and will explain how to
search most effectively within this new context.
Korea Foundation grant extended
The Korea Foundation has approved a $100,000 multiyear grant to
support each of the libraries participating in the Korean
Collections Consortium of North America. The new grant continues a
program of support for the acquisition of library materials funded
by the foundation for the past six years. The Foundation will
provide annual support of $20,000 to each member of the Consortium
for the five-year period from 2000 to 2004. The participating
institutions are Columbia University, Harvard University, The
University of Hawaii, The University of Southern California, the
University of California Los Angeles, the University of California
at Berkeley, the University of Washington, the University of
Chicago and the University of Toronto. Columbia will continue to
acquire collections on Korea in our assigned subject areas (Korean
history (1864-1945), Popular Culture, Performing Arts, Fine Arts
and Kyonggi-do publications) with funds received from the
Foundation.
Kugyok Chungbo Munhon Pigo online database added
Kugyok Chungbo Munhon Pigo is now available at the link
for the
Nurimedia
Korean Studies Databases Series, with the generous assistance
from the Korea Foundation's Library Distribution Program. This
valuable database is based on Korean translations published in the
Choson Dynasty of classical Chinese text The encyclopedic
compendium compiles extracts and quotations for use in government
during the Choson Dynasty arranged in 16 topical sections:
astronomy and meteorology, Korean geography, royal genealogy,
rites, music, military affairs, justice, land revenues, other
finances, census, liens and doles, foreign relations, appointments,
education, government department and literature.
Oracle bones exhibition
Starting in early February we will exhibit a selection of our
oracle bones in the display cases in the reading room. Oracle bones
date as far back as the Shang dynasty. They form the earliest
record of the Chinese written language. Mainly ox shoulder blades
and tortoise shells were used for oracle bones, which were used
mostly for divination purposes — a question was carved into
the bone which was then held over fire. The heat caused the bone to
crack, and the cracks were then interpreted as answer to the
question. Sometimes the answer was subsequently also carved onto
the bone. Only fragments of such bones are now left. Columbia owns
a significant collection of such fragments.
Primary Public Service Contacts:
Library Director: Amy V. Heinrich. 305M Kent. (212) 854-1508.
heinrich@columbia.edu
Access Services: Kenneth Harlin. 319M Kent. (212) 854-4318.
harlin@columbia.edu
East Asian Studies: Ria Koopmans-de Bruijn. 310 Kent. (212)
854-1505.
rkb7@columbia.edu
Chinese and Tibetan Studies: Frances LaFleur. 307M Kent. (212)
854-3721.
lafleur@columbia.edu
Japanese Studies: Mihoko Miki. 308M Kent. (212) 854-1506.
miki@columbia.edu
Korean Studies: HyoKyoung (HK) Lee. 310M Kent. (212) 854-1507.
hl303@columbia.edu
|
