East Asian Library

The C.V. Starr East Asian Library provides a home to one of the nation's largest Asian American libraries. Established in 2021, the library serves as a research center for people interested in East Asian studies, history, and life. It also serves as a resource center on literature about the region.

The Advantages Of The Library

Most people who visit the library never leave. For many, it becomes an extended vacation home. The Asian American community is becoming very visible, with more young people and immigrants studying and making contributions to the intellectual life of the world. The C.V. Starr East Asian Library houses rare books, manuscripts, and other works by writers from China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam. East Asians in particular has produced enormous literature on art, science, literature, government, and culture. Many scholars now use the Asian American studies library as their main research center.

One of the features of the Asian American library that surprises most visitors is the extensive collection of rare books and manuscripts. The library has a rare book collection that ranges from recent to antiquity, covering a full range of subjects. The library has a special, rare book collection devoted to Korean rare books, which contain works from various periods, such as the Joseon Dynasty, Hereditary Dynasty, Gorye Period, Korea, Japanese, and China. There are also rare Chinese rare books on ancient China. These rare books focus on such subjects as the Later Shang Dynasty, Classic Painting Period, Silver Mirror Period, and the Beijing Costume Revolution.

Interesting Aspects of Asian-American Libraries

Another interesting aspect of the Asian American library is its extensive collection of rare Japanese prints. The library has a great number of books in various genres. Some of the most popular are the Meiji Restoration Period, Post-imoto Period, Daido Museum of Art, and Edo Period. One of the most important collections is the reproduction of Chinese rare books, which contain art work that belonged to the Later Chinese Yenan Period.

On the second floor of the library is the Special Collections Room, which houses various other collections as well. The Special Collections Room was designed by Eastonian Zhu Cong gui, who studied art in Japan. The Room contains works from a variety of artists, with a heavy emphasis on Chinese art. There are also two free standing lanterns that give light to the dark library, and serve as an inspiration gallery. A small shop sells literature and reference books in English as well as Chinese.

Facilities Owned by Asian American Libraries

Many years ago, there were no public facilities available to support the growth of the Asian American Studies Association. A few institutions offered scholarships and fellowships, but these were not sufficient to sustain the costs of maintaining a comprehensive Asian Studies library. Since its founding in 1974, the association has been working toward establishing academic facilities that will help bring the East Asian Studies into the community. Recently, a new wing was added to the University of California - Santa Barbara. The College of Letters and Sciences, founded in 1970, is now a part of the UC system. The East Asian Collection Building is located on campus and provides a home for East Asian Studies as well as other East Asian Studies programs.

The library is administered by the Department of History and ethnic studies. The library has many East Asian and Japanese collections. Among the most popular volumes are: The Book ofines, a study of Chinese Buddhist texts, translated sensation; The Japanese Book of Changes, a chronicle of Japan's social history; The Shorter History of China, a short introduction to the nation's history; The History of Ancient China, a survey of ancient China and Chinese literature; and The Works of Mao Tse-Tung, a compilation of his works. Some of the most interesting East Asian volumes are on Buddhism, Confucius, Japanese, Korean and Vietnamese studies.

The East Asian libraries and their collections reflect Korea's rise to economic power, Japan's colonization of Korea and China's evolution into an economic giant. In addition, the library houses numerous manuscripts and art. The Korean collection features books and periodicals on Korea, the Japanese occupation, the Korean War and early American and European immigration. The Chinese library contains books on ancient China, literature and Chinese studies.