[KS] Library of Congress Asian Reading Room Research Orientation

[Robert Provine]

[For those who are located in the Washington DC area, please take advantage of this 
opportunity and learn more about the Asian collections at the Library of Congress.]


Library of Congress Asian Division Research Orientation

10 a.m.-12 noon, Thursday October 19th, 2006

Whittall Pavilion, Thomas Jefferson Building, 10 First Street SE, Washington, DC

Metro: Capitol South on Orange/Blue Line

The Asia Society has referred to the Library of Congress Asian Division as Washington’s 
best-kept secret.  Indeed, the division houses a veritable treasure trove of materials on 
Asia.  This free and open-to-the-public research orientation will introduce you to the 
people and tools to help you make the most of the Asian Division’s fantastic collections.

The session will cover five geographic areas within Asia:

China and Mongolia:  The Chinese/Mongolian Team of librarians from China, Hong Kong, 
Taiwan and the United States will introduce their collections of approximately 1 million 
volumes, including rare books.  They will also demonstrate Chinese electronic resources 
that can only be accessed in Asian Reading Room and distribute a bibliography of useful.

Japan: Reference librarians of the Japanese Collection will provide a basic research 
introduction about the Library of Congress Japanese collections, the largest within the 
Asian Division, and pay particular attention to the humanities and social sciences. During 
this fifteen-minute session, librarians will also provide useful tips for searching 
Japanese resources, including primary resources from the special collections of the 
pre-WWII period.  In addition, a list of free online Japanese resources will be provided.

Korea: While not as large as the Japanese collection, the Asian Division’s Korean 
collection is the most extensive and most comprehensive collection outside of Korea.  A 
general introduction to the Korean collections will be provided.  Then the Korean 
specialist, who has created more bibliographic tools than any other librarian in the 
division, will introduce the Korean Bibliography and the Korean Serial Database as well as 
other Korean electronic databases.

South Asia: You will be introduced to the Library’s collections of South Asian materials, 
  amongst the largest in the world.  A recent acquisition was what may well be the oldest 
surviving intact book from South Asia, a birch bark Buddhist scroll that could be as old 
as 200 B.C.  The collection of periodicals in the local languages is probably the largest 
in the world for publications since 1960.  Another special strength is government 
publications.  The South Asian collection reflects the linguistic diversity of the Indian 
subcontinent, with publications in more than 170 local languages. A brief review of the 
collections and how to use them will be presented.

Southeast Asia: Finally, this orientation session will introduce you to the fascinating 
field of Southeast Asian studies.  Including Burma, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, 
Malaysia, East Timor, Singapore, the Philippines, Brunei and Indonesia, Southeast Asia is 
home to a wide variety of people and cultures.  At this orientation, you will be 
introduced to primary sources in Asian and European languages to help you take advantage 
of unparalleled research opportunities in this frequently neglected field of study.

The Asian Division is open Monday through Saturday from 8:30 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. and 
reference staff is always available to help.  The Library of Congress is conveniently 
located near the Capitol South metro station.

Contact: Dr. Anchi Hoh, (202) 707-5673 or adia at loc.gov

Request ADA accommodations five business days in advance at (202) 707-6362 (voice/TTY) or 
email ADA at loc.gov