Outline and Context of the Proposed Project

As East Asian Studies Librarian, I am interested in opitmizing the information resources our students and faculty have available for research about East Asia. Never having traveled to China or Japan myself, I would like to see at first-hand the sorts of information systems and resources our students encounter when they travel to and study there. As another of our librarians, Suzanne Smailes, is deeply interested in Japan, it would be most useful for me to focus primarily on China for the present.

Many of our East Asian Studies majors will have been to East Asia by the time they graduate, and all of the East Asian faculty have except for me. I would be more understanding of their information needs if I had the shared background of seeing part of East Asia first-hand. For instance, sometimes students bring books and periodicals back with them, to use as resources for the East Asian Studies senior capstone course. Also, sometimes students get back to Wittenberg and find that they are missing some information that would have been easy to obtain in China or Japan, but is very hard to obtain here. Also, some faculty have expressed interest in adding more primary sources about East Asia to our library collections. A trip to China would enable me to visit libraries and bookstores, particularly at colleges and universities, to see what is available and to get a better idea of what the Wittenberg community would be able to use.

Conversely, we have Chinese students studying at Wittenberg. When they first arrive, the library and information environment can be quite daunting. The library and I would be able to address their needs much better if I knew more about the information environment they come from. I'd also like to build a network of Chinese contacts, whom I could consult about resources, and they me.

Impact of the Project

Simply gaining an on-site understanding of China will be a major benefit. This understanding will help me to enter the conversation of the discipline on a more meaningful basis. I believe I will be able to increase Thomas Library's Chinese language holdings significantly, and probably will find some areas in which we need to increase our English language holdings about China as well.

In terms of improving information services to East Asian students and faculty, I would like to develop information literacy instruction that will prepare Wittenberg students to interact with libraries and information systems in China and also that will expand on their information use there. I'd also like to work with Chinese students when they come here, so that they are comfortable using our information resources.

I also expect to learn some unexpected things in China that will be useful in unanticipated ways.

Actually, I propose this summer trip as the first of two. This year would be for basic exposure to Chinese culture, information, and communication systems. Then, during academic year 2003-2004, when I have a sabbatical, I would like to build on that experience by teaching at a Chinese university. I am also submitting a grant proposal that would fund continuing study of the Chinese language, as well as travel to nearby libraries that have significant East Asian collections.

Thank you for your consideration!