Helpful Information
Library Resources
Language Resources
Contact
Steve Witt
Head
International & Area Studies Library
Associate Professor
University Library
Director
Center for Global Studies, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Office
311 Main Library
Email
swwitt@illinois.edu
The Asian Collection housed in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library consists of over 886 volumes dating from the 14 th to the 20 th centuries. The great majority of items are Japanese books printed between the 17 th and 19 th centuries, which came from the library of Joseph K. Yamagiwa (1906-1968). Professor Yamagiwa was a leading scholar and professor of Japanese at the University of Michigan. Professor Yamagiwa’s 1,800 volume collection, purchased in 1969, is divided between the Asian Library and the Rare Book and Manuscript Library.
Digitization of Hōrai no Makimono
We would like to introduce to you a recent digitization project we collaborated with Professor Persiani of Eastern Asian Language and Culture. This video describes the process and rationale for the digitization of the Hōrai no makimono, a 17th century Japanese scroll in the Nara emaki style. The scroll is a textual and illustrated depiction of Hōrai Monogatari. Interviews with scholars, library conservators, digitization experts, and meta-data librarians provide a comprehensive view of the overall process involved in organizing the expertise necessary to digitize and make available important cultural objects.
For more information on this collection, please see the finding aid for Asian Rare Book Collection.