Paper written and presented by Andrew Gosling, Chief Librarian, Asian Collections at the Chinese Studies Association of Australia Second Biennial Conference 1-4 July 1991.
This paper traces the developing role of the National Library of Australia in providing Chinese collections and services. The emphasis is on the period since 1980, covering in particular collection development policy, use of the collection and recent initiatives towards greater co-operation among Australian libraries with Chinese language resources.
The National Library of Australia's Chinese language collection, which is the largest such resource in the southern hemisphere has grown rapidly in recent years. While collecting began in the 1950s the 1980s saw the fastest period of expansion. In 1970 the Library held 60,000 volumes of monographs, 750 serial titles and 2,882 reels of microfilm in Chinese. By 1980 the totals were 106,135 monograph volumes, 1,197 current serial titles and 5,550 reels of microfilm. A decade later by June 1990 there were 200,935 monograph volumes, 3,456 current serial titles, 9,785 reels of microfilm and 15,597 sheets of microfiche. Other Chinese materials held included films and maps.
The main emphasis of the collection is on modern and contemporary China, although publications relating to earlier periods are also collected. The major strengths are in the subject fields of the social sciences, especially economics, statistics, politics and government, foreign relations and law; Chinese modern history (in particular post 1911), biography and archaeology; and fine arts. A printed description of the collection is available from the Library.
The doubling in size of the collection during the 1980s has now been replaced by somewhat slower expansion. Several factors are involved. While publications from the People's Republic of China, the source of the majority of Chinese language items purchased during the 1980s remained inexpensive for many years, this has ceased to be the case. With increasing costs, a more focussed collection development policy and the need to balance the level of Chinese acquisitions against the limited resources available to process, catalogue and store them a steadier rate of growth is likely in the 1990s.
The increased priority given by the National Library to its Chinese collection is clearly reflected in the Library's published collection development policies of 1981 and 1990. Although in general the Collection Development Policy (1990) indicates a reduction in the breadth of collecting intentions expressed in the earlier Selection Policy (1981) in recognition of the fact that the real purchasing power of the Library's acquisition vote steadily declined over this period, at the same time the 1990 policy is much more explicit in emphasising Chinese and other East Asian collections than its predecessor.
The 1981 document makes no specific reference to Chinese materials in the policy summary on national collection priorities. In contrast some mention is made of Japanese monographs and serials. However a section on the history of the Library's collections does cover Chinese language resources. In the subject sections under Humanities and the Arts the policy refers to the continuing acquisition of current materials from East Asia including China, Taiwan and Hong Kong. The Science and Technology section ranks language priorities as English, German, French, Japanese, Russian and "other". Although strong collections were being developed no specific reference to China or other East Asian countries appears in the Social Science section. In the languages appendix it is stated that publications from East Asia are collected in Chinese, Manchu, Mongolian, Tibetan, Uighur, Japanese, Ainu and Korean. An appendix on cooperation refers to the longstanding cooperative arrangements on Chinese and Japanese materials between the National Library and the Australian National University Library.
The Collection Development Policy of 1990 is arranged more systematically than the 1981 policy. In addition to subject emphases it clearly sets out geographical priorities for regions and countries. These range from Level 1 (minimal) to Level 5 (comprehensive). Only Australia is assigned Level 5. A few countries considered of major significance to Australia's development are ranked at the next highest priority, Level 4 (research). These are China, Japan, Indonesia, New Zealand, the South- west Pacific nations, the United Kingdom and the United States of America.
The application of the geographical Level 4 to China includes Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao, and refers equally to Chinese and English language resources. The stated intention is to "assemble a research level collection to meet the rising demand for information and research material relating to China" .
However this does not mean all publications on all subjects from or about China are necessarily collected at this high level. The geographical collecting levels are subordinate to overall subject priorities. Hence a book on Chinese stamp- collecting would not be a high priority. The chapter of the policy on China gives particular stress to the following: reference works, statistical information, geography, biography, sociology and social issues, politics and government, economics and post- 1911 history. A number of other subjects are also collected at a relatively high level.
When the draft of the 1990 policy was released to the public not surprisingly most comment came from those who felt their own discipline or area interests had been assigned too low a priority.
This included some scholars in the humanities, Middle Eastern and African studies. There was little comment on China or East Asia as a whole probably because of the high priority assigned.
It is rather early to judge the effects of the 1990 policy. However it is clear that while the National Library has been collecting Chinese language materials fairly intensively for some time, appropriate English and other Western language publications about China are now being sought more actively than previously in line with the research level assigned.
During 1990 a special project was undertaken to investigate the Library's Western language coverage of Asia. This study included an examination of holdings on China. It was found that generally coverage of North American and European publications about China was appropriate. While the main emphasis has been on English, significant items in French, German and other Western languages are being acquired (as well as important publications in other Asian languages particularly Japanese and Korean).
However it was also found that some areas needed to be strengthened. In particular a number of significant periodicals not held were identified for ordering. Some exchanges of publications especially with libraries in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao were not operating satisfactorily. Coverage of English language materials published in China and Hong Kong also needed improving. Efforts are now being made to fill these gaps.
The most significant change to the National Library's cataloguing of Chinese language materials followed the establishment of the Australian Bibliographic Network (ABN) in 1981. ABN constitutes Australia's national bibliographic database. It links most major Australian libraries in an automated shared system for cataloguing, interlibrary loans, information retrieval and other purposes. The National Library and several university libraries enter romanised records for their Chinese acquisitions on ABN allowing libraries and their users around the country ready access to this information. The National Library has been adding the current Chinese monographs it acquires to ABN since 1990, amounting to around 500 titles each month. All current Chinese periodical titles have also been entered on ABN. A printed listing of these serial holdings will soon be available.
While ABN has been limited to date in being unable to display Chinese and other non- Roman scripts, the prospects for a national automated system capable of handling Chinese characters are now brighter than during the 1980s. ABN has been looking very seriously at the issue, commissioning a report on including non- Roman scripts on the Network. In April 1991 the ABN Standards Committee which has been considering the question of allowing records using either Pinyin or Wade- Giles romanisation on ABN urged that priority be given to East Asian character automation.
Some other recent initiatives are referred to later in this paper.
A 1983 survey of Australia's East Asian collections found that the types of readers served by the National Library differed from those served by the universities. Whereas tertiary institute libraries reported that 70% to 100% of their clients were students and academics, the readers visiting the East Asian collection of the National Library were more varied. The percentages were as follows:
%
Universities and colleges 40
Secondary schools 4
Government departments 14
Research institutes 10
Professionals 8
Foreign diplomats 2
Business 6
General public 16
100%
A later survey examined the subject use of the National Library's Chinese, Japanese and Korean collections during one calendar year (1985) . All reference query, interlibrary loan and photocopy request forms completed during 1985 were examined and tabulated.Based on the reference enquiry forms completed by staff for each person making an enquiry in the Reading Room the greatest use of Chinese materials within the Library was in the fields of economics, history, fine arts and politics. Major users were academics,governemnt officials and members of the general public. For Chinese books borrowed on interlibrary loan most were in the area of language and literature. History was also in heavy demand, followed by economics,politics,and fine arts. Major borrowers were universities and embassies. Requests for photocopies of serial articles showed a very different pattern of subject use. Science and technology accounted for 29% of photocopy requests. Politics,medicine and economics were also in considerable demand. Major photocopy requestors were business firms, government departments and research bodies, hospitals and universities.
While the 1985 survey covers only one calendar year and should not be interpreted as a precise measure of use it does suggest some interesting patterns of use. The most frequently consulted subject within the Library for Chinese (and also Japanese and Korean) was economics. For all three languages history, fine arts and politics were also heavily used inside the Library. For Chinese, Japanese and Korean interlibrary loans language and literature were clearly the most popular subjects, with history and economics also in strong demand. In contrast science, technology and medicine
accounted for 38% of Chinese (and 78% of Japanese) serial photocopies sent to other libraries.
Thus the 1985 survey indicates a variety of readers using different parts of the National Library's Chinese collection for different purposes. The most striking variation is between direct use of the Library which tends to be mainly by academics and government officials, and indirect use, that is the borrowing of books or obtaining copies of periodical articles. The local Chinese community is a significant monograph borrower, while business, scientific research institutes and hospitals are major requestors of photocopied journal articles.
During 1988 the National Library conducted a survey of readers. Questionnaires were distributed to users in each of the Library's reading rooms on every third day of the survey period (April to July). 2,305 copies were handed out and 1,590 returned completed, a 70% return rate. Results of the study were presented as of two groups : Group 1 based on questionnaires distributed in the general reading areas and Group 2 for questionnaires given out in the special reading rooms including Asian Collections .
For the purposes of this paper the most interesting results of the 1988 survey relate to materials used in different languages and use of reading rooms. Readers were asked to indicate use of library resources in languages other than English. For Group 2 readers Chinese was the most heavily used foreign language (13.43%) followed by French (10.75%) and Japanese (9.55%). For all respondents regardless of reading room used, Chinese was the third most read language after French and German.
Readers were asked which National Library reading rooms they used. While use of Asian Collections by those completing questionnaires in the general reading rooms (Group 1) was low (0.88%), 20.9% of Group 2 readers used Asian Collections, making it one of the most heavily used special areas in the Library.
A separate question on awareness of and satisfaction with particular library services showed 88% satisfied and 12% not satisfied with Asian Collections. Unfortunately the survey did not identify causes of disatisfaction, although one problem identified by readers in all parts of the Library was the need for a simple and efficient catalogue. The Library will soon be introducing an online catalogue for easy use by readers to deal with this question. A finding of some concern was that 10% of Group 1 and 4% of Group 2 readers were not aware the Library had an Asian Collections Section. The percentages of readers unaware of other special areas were similar, indicating a need for greater promotion of the Library's services.
In the period since the survey the number of readers in Asian Collections has continued to rise. There was a 9% increase during 1989/90 and a further 22% rise during the first eleven months of 1990/91 (July 1990 to May 1991). It is estimated that readers
using Chinese language materials account for about 50% of all on- site users of Asian Collections, or around 2,000 out of 3,982 readers to date in 1990/91.
As the 1988 reader survey indicated the Library needs to strengthen its promotion of Chinese and other Asian collections and services. Recently the Library has been placing greater emphasis on promotion in part through two new publications. The monthly magazine National Library of Australia News which began in October 1990 has already included articles on the Indonesian and Japanese collections, and will be covering a Chinese topic later. The quarterly journal Voices which began in Autumn 1991 will be devoting its September issue to Chinese subjects, including the collection of post- 1949 Chinese language newspapers and other materials recently acquired by the Library from the writer and bibliophile Sang Ye.
In addition to these new ventures the Library is continuing to publicise its major recent Chinese and other Asian acquisitions through Current Awareness Bulletins which are issued free to interested individuals and institutions. These are a major source of direct and interlibrary loan use. Comments from readers have been positive, especially now the bulletins are being produced on a Chinese language typewriter rather than by hand.
Attendance at conferences and publishing of articles and reports in relevant journals are other means being employed to promote use. Nevertheless it is clear that much remains to be done to raise the level of awareness among present and potential users of the collection.
Co-operation between the National Library and other Australian libraries with Chinese collections is by no means new. In particular the National Library and the Australian National University Library entered into co-operative acquisition agreements for Chinese and Japanese publications as long ago as 1955. In order to avoid wasteful duplication and achieve maximum economy in acquisition and processing the 1955 agreements divided collecting responsibility according to subject fields and by type of material. Broadly speaking the National Library was to cover publications in the social sciences and more recent history (after 1868 for Japan and post 1911 for China) as well as periodicals and newspapers. The Australian National University covered literature, earlier history, religion and philosophy. A gradual shift in emphasis from traditional to modern studies at the Australian National University led to a revision of the agreement in 1973, in particular reallocating all periods of Chinese history to the university.
The 1973 agreement was looser than its predecessor and while
there has continued to be valuable consultation to avoid unnecessary duplication, especially for expensive items, the revised agreement proved only partially successful as a basis for cooperative collection development. In contrast the 1955 Japanese agreement has continued to operate quite effectively. This is partly because both libraries were prepared to maintain the original divisions of subject responsibility despite changes in academic research interests.
Co-operation has not been confined to acquisitions. Since the 1950s the National Library has maintained in card form the Union Catalogue of East Asian Monographs (UCEAM) which includes Chinese, Japanese and Korean language holdings of 19 Australian and New Zealand libraries. UCEAM was microfilmed and distributed in 1978 and again in 1982. However with the increasing use of automated systems the future of this card- based union catalogue is clearly limited.
An important means of communicating about Chinese library matters in Australia has been through the East Asian Library Resources Group of Australia (EALRGA) an association linking librarians in this specialised area of the profession. EALRGA issues a regular newsletter which includes information on major acquisitions, automation, and news from East Asian collections around the country and overseas.
The most extensive recent examination of Australia's Asian library resources is contained in Asia in Australian Higher Education: Report of the Inquiry into the Teaching of Asian Studies and Languages in Higher Education (Ingleson Report). The inquiry which began in March 1988 was intended as a major review of Asian studies and Asian languages in universities and colleges as the basis for advice to government on future directions. Its report was submitted to the Asian Studies Council in January 1989.
It should be noted that libraries were not included in the original terms of reference of the inquiry. However following expressions of concern at this serious oversight submissions were sought from the National Library, the universities and others.
The chapter of the Ingleson Report on libraries clearly sets out the major difficulties faced by Chinese and other Asian collections in Australia . It also makes recommendations which have formed the basis for subsequent initiatives during the period 1989- 1991.
Broadly, Ingleson argued for Australian libraries to participate in a cooperative acquisitions policy for Asian materials, given the expense of establishing, maintaining and cataloguing such collections. A systematic rationalisation of collection development was seen as the most effective means of providing tertiary education with resources of an international standard.In addition the report called for an efficient and inexpensive system of access and distribution.
The report cites the 1983 Wang survey already referred to in this paper showing that with the exception of the National Library, the Australian National University and to a lesser extent the University of Sydney and the University of Melbourne all other East Asian collections were generally inadequate. Resources were heavily concentrated in Canberra at the National Library and the Australian National University which between them held 62.8% of the overall total of East Asian collections in the country. There is every indication that the concentration of Chinese library resources in Canberra is still at this high level. In May 1991 it was estimated that the National Library held 208,000 monograph volumes in Chinese and the Australian National University 130,000 volumes. The only other sizeable collections were at the University of Sydney with 70,000 volumes and the University of Melbourne with 58,000 volumes. Another half a dozen Australian libraries held between 3,000 and 13,000 volumes in Chinese. The strength of the two Canberra collections for Chinese materials published since 1949 was acknowledged and the need to make such material more accessible to users in the less developed libraries stressed.
Cataloguing problems were seen as serious. The four major collections all had considerable backlogs of Chinese and other Asian materials not fully catalogued. While there had been improvements during the 1980s in reducing these backlogs through entering material in romanized form on the national database, the Australian Bibliographic Network (ABN), the best solution was seen as an automated system whereby non- Roman scripts could be entered on ABN.
The report referred to a staffing crisis in the East Asian area. All libraries were described as understaffed, with many claiming they had no specialist librarians working on East Asian collections. The need for specialist training to produce more professional librarians with Asian expertise was seen as a priority.
Ingleson's major recommendation was for the establishment of a national network for Asian studies library resources located in Canberra and working closely with the National Library. Its main tasks would include developing a national cooperative acquisitions policy for Asian materials, investigating the inclusion of non- Roman scripts on ABN, acting as a clearing house for queries about Asian material in Australia, liaising with overseas libraries and coordinating specialist training programs for Asian librarianship. Other recommendations included a government investigation aimed at improving document supply, co-operation in collecting and cataloguing of Asian materials; universities funding staffing to process cataloguing backlogs; and a project to devise a system for automated cataloguing of non- Roman script publications.
Following the release of the Ingleson Report a seminar jointly sponsored by the National Library and the Australian National University was held in February 1989, and attended by representatives of ten research and tertiary libraries. This seminar supported the Ingleson Report and made specific recommendations to the Asian Studies Council for projects relating to the automation of Chinese and other scripts, special training and other matters.
Unfortunately rather than any action being taken on the library aspects of the Ingleson Report they were referred to another inquiry. This was the review entitled Library Provision in Higher Education Institutions (Ross Report) which reported to the National Board of Employment, Education and Training in December 1990. The Ross Report in turn commended the Ingleson and February 1989 seminar recommendations. Ross reiterated the problems including lack of trained staff, acquisitions difficulties, cataloguing backlogs and the need for script automation. The Report also stressed that the potential library consequences of the recent rapid spread of Asian studies programs had not been appreciated by the institutions involved or possibly by the Commonwealth.
In May 1991 a National Roundtable on Libraries and Asia was organised by the National Library and the Australian National University to consider a national strategy. Nearly all Australian libraries with significant Asian collections attended. This meeting again supported the recommendations of the earlier inquiries.
The Roundtable proposed several practical steps. First the National Library, the Australian National University and others would form a group to look at the feasibility of an Asian studies library resource network as proposed by Ingleson. The National Library would also undertake a survey of libraries willing to provide paid for contract services for cataloguing, informatuion services or acquisitions for Asian materials and of libraries interested in using such services. The National Library was asked to seek and distribute other libraries collection development policies related to Asia. The major libraries with Chinese and other cataloguing backlogs would jointly develop a proposal for funding to help offset the cost of cataloguing these arrears. The four larger collections would also explore the concept of a shared local catalogue system supporting Chinese and other script data.
Since the Roundtable the heads of the National Library, the Australian National University and University of Sydney libraries have jointly urged the Commonwealth government not to continue to overlook the problems of providing effective library support for the rapid expansion of teaching and research relating to Asia as pointed out by Ingleson, Ross and others. It remains to be seen what the response will be.
The National Library's strong emphasis on obtaining Chinese publications as expressed in its 1990 Collection Development Policy is likely to continue, given the importance of China to Australia's development in its broadest sense. Some modification to the range of materials collected may occur as Australian libraries move towards greater coordination of their acquisitions as has been urged in recent reports and meetings.
While the number of Australian libraries collecting Chinese publications may increase in the 1990s it is likely that for the forseeable future readers will still be largely dependent on the two major Chinese collections in Canberra for research materials. The trend towards greater direct use at the National Library and indirect use through interlibrary lending and photocopying is likely to continue, placing heavier demands on staff. The further application of automated systems providing readers with fast, easy access to information on Chinese resources including Chinese script will also feed user demand.
Andrew Gosling, Chief Librarian, East Asia
Asian Collections
June 1991
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