The East Asia Library has recently purchased several important database collections of Western-language historical materials that are now available for Stanford users to access. These databases include documents digitized from collections held at the British Library, the Second Historical Archives of China, and a number of other libraries and archives.
I was very interested when recently a colleague from Green Library, David Jordan, alerted me to the existence of several Chinese and Japanese items within the Gunst Collection, also known as the Morgan A. and Aline D. Gunst Memorial Library of the Book Arts. As the name suggests, this collection, which was donated to Stanford Libaries in 1963 and contains over four thousand volumes, is devoted to works that showcase the role of books as artifacts. As I was browsing through the short list of East Asian materials belonging to this collection, I was intrigued by one item in particular, which was described as an eleventh-century print of a Chinese Buddhist scripture.
Special Collections’ Rare Book Cataloging Unit has just wrapped up the cataloging of a large collection of Edwardian novels (British novels published between 1890-1920). The books are now in the process of being digitized, after which they will be available for study both online and in person in the Special Collections reading room.
New on the Shelf exhibition features rare books & contemporary artists’ books
A new exhibition in Stanford’s Green Library offers a window into recent acquisitions in Special Collections. Books—both manuscript and print—are the focus of the display on the second floor of the Bing Wing, on view September 4, 2018 through January 6, 2019.
We are sorry to say goodbye this week to Freya Channing, our Rare Books Copy Cataloger. She will be starting a new position at Oakland Public Library in September.
Every few years, when Special Collections-Redwood City is hosting a number of summer students and interns, we make a trip to Alice’s Restaurant for lunch to celebrate their accomplishments and contributions. It’s also a way to say thank you to our Redwood City staff for a very productive year. Sadly several staff members were unable to make it at the last minute as jury duty and emergency training took precedence.
Three massive and extraordinary volumes were recently donated to the Stanford University Libraries: Modern Opera Houses and Theatres: Examples Selected from Playhouses Recently Erected in Europe, with Descriptive Text, a Treatise on Theatre Planning and construction, and Supplements on Stage Machinery, Theatre Fires, and Protective Legislationby Edwin O. Sachs, 2nd issue (London: B.T. Batsford, 1897-1898).The volumes measure 58.5 x 42 cm.
With a patron's help, Zhaohui Xue, Chinese Studies Librarian at the East Asia Library, has discovered some particularly rare materials within the library's collections.