KOFIC's Support Program for Hub-Library for Korean Film Studies

Great news for Korean film lovers!

The Korean Film Council (KOFIC) has selected the University of Toronto Libraries as one of the 2009 participants in its program "Support Program for Hub-Library for Korean Film Studies." This program provides published material related to Korean films as well as Korean film DVDs to major libraries outside Korea in order to support Korean film studies scholars and students.

The donation materials will be delivered to the Cheng Yu Tung East Asian Library later this year. Once the donation materials arrive, they will greatly enhance UofT scholars and students ability to learn more about Korean cinema.

For more information and questions about this program, please contact Hana Kim at hn.kim@utoronto.ca.

Zasshi Kiji Sakuin Shusei (雑誌記事索引集成) Free Trial (Sep 28 to Nov 27, 2009)

We are pleased to announce that we have a free trial for the Koseisha's Zasshi Kiji Sakuin Shusei (雑誌記事索引集成 ; Complete [Index] Database for Japanese Magazines and Periodicals from Meiji Era to the Present). The database is based on 120 print volumes of the Cumulative Index to Magazines and Periodicals in the Meiji, Taisho and early Showa periods with over 11 million entries.

The Zasshi Kiji Sakuin Shusei is available at the following URL:
http://zassaku-plus.com/

The free trial runs from September 28 through November 27, 2009. We would love to hear from you. Please send your feedback, questions or concerns to Fabiano Takashi Rocha, Japan Studies Librarian, at fabiano.rocha@utoronto.ca.

Enjoy the free trial!

Utamaro Books Interactive

We would like to introduce you to one of the interesting digital projects of the Fitzwilliam Museum (Cambridge) featuring three titles of picture books (ehon) by Kitagawa Utamaro. The Utamaro Books Interactive allows users to virtually turn the pages of the books, and read translations of the texts with the mouse roll-over function. Enjoy going through the pages of The Insect Book (Ehon Mushi Erami ; 絵本虫撰), The Shell Book (Shiohi no Tsuto ; 潮干のつと), and The Bird Book (Momo Chidori; 百千鳥).

You may access the Utamaro Books Interactive at:

http://www.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/gallery/utamaro/start.html

Nichigai MagazinePlus Subscription Cancellation

The access to Nichigai MagazinePlus, Japanese periodical citation index database, is only valid until October 20, 2009. From October 21, 2009, please use the National Diet Library’s Zasshi Kiji Sakuin (雑誌記事索引) as an alternative. The Zasshi Kiji Sakuin is accessible at:

http://opac.ndl.go.jp/index.html

If you have any questions regarding the use of Zasshi Kiji Sakuin, please contact Fabiano Takashi Rocha, Japan Studies Librarian, at fabiano.rocha@utoronto.ca

Chinese Newspapers in Canada

The Chinese-Canadian Genealogy project lists a list of major Chinese newspapers published in Canada. These might be useful resources for Chinese diaspora studies.

References Related to Chinese Newspaper Publication in Canada:

Yang, Tao. (2009). Press, community, and library: A study of the Chinese-language newspapers in North America. Chinese Librarianship: An International Electronic Journal, no. 27, 2009.

Ma, Yan. (1989). Chinese American newspapers and periodicals in the United States. Ethnic Forum, 9(1-2), 100-121.

Ma, Yan. (1999). Chinese-American newspapers and periodicals in the United States: An analysis of a national survey. The Serial Librarian, 35(4), 63-69.

Ma, Yan. (2003). Chinese American newspapers and periodicals in the United States and their web presence. Serial Review, 29(3), 179-198.

Princeton's East Asian Library Digitizes Rare Books on Chinese Medicine

The East Asian Library of Princeton University is in the process to digitize a collection of rare books on Chinese Medicine (URL: http://eastasianlib.princeton.edu/diglib.php) . Full functionality and enhanced navigation of the e-books will only be possible when the project finishes. However, the library gives users preliminary access to the digitized medical texts already available.

The texts are in PDF format. Please also notice that the titles are provided only for personal scholarly use. Any publication, reprint or reproduction is strictly prohibited.

Also, several other relevant online resource:

- Contagion, part of Harvard University's Open Collection Program;

- Yale University's Peter Parker Collection which contains paintings of Chinese patients with large tumors or other major deformities;

- and, the UCSF Library’s collection of Japanese woodblock prints that illustrate a variety of health-related topics.

Online Videos on the Art of Chinese Painting and Calligraphy

Fan Zeng (范曾), a renowned Chinese artist specializing in traditional painting (国画) and calligraphy (书法), talked about how to appreciate the "beauty" of the traditional Chinese arts in a TV program of CCTV (China Central Television) .

In the talks, Mr. Fan compared the oriental artistic 'spirit' with that of the western culture and led the audience to appreciate Chinese arts from the perspective of an artist. His passionate presentations were informative as well as philosophical ....

Fan Zeng: On the Beauty of Chinese Calligraphy -- part 1
Fan Zeng: On the Beauty of Chinese Calligraphy -- part 2

Fan Zeng: On the Beauty of Chinese Traditional Painting -- part 1
Fan Zeng: On the Beauty of Chinese Traditional Painting -- part 2



A Brief Bio of Fan Zeng:

Fan Zeng (1938-) is a master of the "pure-line-drawing" technique. He considers that the "sounds of nature" can only be caught by a spontaneous reaction to what is observed, not a redrawing or a contour outline. He also specializes in "splashed ink" and figure painting. Fan Zeng followed the great painters of the Song dynasty in using simple and vigorous strokes of the brush and dynamic delineation of form.

Elder John Lai's Archives -- 賴永祥長老史料庫

Elder John Lai's Archives (http://www.laijohn.com/Index.htm) is dedicated to the study of the history of Christianity in Taiwan with special emphasis attached to the Presbysterian Church. The resource is of significant research value for the study of early history of Christianity in Taiwan.

Currently, the Archives consist of three parts:

• the full text of Prof. John Lai’s “Kau-hoe-su-oe” 《教會史話》, a collection of articles on the history of Christianity in Taiwan;
  
• scrapbook files compiled by Prof. Lai, which are valuable primary sources used for his writings; and
  
• Prof. Lai’s personal bio and family history.

To facilitate user access, the website makes available a search engine at http://www.laijohn.com/contents.htm

Also, the letter of Martha Smalley, a Yale faculty member, helps to shed some light on the background of Prof. Lai's archives project.