In this collection of essays written by the former head of the Library
of Congress Chinese Collection, Chi Wang chronicles the modest
beginnings of the Chinese Collection at the Library of Congress and his
crusade to transform it into the largest collection and Chinese cultural
presence outside Asia. For anyone who has ever wondered what goes on
inside the marble walls of one of the country's oldest federal
institutions, Wang relates an insider's account of the major milestones
and changes to the administration of the Collection over the years.
Readers will be surprised not only to learn about some of the rare and
priceless books that have found their way to the Library of Congress but
also by the candor with which Wang shares his story about serving under
three different Librarians of Congress, each with a different mandate
and mark they wanted to leave behind. Building a Better Chinese
Collection for the Library of Congress has value as American library
history but also serves as a useful introduction to Chinese historical
archives and libraries. Select writings discuss publication and
personnel exchanges with Chinese academic libraries, Chinese character
encoding and library automation, and publishing activities in China.