CDNLAO Newsletter
No. 57, November 2006
- Definition of Rare Books
- About your library's rare books collection
- Managing Department of Rare Books Collection
- Terms of use of rare books collection
- Photocopy service of rare books collection
- Loan service of rare books
- Management of rare books collection
- Cataloging of rare books collection
- Training of rare books librarians
- Management of the reading room for your rare books collection
- Microfilming and digitization of rare books collection
1. Definition of Rare Books
1.1 How does your library define "rare books"? If there are different definitions according to the types of materials, please specify, e.g. Western materials, Islamic materials, Far Eastern materials, etc.
All books that are produced with high-quality engraving, copying, proofing and annotation, which are in rare circulation or published in the remote past, and which have commentaries by or are the manuscripts of notable persons are considered "rare books." All Chinese language books published before 1911 and all foreign language books published over one hundred years ago are kept in the rare books collection. The definition of Chinese language rare books as used by the National Central Library (NCL) is derived from volume 141 (Tang dynasty Tian Hong-zheng's Zheng-jia-miao-bai) in Ouyang Hsiu's Wen-zhong-ji and based on opinions from experts and scholars.
1.2 How does your library authorize the designation of rare books based on the above definition? For example, does your library have a committee to designate rare books?
In accordance with Taiwan's Cultural Asset Preservation Law, other related laws and the above-mentioned methods, the NCL classifies potential acquisitions individually according to their historical, cultural, artistic or scientific value and relative rarity. The library also informs the competent agency at the central government level about books considered national treasures or which are important works of antiquity for its examination. The NCL has invited scholars and experts to appraise the rare books in its collection, and it has requested the competent authority to designate 12 titles as national treasures. An additional 437 titles have been designated as important works of antiquity, and the remaining works have been entered into the NCL's rare book catalog or catalog of general older books. All volumes are stored in the rare books collection.
2. About your library's rare books collection
2.1 How many titles/volumes of rare books does your library hold? How many of them are Western, Islamic or Far Eastern, etc?
Chinese rare books: 12,385 titles/126,292 volumes;
Older Chinese books: 10,054 titles/121,921 volumes;
Foreign language books published over 100 years ago: 2,031 titles/2,040 volumes.
2.2 Give some examples that are considered the most precious of your library's rare books collection.
Song tai-zong huang-di shi-lu (Song dynasty manuscript), Jin-shi kun-chong cao-mu zhuang (Ming dynasty color-block-printed edition), Zhu dong-po xian-sheng shih (Song dynasty block-printed edition), Nan-song qun-xian xiao-ji (Song dynasty block-printed edition), and Jin-gang-ban-re-bo-luo-mi-jing (Diamond Sutra; printed in the Yuan dynasty using red and black chromatography process). See attachment for more details.
3. Managing Department of Rare Books Collection
3.1 Is there any section or reading room which is dedicated only to rare book collections?
Yes
If yes, please give the name of the section and reading room.
- Rare Books Room;
- Special Collection Division
How many seats are there in the reading room and what hours is it open?
Seats: Six general reading seats; seven computer reading seats; and six microfilm reading seats.
Opening hours of the Rare Books Room: Tuesday to Saturday, 9:00-17:00
4. Terms of use of rare books collection
4.1 Do you prescreen applications to use the rare books collection?
For preservation purposes, the rare books in the NCL collection are generally available only in copied or microfilmed form. If there is a need for accessing the original work, a written application must be submitted to the library along with a research plan and statement of reason to request approval of use.
4.2 Are there any specific qualifications that you set up for users of your rare books collection, such as a doctoral degree?
Anyone with a library card can read materials in the Rare Books Room.
5. Photocopy service of rare books collection
5.1 How do you accept requests for photocopy of your rare books collection?
Others
- Reproductions from microfilm;
- Reproductions from digital files;
- Under special circumstances up to 10 pages of the original text may be copied (copying is handled by library staff) if such material is not available in microfilm or digital form.
5.2 How do you handle requests for color photocopy?
There is no color photocopying service for books in the Rare Books Room. Copying is offered from microfilm and photographic image materials. In cases with special approval, digital photographs may be taken of the original text without flash use.
6. Loan service of rare books
6.1 Do you loan out rare books?
All materials at the Rare Books Room can be read at the library if reproductions are available. The originals are not lent out except when absolutely necessary.
6.2 Do you loan out rare books for exhibitions?
Yes
If yes, do you loan out rare books to overseas institutions for exhibitions?
No
7. Management of rare books collection
7.1 Are there stacks or storage spaces which only store rare books?
Yes
If yes, what are the differences of the rare books stacks from other stacks?
- Rare books are fumigated to prevent pest damage and stored in Chinese cypress shelves (this type of wood deters insects and prevents damage to book).
- Storage facilities: Books are stored in temperature and moisture controlled rooms with non-UV lighting, fire prevention, theft prevention and 24-hour security and surveillance systems.
How large are the rare books stacks, and how many rare books can be stored in them?
844 square meters; 270,000 volumes
8. Cataloging of rare books collection
8.1 Which section/unit of your library does the cataloging work for rare books?
The Cataloging Division and Special Collection Division
8.2 Do you set any differences in cataloging rare books and other general books?
Chinese rare books and general older books are catalogued according to a special classification scheme based on the General Catalog of the Complete Collection in Four Treasuries; and western books over a century old are cataloged according to the same scheme as general books. Chinese rare books are catalogued more specifically than other works, and a metadata database is compiled for such works.
8.3 What formats of catalogs have been made for your rare books collections?
- Book catalog
- Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC)
- Others
1. Rare Books Image Search System
2. Bibliographic Database for Chinese Rare Books
9. Training of rare books librarians
9.1 Do you have any training courses specifically targeted for rare books librarians?
No (Not internally, though librarians attend related courses held by other organizations.)
9.2 If yes, who organizes the training courses?
Courses are organized by outside organizations, such as the Preparatory Office of the National Center for Research and Preservation of Cultural Properties and academic institutes commissioned by the Cabinet-level Council for Cultural Affairs.
10. Management of the reading room for your rare books collection
10.1 Are there any tools or equipment that are provided for readers of rare books in the reading room?
The Rare Books Room has six microfilm readers, eight computer terminals for searching collection resources, and one printer.
10.2 Are there any specific items that you prohibit users from bringing in or using in the reading room where the rare books collection is served? For example, ball point pens.
Yes
If yes, please specify
No pens or writing instruments of any kind may be brought into the Rare Books Room. However, pencils are provided to readers.
11. Microfilming and digitization of rare books collection
11.1 Have you done microfilming of your rare books collection? If yes, what percentage of your rare books collection has been microfilmed?
Most of the Chinese rare books in the library collection have been converted to microfilm. With duplicate volumes, the volume in the best condition, or which is of a preferable edition or has superior printing quality, is microfilmed. Most of the general older Chinese books are not microfilmed, and none of the older western volumes are microfilmed.
11.2 Have you done digitization of your rare books collection? If yes, what percentage of your rare books collection has been digitized?
About 53% of the Chinese rare books, 18% of the engraving rubbings, and 61% of the Dunhuang volumes have been digitized.
11.3 Have you created digital library collections? If yes, what percentage of your digital library collections is made of rare books?
About 10%
11.4 If you have created a digital library specialized in your rare books collection, please give the name and URL.
- Rare Books Image Search System:
http://rarebook.ncl.edu.tw/rbook.cgi/hypage.cgi?HYPAGE=home/rbook_home.htm - Bronze Rubbings Database: http://rarebook.ncl.edu.tw/rbookod/gold/
- Special Collection Online Exhibition Hall Website:
http://rarebook.ncl.edu.tw/rbookod/exhibition/hypage.cgi?HYPAGE=index.htm
Appendix
- Song tai-zong huang-di shi-lu: 12 volumes- Written by Chien Juo-shui, Yang Yi, et al.; imperial collection manuscript from the Lizong period of the Song dynasty; Qing period afterwords written by Chien Ta-hsin, Wu Ta-cheng, Weng Tung-he, and Fei Nien-tsu (This is the oldest manuscript in the NCL collection)
- Jin-shi kun-chong cao-mu zhuang: 27 volumes- Ming period illustration by WenChu; color manuscripts from 1617 to 1620
- Zhu dong-po xian-sheng shih: 19 volumes- Written by Su Shih in the Song period; annotated by Shih Yuan-chih and Ku Hsi; printed in 1213 by Huaidong Publishing House; Qing period annotations by 17 persons, including Weng Fang-gang, Yi Ping-shou, Li Wen-tsao, Liang Tung-shu, and Chiang Chih-chuan
- Nan-song qun-xian xiao-ji: 95 volumes- Written in the Song dynasty by Chen Chi; published between the Jiading and Jingding periods in the Lin-an prefecture by Chen Chieh-yuan.
- Jin-gang-ban-re-bo-luo-mi-jing (Diamond Sutra): 1 volume- Annotated in the Yuan dynasty by Ven. Master Ssu Tsung; printed in 1341 by the Zhongxing Road Zifu Temple using red and black chromatography process
Copyright (C)2006 National Central Library
