Celebrating Thirty Years of East Asian Collections

This exhibit celebrates the creation of the East Asian Collection at Duke University Libraries. Although informal collecting had always occurred at Duke, the Libraries began a distinct focus on East Asian collecting in 1990 with the hiring of the first Japanese Studies Librarian, Dr. Kristina Troost, followed by a Chinese Studies Librarian in 1996, and a Korean Studies Librarian in 2007. The collection has grown from 20,000 to over 200,000 volumes, and the Libraries now have the largest Japanese collection south of Washington, D.C. 

The David M. Rubenstein Rare Book and Manuscript Library’s collection for East Asia predates the founding of the East Asian Collection. As the program has grown in recent years, it has added new areas, such as historical maps, Zen in America, and archival photography. Materials from the seventeenth century to the present illuminate the varied cultures and societies of East Asia. Some shed light on Westerners’ understanding of East Asian culture, though more recent acquisitions, produced by East Asians, have been equally valuable for our understanding.

Curated by Kristina Troost, Japanese Studies Librarian, Luo Zhou, Chinese Studies Librarian, and Miree Ku, Korean Studies Librarian