Transcript Post-1949 Chinese Local Gazetteers: Digitization and Collaborative Collection Susan Xue Hong Cheng Electronic Resources Librarian Chinese Studies Librarian University of California at University of California at Berkeley Los Angeles March.

Post-1949 Chinese Local Gazetteers:
Digitization and Collaborative Collection
Susan Xue
Hong Cheng
Electronic Resources Librarian
Chinese Studies Librarian
University of California at
University of California at
Berkeley
Los Angeles
March 25, 2010
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Post-1949 Chinese Local Gazetteers: Digitization
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Scope of new (post-1949) local
gazetteers
Compilation and publishing
Research value
Digitization and online availability
Strategy for collection
development
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Post-1949 Chinese Local Gazetteers: Digitization
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Scope
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Compilation started from 1950s, 250 counties had draft
version, only 29 titles officially published before 1966
By 2007, 5812 first-run new gazetteers at provincial, city
and county level (三级志) had been published, 99%
completion
Second-run gazetteers (续志) started in 2000. By 2007,
about 400 titles published, increase in vols., particularly
for county gazetteers
By 2002, over 4,000 (incomplete statistics) subject,
township and village gazetteers have been published
since 1949
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Post-1949 Chinese Local Gazetteers: Digitization
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Compilation and publishing
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New local gazetteers are financially
supported by governments
Compiled by experts/scholars organized
by governments
Distributed through commercial channels
Prices in a range of $10-$100 per vol.
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Post-1949 Chinese Local Gazetteers: Digitization
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Research value
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Record local histories in continuity. First-run gazetteers
ending time between 1985-1990, not time limit for
beginning time, most cover the Republic Era well
Use of archival, original and first-hand materials
Maps of localities
Statistical data hard to locate elsewhere for 1950s-70s
(party members, zhiqing numbers, commodity prices etc)
Sources of revenues and expenditures at local level
Accounts of historical events such as the Great Leap
Forward and the Cultural Revolution
Biography of well-known local figures
Natural disasters and damage caused
Development of infrastructure (housing, road, railways
etc.)
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Post-1949 Chinese Local Gazetteers: Digitization
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Digitization
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Digitization of new local gazetteers
Officially started in 2001
In 2006 “The Regulation on the Work of
Local Gazetteers” requires new gazetteers
accessible through database/website
Official website of China Local Gazetteers
Steering Group created in 2006, with links
to provincial gazetteers websites
http://www.difangzhi.cn/
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Post-1949 Chinese Local Gazetteers: Digitization
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Full-text online availability
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20 provinces have created shengqing
database 省情数据库
 Among them, 11 have all, two have some
provincial gazetteers in full-text, other
seven have catalogs
 Five provinces have all city/county
gazetteers in full-text, eight provinces have
some city/county gazetteers in full-text
Table: Full-text New Gazetteers Online
Availability
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Post-1949 Chinese Local Gazetteers: Digitization
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Post-1949 Chinese Local Gazetteers: Digitization
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Post-1949 Chinese Local Gazetteers: Digitization
Strong points of digitized gazetteers:
 Convenient alternatives from print version
 If preserved and accessible by the public,
print version would not be critical
Weak points of digitized gazetteers:
 Not yet completed
 Some searchable, most only viewable by
chapter/section, no original texts
 Difficulty to browse a book quickly
 Unstable
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Post-1949 Chinese Local Gazetteers: Digitization
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Strategy for collection
development
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Explore options of preserving digital version of new
gazetteers by using web archiving technology (California
Digital Library Web Archiving project)
Provide access to digital new gazetteers once preserved
(cataloging/web presence)
At present, digital gazetteers are not stable, libraries
cannot take the risk and totally rely on it
Pursue collaboration in collecting print new gazetteers
among libraries, keep at least one print copy in UC
system
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Post-1949 Chinese Local Gazetteers: Collaborative Collection
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Challenge in Collecting Printed
Chinese Local Gazetteers
Collaborative Collection as a
Solution
Expansion and Extension
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Post-1949 Chinese Local Gazetteers: Collaborative Collection
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Challenge in Collecting Printed
Chinese Local Gazetteers
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Explosion of Local Gazetteer Publishing
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Increasing Needs from Users
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Shrinking of Acquisition Funding
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According to the Yearbook
of Local Gazetteers 2008,
the total number of the
first round gazetteers
published at the county
level or higher reached
5,812 titles by 2007, which
did not included the titles
below the county level.
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Post-1949 Chinese Local Gazetteers: Collaborative Collection
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Collaborative Collection as a
Solution
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UC Berkeley and UCLA Collaboration
Common Collection at Province and
County Levels
Collaborative Collection at In-Between and
Sub-County Levels
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Post-1949 Chinese Local Gazetteers: Collaborative Collection
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Expansion and Extension
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Collaboration Strengthens Collection
Expansion of Local Gazetteer Collection:
Grassroots Gazetteers
Local gazetteers below the county Level
Town 鎮
District 區
Township 鄉
Commune 社
Brigade 隊
Village 村
Street Community 街道
Neighborhood Community 社區/里弄
Not Including Corporation, Factory, school, hospital, etc.
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Post-1949 Chinese Local Gazetteers: Collaborative Collection
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Expansion and Extension
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Collaboration Strengthens Collection
Expansion of Local Gazetteer Collection:
Grassroots Gazetteers
Extension of Local Gazetteer Collection:
Post-1949 Chinese Genealogies
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新版《孔子世家谱》在山东曲阜孔庙举行颁谱仪式
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Post-1949 Chinese Local Gazetteers: Digitization and
Collaborative Collection
Thank You
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