WU Libraries: East Asian Library, Collections

East Asian Library: About the Library and Collections

General Information | Locations of Library Materials | Floor Maps | About Online Catalog | Library Photos

The East Asian Library is serving the Washington University community as part of the Washington University Libraries. It serves the information and research needs of the WU East Asian studies programs. It also supports the Joint Center for East Asian Studies of Washington University and the University of Missouri-St. Louis' academic programs.

The East Asian Library consists almost entirely of materials in the Chinese, Japanese, and Korean languages. (Materials in western languages related to East Asia are mainly shelved in the Olin Library). Special strengths are in the fields of languages, literature, history, philosophy, religion, and art history. The collection contains about 157,000 volumes of books and bound periodicals, 325 CD-ROMs, 3,350 microfiches, and 1,450 reels of microfilm materials relating to China, Japan, and Korea, complemented by a broad range of electronic resources. (About 22,000 volumes of back runs of periodicals and other lesser used materials are shelved in the West Campus Library.)

Library's special holdings include the Robert S. Elegant Collection, primarily the assorted files of clippings of newspapers, magazines, and news releases covering the period of the Chinese Cultural Revolution (1966-1970); Nelson I. Wu's collection on East Asian art and architecture, and Chinese history, literature, and culture; and Thomas Temple Hoopes' collection on Japanese sword and Japanese art history.

The Adeline S. Boyd Collection of Asian Art consists of English language books on Asian art, which were donated by Mrs. Boyd to the Dept. of East Asian Languages and Cultures and temporarily shelved in the East Asian Library Reading Room (next to the Circulation counter). This collection is for use in the reading room only.

(East Asian Library Photos)

Library Location. Locations of the Library Materials. Library floor maps.

The East Asian Library is located in January Hall (see campus map), on the second floor, just southwest of the Quadrangle, north of the McDonnell Science Building. It can be reached by stairs beginning on the ground level by the University College offices. (about January Hall)

Wheelchair access is provided by elevator from the ground and all succeeding levels to the 3rd floor of Ridgley Hall, then over the bridge to the reading room of the Library, which is adjacent to the stacks.

Locations of the library materials
EAsia General Stacks	1st Level (call numbers N,P); 2nd Level (B,D-M,Q-V); 3rd Level (A,C); Basement (Z)
EAsia Folio	1st Level
EAsia Reference	Reading Room
EAsia Periodicals	Reading Room (current issues); 3rd Level (Bound issues)
EAsia Special Coll	2nd Level
EAsia CD-ROM	Circulation Desk
EAsia Reserve	Circulation Desk
EAsia Microform	Circulation Desk
EAsia Pop Lit.	Basement

Library floor maps.

Library Online Catalog

"Washington University Libraries Catalog (new)" and "Classic Catalog" are available in the library, in other libraries on campus, and by remote access. (Please use the "Classic Catalog" to do the searches in CJK characters.) Records for Chinese/Japanese/Korean (CJK) materials display in both vernacular and transliterated forms:

The Library uses the Library of Congress classification system, except for some materials acquired prior to 1969, which use the Harvard-Yenching classification system.