Guide to Philadelphia Area English Language Primary Resources on East Asia

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This guide and the accompanying database were originally constructed by Jason Oaks from 2008 to 2009 for Professor Paul Smith's Spring 2009 class titled "English-language Historical Sources on East Asia and the World", taught at Haverford College. However it may serve as a helpful guide for anyone wishing to research East Asian history using material available in Phiadelphia.

This site focuses primarily on JAPAN and CHINA, though references for Korea and Vietnam also appear throughout this site, albeit at a much lower frequency.

The primary goal of this website is to act as a guide to unique primary resources (i.e. manuscript collections, etc.) in the Philadelphia area. As such, aside from the section on materials at Haverford's library, it does not attempt to locate published materials (books, magazines, journals) that would be available at multiple libraries, however old or rare those books might be.

This also means that this site should act as a starting point, not an end point, for any interested researchers. Though it does contain some excerpts from local collections, these are meant as only a 'taste' of what is available at the actual research location, and by no means represent the full breadth of information available at any site. No research should be based on excerpts found on this website alone.

We hope that this site provides a useful jumping-off point for many research projects. However often the most valuable research tool available are the librarians who take care of these collections - their knowledge and experience is often much more useful than any printed (or online) guide could ever be. Researchers are encouraged to make an appointment with librarians to discuss their work and ask for advice about relevent materials.

Getting Started

Getting off of Haverford's Campus

The main goal of this project is to encourage students to conduct research off of Haverford's campus. Most of the non-Tri College research sites mentioned here are all withing walking distance of the regional rail stations in Center City Philadelphia.

R5 Stations near Haverford College
R5 Schedule (PDF) | Weekday | Saturday | Sunday | (Be sure to take the train towards Paoli/Thorndale when returning to Haverford from Philadelphia)

The Swarthmore library can be reached using the Tri-Co Van, and Bryn Mawr by the Blue Bus.

General Tips for Archival Research

Locating Materials

As it is evident on this website, because many collections are so old, there is rarely one central location that houses all the information available about a particular library's resources.

Card Catalogs remain an important source of information. The files are usually organized by keywords and names. Remember, these were compiled as early as the 1920's, so as one librarian put it, "think like they would have back then" when deciding on which term to search under. Many phrases and place names that were popular then and are used in card catalogs have fallen out of regular use today. You cannot just search "Hong Kong" but must also search "Canton". The same holds true for Peking (Beijing) and other words.
Online Catalogs will feel most familiar to people accustomed to searching for books or article online. They work pretty much the same way as any other online library search engine.

Finding Aids

If you haven't done archival research before, these may be new to you, but they're very important. After locating a collection with card catalogs or with an online catalog, its time to look at the specific journal or book that interests you (see Accessing Material, below). But some collections are so large there are stored in over 40 boxes. How do you know which box you need?

Finding Aids give a detailed list of the subjects covered in a collection, as well as the major people mentioned or involved, date ranges, and object descriptions. These will tell you which box contains what material, and thus if the collection contains more than one box, you MUST consult this before filling out a call slip.

Also, printed finding aids are obviously out-dated as soon as new material is added to a collection. Often it pays to ask and check if this has happened.

Accessing Material

Unlike regular circulation libraries, special collections libraries have closed stacks, which means that the researcher cannot browse the shelves himself. A call slip (see below) must be filled out and submitted to the librarian working the call-desk. The librarian will then retrieve the material and make it available to you. Usually you can only call three boxes at a time, and only open one box at a time.

Oftentimes, libraries have an internal catalog that us regular people can’t access. So if you can’t find the specific box location, etc. of a item, be sure to ask – there’s a good chance the information is available to someone else. Or you can just write down as much information as possible on the call slip and trust the staff will be able to find what you're looking for.

Search Terms

Be creative when searching databases. Don't just type in "China" or "Japan" but also think of names, places, events, and companies that might be involved. As Roy Goodman from the APS suggested, get creative by looking at topics like Plants from Asia, Weather and Natural Disasters (Floods, etc.), Silk Culture/Agro Culture, etc.

Gloves

Most libraries require you to wear gloves when handling old pictures. You may feel a bit like Mickey Mouse, but its worth it (and required).

Foam Book Rests

Old books with decaying bindings can be damaged if they are repeatedly opened flat on a desk to read. If you are handling old, bound books, please use foam book rests that prop open the book and keep the wear and tear to a minimum.

Transliterations of Chinese and Japanese into English

One of the most challenging aspects of conducting research on Chinese and Japanese names in English language resources is that vocabulary and transliteration schemes have changed dramatically over the years. For example, for many years there was no standard way to write Chinese words in English until the Wade-Giles system was invented. In the 1950's, Pinyin was introduced by the PRC government and has gradually overtaken Wade-Giles as the system of choice. However, even today some names like Jiang Kai-shek continue to be written in Wade-Giles, and Peking (Beijing), which ascribes to neither system, remains popular as well. There is no sure way to predict which spelling will be used, and the researcher should always use terms written with both systems when searching. A Wade-Giles - Pinyin conversion table is availble here.

Also, remember China has been referred to by many different names including Cathay, as well as its dynasty's names (like Qing or Ming or Tang). Beyond that, however, you should also search using "Asia", "Canton", "Tartary", "Cathay", "Chyna", etc.

What's the difference between manuscripts and published material?

Perhaps it is unclear, as it was to me when I first started out researching, what is the difference between manuscripts and published books. Many Special Collections repositories hold rare books that can be very useful in research and may not be available in regular circulation libraries due to their rareness or fragility. However, these differ substantially from manuscript collections, which are the personal papers of a group or individual that were never published. While you may be able to find many old published diaries, manuscript collections contain the original, handwritten diary of an individual along with the original photographs. Original hand written shipping records and correspondence between individuals are other items found in manuscript collections. Archives of organizations are another collection found in Special Collections that are not available in circulating collections. Locations like Haverford Special Collections have both types -- rare books and manuscripts.

(By the way, you'll see RG a lot in the call numbers for manuscript collections - it means Record Group, and each manuscript collection has its own RG number. The same thing for Ms. Coll.--it means Manuscipt Collection)

Microfilm

Don't neglect to search for microfilm as well. It may seem old fashioned, but there's still a wealth of information out there available in this medium.

What you can't do

When in the restricted access area of libraries (i.e. where you read manuscripts), you can bring a laptop computer, notebook/paper, pencil (no pens!), and sometimes digital camera (see below). Nothing else. You must leave your bag at a locker before entering the research section of the building. Of course food and even bottled water are also prohibited inside. Sometimes you bag will be subjected to a search. NB: The US government archives are especially strict. You cannot even have food/drink in your bag while it is in the locker. So either don't bring your lunch with you, or finish it before you walk through the door. It goes without saying that guns and knives are off-limits too.

Making Appointments

This is always easier said than done, but it really does pay to plan your visit weeks in advance. As mentioned before, nothing is more valuable than talking with a librarian. It is not necessary, but by emailing ahead you can plan a meeting with a librarian (at some locations) and he/she can even brainstorm a list of useful materials. Some locations have the time to give you extensive help, others might not. But it doesn't hurt to at least ask.

It should also be said that at some locations its optional to make an appointment, and if you wanted you COULD work mostly independently (i.e. HSP). However, other locations like NARA practically necessitate that you make an appointment because the staff is so helpful in finding necessary material. Check my recommendations on each page.

Even if you don't have time to make an appointment, make sure to ask for an orientation after you arrive if it is your first visit to an location.

A library's culture

Dovetailing off of that last comment, it may sound kind of goofy, but each location has its own ideosyncracies and you need to get used to them before you can research successfully.

For example, there are some places (HSP) where you are expected to work completely on your own and have knowledge of which exact box you want when you go to the request desk. At other places (like NARA), I spoke with a librarian and she identified items, filled out call forms, and pulled the boxes for me without me doing anything (though I had to initial the sheets). I just told her what I was looking for, and she came up with a bunch of recommendations on her own. So it depends on where you are and the attitude of librarians.

Copies

Most libraries will photocopy any manuscript material for you at a cost (around 50 cents per page). Some will even let you bring your own digital camera and take pictures of the material (no flash!). Some charge for this privelege, others allow it for free.

Entrance Fees and ID requirement

Don't show up to these libraries with just your notebook. Most require a small payment (see the individual pages for details) and ID as well.

PhillyResearch.net

PACSCL is a 33 member consortium of Philadelphia area libraries (including all those listed on this site) that has recently set up PhillyResearch.net. This online database provides five different methods for conducting online searches for manuscript collections at these sites. These online resources are very good, but none of them are complete, and they should be used in conjunction with any search engine provided on a particular library's own website.

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Haverford College: Homepage | History Department | East Asian Studies Department (Bi-Co)

Professor Paul Smith: Profile | Home Page