Skip to Main Content

East Asian Collections: Chinese Collection

Collection Overview - The Chinese Collection

The East Asian Collection at Davis Library was established in 1964 when UNC began teaching courses on East Asia. The University of North Carolina and nearby Duke University have been sharing area studies library resources since the 1930s, and have agreed early on to share the responsibility of East Asian collection development. UNC concentrates on developing Chinese resources for both schools, while Duke focuses on Japanese material. The scope of this ongoing partnership includes not only library resources, but extends to various library services as well.  At present, UNC library boasts one of the largest Chinese collections in the South, with a total holding of more than 200,000 volumes in print. The library is also actively expanding our collection to acquire digital resources and image materials, such as eBooks, databases, films, microforms and maps from East Asia in order to support the growing academic programs in Asian studies. 

UNC library's Chinese collection is strongest in the following areas:

  • Chinese language and literature from the Tang Dynasty (the 7th century) up to the modern time
  • History from the late imperial period (1368) to the present day
  • Art
  • Archaeology and Cultural Heritage resources that include regional focuses
  • Religion,  with emphasis on Buddhism, Confucianism, Daoism, and Shintoism
  • Cinema and Media, social sciences that include Chinese Medicine (since the late 1990s+)

Finding Chinese Material

Chinese materials at Davis Library are shelved together with other language materials by Call Number (Library of Congress' subject classifications).

The catalog is searchable in Chinese as well as pinyin.

Keyword search example: 

East Asian Librarian

Profile Photo
Jacqueline Solis
My pronouns are she/her.
Contact:
Davis Library Research & Instructional Services

Office: 126 Davis Library

(919) 962-3822