International Collaboration on Digitization of Rare Chinese Books at National Central Library: Models and Outcomes

Abstract

With a collection of unique and rare books and extensive experience in their digitization, National Central Library (NCL) has since 2001 established itself as a leader in this effort. As such the Asian Division of the Library of Congress (LC) invited NCL to collaborate on digitizing important rare Chinese books in its collection. NCL had previously established an objective to collect unique and valuable resources on Chinese studies from around the world, and thus engage in international projects to digitize collections of rare Chinese books. The collaboration with LC marked one of the first of NCL's digitization project. The project began in 2005 and ended in 2012, during which a total of 2,025 titles of rare books were digitized and made available on the internet. In 2010 and 2011, the University of Washington and the University of California Berkeley also signed an agreement with NCL to collaborate on additional rare Chinese books digitization projects. This paper outlines NCL's current modus operandi, cites successful examples, and delineates current fruitful outcomes and value-added applications. It is hoped that this may serve as useful information for others who are also seeking international collaboration projects for digital archives.