By Michelle Lee
Historic Asian American archival materials, rare Asian books and a makerspace were just some of the highlights from the Asian Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA) Northeast Chapter field trip to Princeton University Library on October 20, 2023.
A group of 17 visiting librarians and library staffers from New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut had the opportunity to visit Princeton University’s Harvey S. Firestone Memorial Library, the main campus library with a focus on the humanities and social sciences and one of the largest open-stack libraries in the country with more than 70 miles of bookshelves.
Attendees were welcomed by former APALA board member Anu Vedantham, Assistant University Librarian for Teaching, Research and Social Sciences.
Vedantham noted the Firestone Library’s lobby, the library exhibition galleries, and the Cotsen’s Children’s Library are open to the public, and the library collections could be accessed by external researchers.
A collection of recent novels, memoirs, and essays by Asian American, Asian Canadian, and Hawaiian authors were on display in the library classroom. APALA visitors, Princeton staff, and one undergraduate student/future librarian were encouraged to network with each other with a bingo game designed by Natalie Lau, Library Collections Specialist.
The tour included a viewing of many unique Asian and Asian American items and archival materials from Firestone Library, Princeton University Library’s Special Collections, East Asian Library and Gest Collection; and a walk through the vast East Asian Library, which contains more than 700,000 books in Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Western languages along with thousands of periodicals, journals, and reels of microfilm, among other items.
Religious books in the collection include a pustaha divination book from the Batak people in Indonesia, an ornate Burmese manuscript carved into ivory, and a Nepali Sanskrit palm leaf manuscript.
One early example of Asian American literature at Princeton University is a Chinese language copy of Songs of Gold Mountain (金山歌集), a collection of Cantonese folk songs. This particular book was printed in San Francisco, CA, in 1921 and is one of the few surviving copies left, said Joshua Seufert, Chinese Studies Librarian.
Other Asian American archival materials highlighted by Processing Archivist, Amy C. Vo, include Chinatown photographs, postcard photograph portraits and stereograph cards from San Francisco and Sacramento, CA, dating to the 1860s-1910s; photographic prints from the Ulli Steltzer Papers of The New Americans project; a painting by, and yearbooks of, Japanese Americans incarcerated in U.S. World War II concentration camps; and the archival collection Princeton University Asian American Student Records, which documents the student organization’s efforts to develop an Asian American Studies program and other campus activities.
Comics and illustrated books are popular items at the East Asian Library, said Setsuko Noguchi, Japanese Studies Librarian. One early example on display was a 17th-century scroll of the Nijushiko (24 Models of Filial Piety) with detailed drawings of Confucian moral teachings.
Another book Noguchi showed was an elaborately illustrated 1848 copy of Kanaymomi Hakkenden (Eight Dogs) by Tamenaga Shunsui, the retelling of the popular epic novel series, Nanso Satomi Hakkenden, about eight “dog” samurai warriors that took author Takizawa Bakin nearly 30 years to complete.
Newer East Asian Library acquisitions include a collection of large COVID-19 political posters from China, which emphasize public safety and depict health care workers in heroic images or manga style, Seufert said.
Another part of the Princeton visit included a brief presentation about Princeton University Library’s commitment and efforts to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) given by Ufuoma Abiola, Executive Head and Associate University Librarian for DEI.
Abiola discussed Princeton University Library’s DEI Action Plan including a data-driven strategic approach to advance DEI at Princeton University Library that is currently underway, shared the Library’s DEI Statement, and referenced the Princeton University DEI Annual Report.
In September 2020, Princeton University President, Christopher L. Eisgruber, and the University Cabinet (a group of senior academic and administrative leaders) pledged to “combat systemic racism at Princeton and beyond” and launched several new initiatives to increase diversity among faculty, lecturers, graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and suppliers/service contractors; and “strengthen support for ongoing anti-racism and diversity-related professional development and other educational opportunities for the campus community,” according to the campus announcement.
The day ended with a visit to the PUL Makerspace, former library stacks that have been transformed in a campus community center where students, faculty, and staff can use various creative equipment, including 3-D printers and 3-D scanner, tools, a large-format printer, sewing station, digital cameras, a virtual reality exploration room, two audio-video studios, building toys like Legos and crafting supplies to make jewelry and buttons.
Willow Dressel, Engineering Librarian, explained that the drop-in makerspace “lowers the entry barriers” for students, faculty, and staff to learn how to use the various maker technology, offers equipment training and encourages collaboration among all different people on the Princeton campus from beginners to tech experts.
On a personal note, I found the trip to be a rewarding experience. I enjoyed the opportunity to meet new colleagues, find out more about Princeton University Library’s DEI efforts, and learn more about the unique library collections. It was also fun to explore the Princeton makerspace – it seems like a great, stress-free way for the campus community to participate in various aspects of maker-culture, similar to makerspaces at public libraries.
Editing assistance by Anu Vedantham and Amy Vo.