The Charles W. Wason Collection on East Asia Celebrates Its 90th Anniversary
Dan McKee
Cornell University’s focus on East Asia is nearly as old as the university itself, but it wasn’t until 1918, the year of Charles W. Wason’s bequest of his personal library on China, together with an endowment for its care and growth, that this important world area became an established collecting focus in the library. This year, we celebrate the 90th anniversary of the founding of The Charles W. Wason Collection on East Asia with an academic conference, and an ongoing exhibition featuring the history and treasures of the collection. The combined library/Chinese social sciences conference was held from November 7-9 with resounding success. The following article outlines some highlights of the Wason 90th exhibition, which will be viewable in Olin/Kroch library until the new year.
The Birth of the Wason Collection
On Christmas Day, 1909, Charles W. Wason (1854-1918, Cornell 1876) received as a gift from his mother-in-law a newly published book titled Letters from China. Wason, whose curiosity regarding Asia had led him on a pleasure cruise to China earlier in the decade, had just retired as president of a railway company, and was seeking a pleasurable, productive way to spend his twilight years. The gift stirred something in Wason, bringing together his love of books and intellectual adventure with his fascination with China. As he read through it, entranced, a goal began to form in Wason’s mind: he would devote the remainder of his days to gathering every available material in western languages on China, and devote himself to the cause of promoting better understanding of China in the United States. Over the next nine years, with assistance from book dealer Arthur H. Clark, Wason amassed a fantastic collection of materials on China. So large did the collection grow that the Wasons had to expand their Cleveland home, adding a third floor library with Chinese architectural touches. Avidly collecting every type of material on China, pamphlets, documents, maps and articles in addition to books, Wason lovingly shaped his collection, sorting his loose materials and having them privately bound in scores of volumes, with his own, typewritten tables of contents. The official Wason portrait is thought to be from 1873.
Original Wason family library in Cleveland
Even as he compiled his “China Collection” as a delightful hobby, however, Wason was aware of its higher purpose. Speaking to the Cornell Alumni Association in Cleveland, Wason defined his goals: “to bring China and the U.S. into closer intellectual relations” and “to 
promote the friendly relations of two great countries.” Bequeathing not only the collection but also a substantial endowment for its care and development to the Cornell University Library, Wason gave his mission lasting power. Shortly after his passing in 1918, the Wason Collection was established, with close to ten thousand books on China, including over five hundred manuscripts and one thousand pamphlets in Wason’s distinctive self-bound volumes, as well as innumerable documents, drawings, maps, and a select number of rare, one-of-a-kind objects. Although the Cornell Library already had some representation of East Asian materials through gifts made in 1912 and 1914, the Wason bequest immediately set Cornell apart from most other academic libraries in this field, and established China as an important focal point for the library and the university as a whole. Today the East Asian collection at Cornell is among the best of its kind in North America, consistently ranking in the top ten in North America for its size, in addition to the quality and uniqueness of many of its resources. See the Wason seal to the right.
The Treasures of the Initial Wason Bequest
The China collection that Charles Wason put together in the last decade of his life is unique among the founding collections of East Asian libraries in consisting mostly of materials in European languages. Wason’s initial collecting goal was to form a library for his own use, and secondarily to create a library for curious Americans, not necessarily scholars, who wished to learn about China. In his attempt to acquire all available western language materials, however, Wason made some extraordinary discoveries and acquisitions. His personal library included, for example, original documents, journals and drawings related to Lord Macartney’s mission from England to China between 1792 and 1794, a historically important attempt to open China to European markets that failed momentously. Pictured above is the Ship Log of the Macartney mission with an original drawing. Also in the original Wason library were some of the earliest accounts of China from Portuguese and Spanish missionaries, as well as the first Chinese-English dictionary, published in three parts between 1815 and 1823.
Although the vast majority of the China-related materials Wason collected were in western languages, perhaps the greatest treasures of his initial bequest were original Chinese materials. These included several volumes of the Yongle dadian, the remnants of a massive intellectual project undertaken from 1403, which attempted to capture in written form every branch of intellectual knowledge in the period. A hand copy of the more than eleven thousand volumes originally in the Yongle dadian was made in 1567, but like the original, was itself subsequently mostly destroyed. The volumes housed in the Cornell University Library are five of only about four hundred known in the world today.
A page from the Yongle dadian, the great classic of the Yongle era, considered one of the Wason masterpieces
Other Major Benefactors of the Wason Collection
Several years before the establishment of the Wason Collection, two major gifts to the Cornell University Library supplemented East Asian holdings and remain significant and unique segments of the collection to this day. In 1912, Cornell student and future leader of the new cultural movement in China, Hu Shih, presented 300 titles in Chinese to Cornell with the Chinese Student Association, including the library’s first sets of Chinese classics. In 1914, prolific author and minister of Ithaca’s First Congregational Church, William Elliot Griffis, donated his private library of Japanese books, with over 300 titles. Assembled largely during his years as an educator in Japan in the 1870s, the Griffis collection includes numerous literary, historical, and artistic books of great importance. Highlights of his collection include a number of seventeenth century imprints of literary works, illustrated books by masters of graphic design such as Katsushika Hokusai and Utagawa Toyokuni I, popular literary fiction of the Tokugawa era by Santo Kyoden and Takizawa Bakin, and early works on Christianity, including an illegally published Japanese hymnal with the Lord’s Prayer, ca.1873.
Tales of Ise, 1779, from the Griffis Collection
In more recent times, the late-developing Japanese and Korean portions of the Wason Collection have benefited from major acquisitions and donations. In 1997, the Wason Collection was able to acquire the private library of renowned Japanese literary scholar and social critic Maeda Ai. The Maeda collection includes many rare works of popular fiction and literature from the late Tokugawa through the Meiji periods (ca.1830s to 1910s), chronicling changing tastes, technologies, book formats, and roles of the reader in the transition to the modern. One outstanding work in the collection is the private diaries, pictured above, of Narushima Ryuhoku, a pioneering author and journalist of the late nineteenth century. The emerging Korean collection at Cornell, which recently cleared the ten thousand volume hurdle, has been aided in part by the generous support of the Cho Family, who also provided funding for a graduate student study room in Kroch Library.
The Present and Future of the Wason Collection
Though the Wason Collection preserves innumerable rare and one-of-a-kind artifacts, its greatest assets as a research library serving Cornell University depend less upon select bibliographic treasures than the breadth and depth of its holdings in the social sciences and humanities, as well as its responsiveness to the needs of the academic community and changes in the world of information retrieval. The collection currently holds more than 600,000 volumes, in addition to a substantial amount of non-bound material, such as DVDs, microform, and CD-ROM based materials. While the “stacks” remain the most visible part of Kroch East Asian library, with an arrangement of books by subject matter rather than language or country facilitating cross-national browsing, the Wason collection has begun to extend beyond the confines of the physical library itself. The China-Japan-Korea collections now subscribe to over twenty online databases, and make efforts to catalog outstanding resources available in the public domain online. With valuable East Asian materials becoming increasingly available online, with the consequent ability to search for key terms within and across texts, researchers are enabled to do more work from home or office, accessing and interacting with texts in unprecedented ways.
Conference group photo
In this age of globalization brought about by rapid exchanges of goods and information, the area library will have new and important roles to play. Recently, scholars in almost every discipline in the humanities have been turning to the East Asian library to verify or qualify their assumptions and beliefs, explore their specializations in a comparative framework, and to discover new sources of knowledge. Similarly, as familiarity with diverse world areas becomes increasingly important in political, legal, and business dealings, 
the wealth of area-specific information the East Asian library makes available is of growing significance. Finally, as diverse cultures begin to encounter one another, negotiate differences, and borrow from one another’s strengths and depths, it is more vital than ever that knowledge of world areas be readily available. If the emerging “global culture” is to be more than just the imprint of American capitalism, it is essential that the various possibilities for ways of life and thought that the distinct regions of the world offer be recognized and understood. The circumstances of the world order have shifted dramatically since Wason’s foundational and visionary gift ninety years ago, but his original ideal of cross-cultural understanding and respect remains valid and vital in our day.
An example of non book-format materials in the Wason collection; article photographs by Dan McKee
Hospitality Insight: New Blog at Hotel Library
Ken Bolton
Recently, a Hotel School faculty member mentioned that he had an academic background in finance, not hospitality, so he wanted to know how to keep up with news and current events in the hospitality industry. A few days later, a Student Services staff member from the Hotel School asked the same question. A similar question from a student in a library workshop soon followed. It was becoming obvious that a current awareness tool for the hospitality industry was needed.
To fill this need, the Nestlé Library started a blog called Hospitality Insight. After several rounds of discussion about the different options available for communicating with our patron groups, the library decided that a blog made the most sense. In addition to being easy to set up and maintain, blogs have many benefits, including:
- easy for multiple content providers to contribute
- automatic archiving by category and date
- users can enter comments and generate online discussions
- RSS feeds allow content to be automatically sent to users
Additionally, we felt that a blog would make Nestlé library more relevant to our patrons, who use social technology tools (blogs, wikis, podcasts, etc.) in their everyday lives. The ability to subscribe to the blog through RSS feeds was an especially strong selling point in our decision to go with the blog format.
To begin the process, we looked at dozens of academic library blogs (including a few at CUL) to find the right fit for our needs. Our vision was a blog that focuses on library resources but is not limited to the library. As a result, our posts also include a mixture of current industry news and developments in the hospitality field, including research from our own Hotel School faculty. Our goal is to reach a wider academic community--in fact, we currently have several subscribers from other universities. We have also used Hospitality Insight as a communication tool to get the word out to Hotel School students about library workshops, hospitality databases, career tips, new books, and more. To facilitate the subscription capabilities, we have offered classes to students and staff of the Hotel School on setting up their own RSS feeds. Hospitality Insight was also featured in August as part of the new-student orientation to the library.
It was important from the beginning to keep all library staff members engaged in the project. Circulation staff member Vanessa Ng provided the photographic artwork and Ken Bolton set up the template using the free WordPress application. Several staff members have provided content for the blog.
As we move forward with Hospitality Insight, we hope to broaden its use. Possible ideas include inviting students and faculty to serve as “guest bloggers” and to include different types of content, such as interviews with industry professionals. We have received many positive comments about our blog and we hope to see it continue to grow and evolve as an effective current awareness tool.
Screenshot by Ken Bolton; head shot and blog photograph by Vanessa Ng
Unit in the Spotlight: Nestle Library, School of Hotel Administration
From left: Derrick Brown, Ken Bolton, Jessica Hines, Jeff Shampnois, Karen Bobbett, and Don Schnedeker; not pictured, Vanessa Ng; photograph by Vanessa Ng
People News
WELCOME
The Law Library welcomes Amy Emerson to the Law School and CUL. Amy started in early November as Research Attorney and Lecturer in Law. She will teach legal research courses and provide faculty and student research services. Amy holds her JD from Syracuse College of Law (cum laude) and her MLS from Syracuse School of Information Studies. Her previous positions include Assistant Director, Fair Housing of Central New York, attorney for Thaler & Thaler (Ithaca) and Mannion & Copani (Syracuse) with a specialty in real estate law, and lecturer in legal research at Ithaca College.
The Engineering Library has a new staff member, Richard Hallett, the new weekend supervisor. Richard has a BA in music from Bard College. He comes to us from a similar position at the University of Arkansas Library. Richard is a busy musician, and you will probably see him out and about performing!
Chris Manly has joined the Division of Library Information Technologies to fill our temporary programmer/analyst position. Most recently Chris worked as Systems and Network Administrator at QFS Asset Management in Greenwich, CT, but many of us know Chris from his five-year stint as a Systems Administrator for Systems and Operations in Cornell Information Technologies. Chris has a BA in science and technology studies from Cornell. Chris will primarily be working on DLIT's system administration tasks.
Rebecca Utz recently joined LTS Acquisitions as a part-time technical services assistant in the receiving unit. Rebecca also holds a second part-time position with Mann Library, where she assists in editing the VIVO database and the CALS Research portal. Prior to Cornell, Rebecca worked in the serials department at the University of California, Davis. Rebecca holds a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Oregon and her interests include theater and costume design.
PROMOTIONS
Glen Wiley has been promoted to Chief Metadata Specialist.
TRANSFERS
Pat Miller comes to the Engineering Library from the Vet Library as the new administrative and collections support manager. She has worked many years at Vet and other CU Libraries and Engineering is very glad to have her!
Paw Pha and Richard Paige have transferred from O/K/U Collection Maintenance to Mann Library to continue working on the Google digitization project.
CHANGES
I am pleased to announce that beginning November 15 Marty Schlabach will be returning to Mann Library as Head of Collection Development. He will be based in the Mann Services and Collections group, and will also serve as the liaison to the Geneva and Entomology communities. Marty is known for his strong service orientation and his extensive knowledge of the resources in Mann's life sciences subject areas. We are very pleased that he will be able to serve the Cornell community in this key position. Please welcome Marty in his new role. (Mary Ochs)
Date: Wed, 08 Oct 2008
To: cu-lib
From: Scott Wicks
Subject: Staffing changes in LTS
The LTS Senior Management Team is pleased to announce some organizational and staff changes that we believe will enhance our ability to serve the current and future information discovery needs of our users. The first change is organizational. The current Database Management Services (DMS) unit will be re-named Database Management and Metadata Services (DMMS). The new name reflects our recognition of the growing similarities between the work of two formerly separate administrative units. The move will leverage the rich experience of staff from DMS and the Metadata Services unit in working with both traditional and emerging metadata formats on a large scale. Jim LeBlanc will lead this expanded incarnation of his Database Management Services group.
Jim will be joined by both seasoned veterans and some up-and-coming new talents on his team. One of the vets is Adam Chandler, who will be joining DMMS as Database Management and E-Resources Librarian. Adam's assignment will focus on both LTS-wide automated data management operations in general and on e-resources management issues in particular. We are thrilled that Adam is returning to LTS, with his remarkable technical savvy, his energy, and his technical services experience.
We are also pleased to announce that Glen Wiley will be joining DMMS as Chief Metadata Specialist. Glen's in-depth knowledge of local metadata operations and metadata issues nationwide make him an excellent choice to lead the Library's current and upcoming initiatives in this area. He will be joined by Dianne Dietrich, LTS's Research Data and Metadata Librarian, the new kid on CUL's metadata block, whose intelligence, energy, and enthusiasm have made her a great addition to the Library. In addition, another Metadata Services veteran, Nancy Solla, will be joining the DMMS Batch Processing and Metadata Management Unit. Her experience in batchloading non-MARC metadata, her talent for design, and her background with Voyager make her another excellent addition to this group.
DMMS will not be the only group in LTS to expand both its roster and its skill set. Greg Nehler will be re-joining the copy cataloging unit of Cataloging Services, reporting to Lois Purcell. Greg will continue to work on metadata projects as needed, but he'll also work on maps cataloging, the ongoing effort to update WorldCat with CUL's serials holdings, non-print formats, and rush and priority items. Greg's diverse language skills and previous experience as a copy cataloger will make his return to this group both easier and very welcome. All of the changes take effect on October 15. Thank you.
CONGRATULATIONS
Congratulations to John Saylor on his appointment as AUL for Scholarly Resources & Special Collections.
"A search that reached around the globe revealed that the very best candidate for the position of Associate University Librarian for Scholarly Resources & Special Collections was an internal one," announced Anne Kenney last week. She continues, "I have accepted the search committee's unanimous recommendation that John Saylor be appointed the Associate University Librarian for Scholarly Resources & Special Collections, effective February 1. With this appointment, the senior leadership of the Library is now in place" (Take One, December 8, 2008). More on John in the new year, but congratulations John!
John shares the stage with, from left, his stepdaughter Gina, granddaughter Savannah, and wife Sue (photograph provided)
Carol Kammen, local historian and author of many books about Ithaca, Tompkins County and Cornell has just completed a new and very engaging historical study of Ithaca, Ithaca, A Brief History (Charleston: The History Press, 2008). It's now in the Cornell Campus Store. Carol used the Map Collection extensively in preparing the book and gave the Collection a very generous acknowledgement. She singled out two employees for special thanks: Howard Brentlinger, who splits his time as a Map Technician here and as an Administrative Assistant in CRIO. Howard manages the technical services workflow in the Map Collection and is also our railroad expert. He was able to help Carol with his vast store of information about local railroads and also helped with advice on scanning. Carol also thanked Nij Tontisirin Anantsuksomsri, our senior student map assistant and Photoshop expert, who provided scanning help and expert advice on image preparation and organization. 
Carol discussed her new book, Ithaca: A Brief History, at 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 22, at Bookery II in the DeWitt Mall, 215 N. Cayuga St. A book signing followed the event. If you were there bring your copy down to the Map Collection and Nij and Howard will sign it, too! Both employees have recently made other substantive contributions. Howard provided maps from his collection to The History Center for its current exhibit: "Riding the Rails, " which is showing from October 25th to February 14th. And Nij will figure largely in Prof. John Parmenter's recently accepted book on Iroquia, for which she helped design the maps. We're very lucky to have employees of this caliber in the Map Collection and in CUL. It's gratifying to see them acknowledged prominently by so highly respected an author as Carol Kammen. (Bob Kibbee; photographs by Bob Kibbee)
Congratulations to Sasha Skenderija from the Law Library on the publication of his book, Why the Dwarf Had To Be Shot (Austin, TX: Black Buzzard Press, 2008). The book is a compilation of poems written between 1990 and 2003, originally published in book form in Bosnia in 2005, and translated from Bosnian by Wayles Brown, 
professor of Slavic linguistics at Cornell, and others. The Foreword is written by another Cornellian, K.E. Battig von Wittelsbach, Senior Lecturer in Romance Studies. See here for more information. (Photograph provided)
Congratulations to the Hotel Library on their 2nd place finish in the Hotel School pumpkin decorating contest. Jessica Hines and Jeff Shampnois pose with their winning entry, a tribute to the massive renovation efforts underway in the school. If you look inside the pumpkin you will see facsimiles of the library collection carefully shelved. (Pumpkin photographs provided)
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Date: Mon, 03 Nov 2008
To: CU-LIB
From: Linda Bryan
Subject: Important: CUL Employee Recognition and CU Values & Principles
At the All Staff meeting on Friday, Anne Kenney mentioned the LHR rewards and recognition webpage and asked that we remind everyone about our site: http://www.library.cornell.edu/Adminops/libhumres/recognitionprogram.html. Employee recognition is a communication tool that reinforces and rewards people for a job well done. Taking time to recognize achievements lets employees know that they are valued and are an important part of our organization. We're sure you would agree that CUL would not be what it is today without the dedication of our staff! We encourage you to put some of these ideas into practice, or let us know if you have other ideas. In addition, we encourage you to review University HR's core values and principles: http://www.ohr.cornell.edu/commitment/coreValues.html . We strive to maintain a supportive environment where these principles are put into daily practice. Please contact Library Human Resources if you have any questions.
Olin Library Renovation
Take One: November 17, 2008
It was great to see so many library staff members at the forums on Olin Library renovation last week. For those of you who couldn't make it, I want to update you on where things stand. This coming Wednesday, we're back on the agenda for the Capital Funding and Priorities Committee (CF&PC), and it is our fervent hope that they will approve the design and authorize the Construction Document Phase. If that occurs, we'll move on to the Board of Trustees' Buildings & Properties Committee on December 11. Pending their approval, we would plan for actual construction to begin in summer/fall 2009. This project is primarily motivated by the need to address very serious life safety/fire protection deficiencies, bring the building to code compliance, and replace the poorly functioning heating and ventilation system. We are also hopeful that we'll be approved to include programmatic upgrades as well to enhance our ability to facilitate serious research.
I recognize how important Olin Library is for the work of faculty and students. Pat, John, and I will be meeting with the A&S Department Chairs on Tuesday evening and will be holding faculty forums December 1 and 2. We expect to reach out to graduate students and undergraduates as well. I understand the concerns of users--and those of the library staff--about the disruption the renovation will entail. So let me share with you what we know about the use of space during renovation. The first phase of the renovation will include floors 3-8 and is estimated to last approximately two years, beginning sometime in mid-to-late summer 2009. During that time, floors 3-7 will be closed for use. Staff working on those floors will have to be relocated. Olin floors 2B-2nd floor will be available during construction, and we will be using those floors and Uris Library to provide essential services and to house as much of the collection on site as possible. We will be expediting document/book delivery from the Annex for those materials that need to be located there. Within the limits of what is possible, we will also provide space for graduate student carrels, graduate research rooms, and faculty work spaces. At this point we don't know where the displaced staff will be located, but John Hoffmann, Pat Schafer, and the rest of the Renovation Team have already turned to considering various options. In the coming months, they will be meeting with affected staff to solicit their suggestions and get a good sense of their needs during this period. By June, we will need to have settled on a plan for the duration.
We are keenly aware that Olin Library plays a crucial role in the life of faculty, students, and the many staff who work here. We know that the renovation effort will be disruptive. We need your advice in devising ways to mitigate the impact of the renovation on your work and that of our users, given the life safety imperative, fiscal constraints, and space considerations associated with the renovation.
If you have any questions about the planned renovation or suggestions to pass along, please contact the Olin Renovation Committee at RenovateOlinLibrary@cornell.edu or visit the renovation website.
Have a safe and productive week. Anne
GOOD-BYE
Good-bye and good luck to the following folks who recently left the Library: Judy Adams, LTS Acquisitions; Sharon Kendall, Library Alumni Affairs and Development; Michael Strange, Collection Maintenance; William (Joseph) Thomas, LTS E-Resources.
Retirements
Judy Adams, LTS Acquisitions
Judy Adams retired from the Receiving Unit in Library Technical Services (LTS) on October 1st, 2008, after 25 years of dedicated service at Olin Library. The staff from many library units gathered at Warren Hall for an enjoyable event with Judy and her family members. Scott Wicks, AUL for Central Library Operations, gave a speech in which he highlighted the many characteristics that Judy displayed during her changing career and thanked for her optimism and the sunshine she brought into LTS. Her long-time, now retired, former supervisor Mary Wesche sent a special poem (see below) that she had written about Judy and her accomplishments that delighted the party attendees. Pedro Arroyo, one of the notorious LTS musicians, performed a song with his authentic lyrics describing some hilarious and otherwise memorable turns of events in LTS operations over time that caused the crowd to burst into laughter time after another.
Judy started her career at a time when computers were not widely used in libraries and certainly not seen in LTS. However, Judy’s technical curiosity made her one of the LTS netadmins when new emerging technologies entered the department and changed the work and workflows for everybody. There was not a single task in the Receiving Unit that Judy did not know how to perform, and she was often asked to train a new colleague or that year’s new students.
Judy’s family was often in her thoughts and a coffee break topic she loved to share with her friends. Those working around her frequently saw samples of her latest craft or quilting projects and admired the pieces usually meant as a gift to her family members and friends. We wish her a happy, healthy, and enjoyable retirement with two of her favorite things in life: her family and her new craft projects!
Anna Korhonen
Photographs of Judy and party photographs by Cynthia Lange
Dear Judy,
I am sitting here looking at a gorgeous Texas sky
Wishing I could be there to hug you good bye.
Although to one era it is a good-bye
To an even better era it’s a well deserved Hi.
You’re entering retirement among many cheers
But you’re leaving a place you enjoyed for 25 years.
I know that for a fact because I heard you say
I love my job! day after day.
There’s only one thing that you enjoy more,
It’s that family of yours, that is for sure.
You have special feelings for each and every one,
They are your pride, your joy, your life, and your fun.
To Howie, the love of your life
You are his loving and devoted wife.
To John, Gwenie, Greg and Sandy
You’re a special mother unbiased and handy.
The grandchildren, I’m pretty sure surpass ten,
Quite a brood to keep track of for a grandmother hen.
But you do it, and do it real great, I think
You make each one feel distinctive and unique.
Those projects you do with such zest and such zeal
Like cross stitch, embroidery, etc., they have such appeal.
You know exactly what to create to make people aware
Of how special you are and how much you care.
You would come in all excited, say "gather round me"
And present your newest acquisition from Q.V.C.
A gift for a loved one, unique attire, sparkly necklace or ring,
Whatever it was it was always a wonderful thing!
You sing in the church choir, you trust in the Lord,
You are talented, sweet, funny, and never get bored.
You’re sensitive and loyal, hard working, and kind
With an unusually thoughtful, inquisitive mind.
You were always up to a challenge whatever it be
That was almost always a good thing for me.
Being your supervisor filled me with pride,
You can walk out the door knowing it’s been quite a ride!
Your presence in the library will surely be missed,
Put your arms around you and pretend you’ve been kissed.
Your ex-supervisor and friend,
Mary Wesche
Credits: Kaleidoscope is published bi-monthly except June and July
by Cornell University Library. Editor: Elizabeth Teskey, Photography: Cynthia Lange, Layout: Carla DeMello and Jenn Colt-Demaree
