Asian Languages and Literature

Collection Development Policy

Wayne Richter, Margaret Fast

1. Applicable LC Classes:

Call No.	Subject Heading
PH	Uralic, Basque, Finnish, Finnic, Hungarian, etc.
PL 21-396	Turkic Languages
PL 400-431	Mongolian Languages
PL 450-481	Tungus Manchu Languages
PL 490-495	Far Eastern Languages and Literatures
PL 501-889	Japanese Languages and Literatures
PL 901-998	Korean Languages and Literatures
PL 1001-3208	Chinese Languages and Literatures
PL 3301-3311	Non-Chinese Languages and Literatures
PL 3501-4587	Indo-Chinese, Karen, Tai, etc. Languages
PL 4601-4890	Dravidian Languages and Literatures
PL 5001-8844	Oceanic, African Languages and Literatures

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2. Academic Departments, Programs, etc.:

The collection is designed to support the curricular and research needs of the Department of Modern & Classical Languages, East Asian Studies, and the Linguistics Program with emphasis on Chinese and Japanese. In the spring of 2005 the American Center for Mongolian Studies (ACMS) was formally established at Western Washington University continuing a long standing commitment to collecting in Mongolian. Language minors in Chinese and Japanese, plus a major in East Asian Studies, focus on language, literature, culture and civilization.

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3. Collection Levels:

Call No.	Subject Heading	Present	Desired
PH	Uralic, Basque, Finnish, Finnic, Hungarian, etc.	1a	1a
PL 21-396	Turkic Languages	2a	2a
PL 400-431	Mongolian Languages	4	4
PL 450-481	Tungus Manchu Languages	1a	1a
PL 490-495	Far Eastern Languages and Literatures	1	1
PL 501-889	Japanese Languages and Literatures	3b	3c
PL 901-998	Korean Languages and Literatures	3	3
PL 1001-3208	Chinese Languages and Literatures	3b	3c
PL 3301-3311	Non-Chinese Languages and Literatures	1	1
PL 3501-4587	Indo-Chinese, Karen, Tai, etc. Languages	1b	1b
PL 4601-4890	Dravidian Languages and Literatures	1	1
PL 5001-8844	Oceanic, African Languages and Literatures	2	2

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4. Scope:

Geographic: China, Japan, and Mongolia are emphasized. In general there are no restrictions if the subject matter is related to course offerings.

Language: Codes E and F.

Chronological Limitations: All periods of history are covered.

5. Formats collected/Non-Subject Parameters:

Explanatory Notes: Monographs and serials are collected, as are journals and electronic formats. Videotapes, DVDs, CD-ROMs are selected selectively when requested by faculty to support instruction and do not duplicate the Language Media Center collection.

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6. System Coordination and Resource Sharing:

Summit and Illiad.

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7. Electronic Databases:

Current subscriptions include the Bibliography of Asian Studies, Historical Abstracts, the Modern Languages Bibliography, and Language and Linguistics Behavior Abstracts. Other useful databases include: Art & Humanities Citation Index and ProQuest 5000 to name a few.

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8. Notable Features:
The Altaic languages, specifically the Mongolian and Manchu-Tungus languages are the strongest in the collection built mainly from gifts provided by Dr. Henry Schwartz and Nicholas Poppe. This collection is said to rival the Library of Congress's collection in Washington, D.C.

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9. Narrative Statement:

The Asian Languages and Literature collection supports the interdisciplinary programs in East Asian Studies as well as the elementary through advanced level courses in Chinese and Japanese offered by the Department of Modern & Classical Languages. The Center for East Asian Studies, with members from the departments of Anthropology,l Art, Communication, Computer Science, Education,l Geography, Modern & Classical Languages, History, Liberal Studies and Political Science, offers a major in programs leading to a Bachelor of Arts. Materials in all formats are collected when requested by faculty for instruction and research needs.