Washington University in St. Louis

Collection Development Policy

Library: Olin

Subject: Korean Studies

Collection: General

Date Revised: April 15, 2014

Subject Librarian:                                                                                          

 

1. General purpose:
 

Collection of Korean- and English-language materials to support research and instruction on Korea-related topics up through the doctoral and faculty levels in humanities and social scientific disciplines: the collection primarily focuses on the subject areas of literature and language to support research and teaching in the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures. The collection also supports research and instruction in the wider Washington University community in such areas, but not limited to, history, art, art history, architecture, comparative literature, film and media studies, political science, religion, and women, gender and sexuality studies. In those areas, the librarian in charge of the Korean Studies collection coordinates with subject librarians in the respective subject fields. The interests of the core and affiliated faculty members and graduate students of the East Asian Languages and Cultures program are given special weight in deciding on acquisitions.
 

 

2. Subjects excluded:
 

Active collection building efforts at the Korean Studies collection focuses mainly on literature and language,  but no subjects in principle are excluded as long as they support research and teaching by faculty members and graduate students. (Currently, however, the Korean Studies collection does not actively pursue acquisition of materials in Law, Business, Social Work, Medical and natural science and engineering disciplines. See also section I below).

 

3. Overlap with other collections or subjects:

As the Korean Studies collection supports a wide range of research and teaching topics (except for the areas mentioned in B above), the subject areas the collection covers overlap with those of several other subject collections. The Korean-language collection, however, focuses primarily on Korean-language materials, whereas other subject collections generally do not collect materials in Korean. (See D below also for language-related policies). In those overlapping areas, relevant units collaborate, but no attempts are made to strictly divide the responsibilities, so as to better serve the interests of faculty members and students and not to miss desirable items.

 

4. Languages included and excluded:

As stated above, the Korean Studies collection collects materials in English and Korean. The Korean-language collection focuses primarily on materials in Korean, both modern and classical, as well as bi- and multilingual items in case of dictionaries and language instruction materials. Books in classical Korean also include materials that are textually and grammatically Chinese, but those are not excluded from the Korean-language collection as long as they are attributed to Korean authors or publishers, or have circulated widely in Korea. Books written in Chinese and Japanese national languages fall under the responsibilities of the respective language collections even if their subject areas are Korean Studies. Materials written in languages other than English and Korean are generally not actively pursued, but not excluded if they pertain to specific research and teaching projects of faculty members and graduate students.
 

 

5. Geographical limitations:

The frame of Korean Studies, which is geographically bound to the current and historical boundary of broadly defined Korea, is given special weight in deciding on acquisitions, but subject areas such as, and not limited to, comparative and world literature and world and regional history, and materials relevant to diasporic Korean populations are not excluded if they are written in Korean. (If written in other languages, these topics fall under the responsibilities of collections responsible for the appropriate subject area or language). This also means that within the East Asian Collection, books on China and Japan written in Korean falls under the responsibility of the Korean-language collection and vice versa.
 

 

6. Chronological limits:

None (Materials from Korea under Japanese rule are the responsibility of the Japanese Studies collection if primarily written in Japanese, and Korean Studies collection if primarily in Korean).

 

7. Retrospective acquisition:

Gaps in areas of particular emphasis are filled as identified, and as funds permit. Retrospective acquisition is also considered to support new research and teaching areas of faculty members and graduate students as permitted by funds.
 

 

8. Types of material collected and excluded:

• Included:
  • ​Monographs
  • Electronic databases (both those stowed in physical media and those provided over the Internet based on subscription)
  • Reference materials (including dictionaries, encyclopedias, some maps and atlases, and relevant bibliographies and archival inventories)
  • Audio-visual items are occasionally acquired as part of the Korean Studies collection, but generally assigned to and shelved in Olin Library regardless of language.
  • Popular literature materials are acquired selectively, but not excluded.
  • Ephemera and gray literature are included very selectively. They are considered for inclusion if essential to faculty and graduate student research and if available in the form of electronic databases or microform collections.
• Due to fund availability, print serials and microforms are not currently actively collected, but may be considered in the future.
• Excluded:
  • Most textbooks (except for language textbooks),
  • Travelers’ guides
  • Most Korean translation of Western works
  • Most children’s and juvenile materials and comic books are excluded unless they support specific research projects of faculty or graduate students
  • Rare books
  • Manuscripts
  • Single pieces of art are not actively pursued for acquisition due to budgetary and preservation concerns
  • Electronic books not stowed in physical media (i.e. Kindle books and such) are currently excluded from collection.
     

 

9. Other factors to consider:                                                                    

• Currently Japanese Studies Librarian also manages the Korean Studies Collection.
• The Law Library has 172 titles (455 volumes) of Korean-language materials and an undetermined number of English-language materials related to Korea, which are currently not integrated into the East Asian Library’s Korean Studies collection and managed by the Law Library. Collections in Business, Social Work, Medical and natural sciences and engineering departmental libraries may also include small numbers of Korean-language materials and materials related to Korea, but they are not managed by the Korean Studies librarian. In other overlapping areas, including History, Art and Architecture, Comparative Literature, Film and Media Studies, Political Science, Religion and Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies, the librarian in charge of the Korean Studies collection collaborates with relevant subject librarians.
• Most reference and fundamental materials outside of the literature and language subject area have been acquired with the support from the Korea Foundation’s Reference Materials Distribution Program. Subscription to Korean studies electronic databases has also been partially supported by the Korea Foundation Support for e-Resources program.
   

10. Subjects and Collecting Levels:

	Current Collecting Level   (Korean)
Art/Architecture	1
Buddhism	1
Encyclopedias, Dictionaries, etc.	2
Film and Media	1
History, Pre-Chosŏn (pre-1392)	1
History, Chosŏn Dynasty (1392-1910)	1
History, 1910-present	1
Literature, Pre-modern	1
Literature, 20th-century	2
Performing Arts (All periods)	1
Philosophy (All periods)	1
Political science	1
Religion	1
Women’s Studies	1

 

	Current Collecting Level  (English)
History, Pre-Chosŏn (pre-1392)	1
History, Chosŏn Dynasty (1392-1910)	1
History, 1910-present	1
Literature, Pre-modern	1
Literature, 20th-century	1