Author:   Du Jidong    Hits:    Update Time:2005年09月06日

The Library of the Institute of Modern History, CASS, was established at the same time as the Institute in 1949. Now the Library covers more than 3400 square meters (including 2480 square meters of stack space) divided into the following units: Catalog Hall, General Reading Room, Foreign Languages Reading Room, Chinese Newspaper and Journal Reading Room, Reference Reading Room, and Special Collections Reading Room. The Library’s collection totals 600,000 volumes (items).

1. Characteristics of the Collection

a. Early monographs and selected works from liberated areas before the establishment of the People’s Republic of China, including translations of Marxist-Leninist works, Mao Zedong’s writings, and newspapers and magazines from the liberated areas.

b. The Library’s key collection consists of books, magazines and other materials from the Opium War to the Beiyang Warlord period, including in particular a large number of collected works, memorials and official letters by Zeng Guofan, Hu Linyi, Li Hongzhang, Wen Tonghe, Zhang Zhidong, and others.

c. Manuscripts by Sun Yat-sen, Hu Shi’s diaries and letters, and the diaries and manuscripts of Huang Yanpei, Zhang Guogan and others.

d. Rich collections of modern newspapers and magazines, especially newspapers and magazines before and after the 1911 Revolution. The Library holds most of the original publication runs of Shen Bao and Minguo Ribao. Copies of Tian Duo Bao, Taiyang Ping Bao and Diguo Ribao contributed by Liu Yazi are the only existing copies in China.

e. Books contributed by scholars and experts, such as Liu Yazi, Huang Yanpei, Zhang Guogan, Fan Wenlai, Zhang Zongliu, Xie Lianzao, Wang Chongwu, Rong Mengyuan, Li Zongyi, Wang Huian, Luo Ergang and Liu Danian.

f. Post-1949 monographs, reference books, and materials on modern history in Chinese, English, Japanese and Russian.

2.Automation: At present, all library tasks and reader queries are managed by computers.

3. Intended Users and Borrowing Procedures

a. Researchers belonging to CASS or the Academies of Social Sciences of all provinces. (Mainland readers need to show ID cards or letters of reference from their work units).

b. Teachers in college and university history departments. (Need to show ID cards or letters of reference from their work units).

c. Scholars from foreign countries and Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan. (Need the approval of the Department of Scientific Research).

4. Services Provided by the Catalog Hall and Reading Rooms

a. Catalog Hall: provides card catalogs and computer catalogs for the Library’s collections in Chinese, Western, Japanese and Russian languages, and catalogs of post-1949 newspapers and journals.

b. General Reading Room: provides open-stack access to Chinese reference books, multi-volume collections of historical materials, picture albums, photo-lithographs of government Bulletins, official newspapers, biographies from Taiwan, and so on. The General Reading Room also provides card catalogs of newspapers and magazines before 1949 and card catalogs of internal-circulation books, rare books, and books from Hong Kong and Taiwan.

c. Newspaper and Journal Reading Room: provides open-stack access to new newspapers and journals from the current year.

d. Reference Reading Room: provides open-stack access to collections of historical accounts from all provinces, cities and counties, and new local gazetteers.

e. Special Collections Reading Room: provides access to historical documents concerning famous modern people and events.

f. Foreign Languages Reading Room: provides access to foreign language reference books and collections of source materials, and internal-circulation newspapers and magazines.

5. Opening Hours

Monday to Friday: 8:30—11:30 am; 3:30—16:30 pm (closed Wednesday afternoon). Readers from outside the Institute may use the Library only on Monday and Thursday mornings.

Director of the Library: Min Jie

Vice-Directors: Zhang Xiuqing, Duan Mei

Staff: Yue Xiaoyu, Liu Li, Tang Lifeng, Hu Jin, Sun Feifei, Ping Guoliang, Zhang Xianju, Du Hua, Wei Xiangpeng, Qiu Li, Wang Beihong, Ru Jing, Liu Hewen.

Tel: 65255400—206

Email: tsg-jd@cass.org..cn