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| By Michael Chung Campus Resources: Asian American Studies Library The Asian American Studies Library in 2230 Campbell Hall is one the most highly concentrated areas of information of Asian American research in the world. It houses extensive indexed bibliographies and numerous electronic reference aids and has over 5,000 books, 30 Asian Pacific ethnic and regional newspapers, over 300 community and campus newsletters, and 5,000 pamphlets. Currently, it is in the process of changing most of its collection to a computer-based system which will make it easier to access information from their huge collection of materials. With this new database, the new Library will be easier to use, help to promote a national network with other schools and libraries to form a national network of resources of cooperative research that will facilitate research to new heights of ethnic research. But despite all the automation, one aspect that remains crucial to the Library is the people who work there. They know pretty much where everything is, if it exists, and where to find it. One other resource that is helpful in research are the syllabi for Asian American Studies courses at UCLA that lend themselves to outside sources for topics from Korean immigrants to Vietnamese refugees, all according to the class from which it was taught. Another valuable resource is the Amerasia Journal Cumulative Bibliography which offers sources from hard to find publications about Asians in America, not just in Asia. But one of the more fascinating things about the library which I was not able to look through are the numerous archives that are available. Archives are available for Chinese American, Korean American, and Japanese American movements that offer invaluable tools for papers and research into the Asian American community, particularly in Southern California. (Michael Chung is a Senior majoring in History.) |