Library

The Sinology department’s library is part of the Departmental Library for Cultural, Historical and Earth Sciences (KGG) at the University of Würzburg. It is located in the same building as the Sinology department at the Philosophical Faculty Campus Hubland. Borrowing books on the weekend is possible. Collective works in Chinese (congshu) are kept in a separate study library and are accessible after consultation with the department.

Archives, Collection Focus, Catalogues

The collection comprises approximately 18.000 titles in around 40.000 volumes. 170 current periodicals and newspapers, 153 of which are foreign, as well as electronic media are also available. More than half of the monographs are titles in non-European languages, in particular Chinese. The collection’s focal points result from the Sinology department’s research orientation: modern China, history (especially Song period), historiography, history of technology (in particular textile history), archaeology, epigraphy, material culture, ecology, historical sociology and until 1988 there was also a focus on Daoism. The library’s archives are computer-catalogued. In addition to on-site research, online access is possible via the OPAC of the Würzburg University Library and the BVB-Catalogue. Please note that for Chinese titles prior to 2000, keywords can only be searched via the specialized search function. Digital media are accessible in the study library.

Crossasia

Students at the Sinology department have free access to Crossasia; a service offered by the National Library in Berlin, which provides access to a wide range of scholarly resources from Asia.

Donations

In 2004, the library of the Institute of East and South Asian Cultural Studies (Sinology) received a donation of 968 volumes, including the Qianlong Tripitaka, from the Educational Foundation of the Corporate Body of the Buddha.

In 2005, the library of the Institute of East and South Asian Cultural Studies (Sinology) received a donation from the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Berlin as part of the Zhongguo guojia hanban programme of 169 volumes, including 75 volumes comprising the Zhonghua shanshui zhi congkan.

In 2007, the library of the Institute of East and South Asian Cultural Studies (Sinology) received the primary source work Ming Qing Taiwan Dangan Huibian in 30 volumes as a donation from the National Cultural Association, Taipei.