Inside the World's Major East Asian Collections

This book is intended to serve multiple purposes. In particular, we examine the rise of the "LAM", an acronym that stands for libraries, archives, and museums and in doing so, we profile leading experts -- librarians, archivists, and museum curators -- who specialize in East Asian collections from across the world. In examining the dynamically shifting role of the cultural institution in the context of managing information and collections, this book provides important themes offered by these cultural experts in understanding the necessary professional skills, knowledge, and personalities that are required for working in such environments of varying size, scope, and composition in LAMs. As galleries, LAMs manage preservation and access of history and culture, their missions and goals as cultural institutions continue to converge. As collecting institutions, LAMs share the common mandate to preserve and make accessible primary resources valuable for researchers and professionals, as well as the public. LAMs are mostly publicly funded, publicly accountable institutions collecting cultural heritage materials. Another aim of this book is to enhance the visibility and recognize the efforts of the LAM professionals as cultural institution leaders, since much of their great contributions in the respective fields to preserving our cultural and documentary heritages have gone unnoticed outside their parent institutions. Examines roles and goals of cultural institutionsBrings collections to life through interviews with LAM expertsPresents LAMs with a focus on East AsiaServes as a platform for LAM professionals to share and exchange experience and insight