I'm taking IST 676 Digital Libraries with Prof. Jian Qin. The final project for the course is to create a detailed digital library project plan that may "help your career or further your existing interests". My project, "Digital Library for 120 Chinese Students", aims to collect and display materials of lives, stories and achievements of the students and Yung Wing, thus facilitate research, preservation and educational purposes.
Background
In 2004, I watched a documentary entitled “Youth” on CCTV (China Central Television), introducing stories of 120 Chinese young students who were sent to America between 1872 and 1881 by Chinese Educational Commission in Qing Dynasty. The mission was resulted from tireless effort of Yung Wing, graduated from Yale in 1854, the first Chinese graduated in an American University.
The students showed their academic excellence during their study in U.S and went back to China after the project was terminated by Chinese government. Some of the students, such as Jeme Tienyow and Tang Shaoyi, became government officials and made great contributions in the modern history of China. I was very inspired by their story and it became one of the main reasons that I decided to pursue graduate study in United States.
Statement of Need
The digital library will collect and digitize materials associated with 120 Chinese students and Yung Wing and provide open access to the collections for research purposes and public good. Although many organizations, including Chinese Students Memorial Society, Chinese Historical Society of New England, The Connecticut Historical Society, Yale University library have materials and collections in the content area, but there is no digital library for the topic to house materials located in different places and most of the materials are not digitized yet. The current nature of the collection places barriers for researchers and scholars and prohibits further dissemination.
The digital library will facilitate researchers and scholars with easy access to the materials and offer them an environment to communicate and collaborate in the future. Information will be disseminated to wider audience and enrich cultural understanding between Chinese and American.
Scope inclusion
Any material associated with the group and Yung Wing with historic, preservation and research value, includes personal and official documents and artifacts, articles, books, interviews, documentaries and any other manifestations.
Here is a list of types for materials for inclusion, but not limited to.
- Personal documents of the 120 students and Yung Wing, such as manuscripts, photos, letters, journals;
- Official documents of the Commission and Qing Dynasty, such as government letters, reports;
- Official academic documents of the students and Yung Wing, from schools and universities they attended, such as academic records, enrollment records, awards, etc;
- Newspaper articles, interviews, documentaries of the period;
- Other manifestations and derivations, such as books, reports, essays, articles and unpublished manuscripts, interviews;
